the legal profession Tag Archives - Atlanta Injury Lawyer Blog

Last week I attended the 2026 State Bar of Georgia Annual Meeting in Amelia Island, Florida. I would sum up this wonderful Annual Meeting in two words: Fun and Fellowship! I don’t know what number Annual Meeting this was for me, but the number is large. Considering that my now 31 year old son and now 29 year old daughter attended their first State Bar of Georgia Annual Meetings when they were both riding in car seats, my attendance goes waaaayyyy back! I have been practicing law for 38 years now, and a I really began getting involved in the Georgia Bar when I opened my own firm in 1997. As a Past President of the Georgia State Bar, I thoroughly enjoy going to the Annual Meeting, reconnecting with old friends, building relationships, meeting new folks and just enjoying incredible fellowship.

We started the week with the whole Clark Family at Amelia, Island. That was a blessing just by itself! We kicked off the fun week with dinner at Down Under Restaurant in Fernandina Beach, Florida! It was a great evening of Family Fun and Fellowship. My son, Chaz, who is an artist/architect and his wife, Roxy, who is a teacher, are not lawyers but didn’t mind hanging out with us for a couple of days.

The rest of the meeting was a whirlwind! So much to do and so many people to spend time with and catch up on their lives and practices.

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Last night at the Lawyers Club of Atlanta dinner, I had the distinct honor to raise a “wee deoch and doris” in memory of dear friend and Lawyers Club Past President, J.D. Humphries. He died on January 3, 2026 at the age of 81. We were in shock at the news of his passing. At his funeral, we were told that J.D. had written his own obituary. It starts like this: “J.D. (James Donald) struck his tent, died and passed over the river to rest under the shade of the trees on January 3, 2026. He was born September 27, 1944.” Although J.D. and I had been close friends for many years, his funeral was the first time I learned we shared a birthday. He never missed a Lawyers Club meeting, or a Lawyers Club Golf Tournament, or a Lawyers Club Past Presidents Dinner. He often traveled to England and Scotland to play golf with his buddies. He was an incredible person.

In his obituary, J.D. said this: “In lieu of flowers or contributions to charities, he wishes his friends to have “A Wee Deoch An’ Doris” until he meets them again.” And I said to myself, “OK, J.D., what the heck is a “Wee Deoch An’ Doris?” So I did some searching, and found a Scottish song by Harry Lauder from 1912. Here are the lyrics:

There’s a good old Scottish custom