JUNE EDITION • 2010
From the President: Looking Back on a Busy, Eventful and Productive Year
DBA President Denise Warner
In September I quoted United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, “What each of us must come to realize is that our intent always comes through.” I am pleased to report that I realized my intention as the 2009-2010 DeKalb Bar Association president to maintain the legacy of commitment that the past presidents of the DeKalb Bar Association have exemplified over the past 45 (now 46!) years.
Our CLE programs were second to none. A crowded room of attorneys joined DBA Treasurer Jack Fishman and CPA William Zachery at Carpe Diem in October to learn “How to Start and Run a Business.” More than 100 DBA members and DeKalb County citizens attended the “A View from the Bench: Professionalism in the Courtroom” CLE and public forum in February to increase their understanding of and respect for the rule of law, the legal process and the role of the legal profession.
Introducing Cindy Harris – Our New Executive Director
by Amy Daldry
Cindy Harris
Let me formally introduce you to Cindy Harris, who has taken on the distinguished-sounding job title of executive director of the DeKalb Bar Association as well as the unglamorous job of keeping a group of attorneys on task. The job of executive director was aptly described by Katie Wood in her farewell article to Aubrey Jones as “a bit like herding cats.” After meeting with Cindy, I am confident that the DBA board has found us a great herder – er, director.
Cindy Harris comes to the DBA with a wealth of experience in managing people and organizing events. Having coordinated events for more than 16 years, she is savvy at interviewing vendors, negotiating vendor contracts, hiring and supervising employees, maintaining accounts payable and receivable, gathering and organizing data, as well as performing general office management duties. Read more
Preview: DeKalb Bar Luncheon June 24
Former DeKalb Superior Court Judge R. Keegan Federal Will Speak on
“The Times They Have Changed: A Historical Perspective of the DeKalb Law Practice”
Food service begins at 11:30 a.m.
Judge Keegan Federal, then and now
Judge R. Keegan Federal was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and grew up in Columbus, Georgia. He studied for the ministry at St. John’s Seminary, and attended Loyola University in New Orleans, received his undergraduate degree and his law degree, with honors, from Emory University. Judge Federal was admitted to practice in Georgia on June 14, 1966, at the age of 22. He began his trial practice at Shoob, McLain & Jessee in Atlanta, and worked with his mentors, Marvin Shoob (later judge, USDC, Atlanta), Willis Hunt (later chief justice, Georgia Supreme Court, and judge, USDC, Atlanta), and Jim Jessee from 1966 to 1968. During these same two years, Keegan pursued an MBA in Insurance Law at Georgia State University’s evening division.
Two years later Judge Federal was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and assigned to Ft. Gordon, Georgia, trying court-martial cases. From 1969 to 1970, Keegan served in Vietnam, and was awarded the Bronze Star. Keegan remained active in veterans’ affairs: he chaired Georgia’s Vietnam Veterans’ Leadership program, which conducted seminars for veterans starting a business, and he is a member of the Atlanta Vietnam Veteran’s Business Association, which honors fallen Vietnam veterans each Memorial Day with the placement of a bronze plaque at a ceremony in their memory. In 1970 he again found himself in private practice with Nall Miller & Cadenhead (now Nall & Miller) where he tried a number of injury and death cases. Two years later Judge Federal and his friend Fred Orr started Orr & Federal in Decatur, representing individuals and small- to-medium-size companies in a wide variety of legal matters. Read more
Meet Four Candidates for the DBA Board of Directors
DBA members Tracy Lettsome, Annie Caiola, Mark Carter and Chadwick Walker, have announced themselves as candidates for the DBA Board of Directors. Each has provided a profile so that you may get to know them better. Read more
Mark that Calendar!
Meeting to Elect New FLS Board
The Family Law Section chair has called an Annual Meeting to be held Thursday, June 3, 7:30 a.m., at the Old Courthouse to elect the new Board. Breakfast will be catered by Badda Bing.
Notice of Filing Fee Increases
Several new filing fee and cost increases in the State and Magistrate Courts of DeKalb County took effect May 17, 2010. Read more
The Litigator’s Playbook: No Loose Ends
and No Unanswered Questions
The Design of Convincing and Compelling Opening Statements
by Jeri Kagel, M.Ed., J.D.
As the trial begins, jurors feel as though they have just entered a foreign country. These strangers in a strange land are unsure how to navigate through their surroundings when suddenly someone stands up and talks to them, suggesting, “Follow me, I can help you find your way through this.” They begin to follow when suddenly someone else starts talking and motioning to them, “No, no. Follow me. My way through this is better.” In real life, your jurors have just listened to your, and your opposing counsel’s, opening statements.
Everyone, attorneys and witnesses, convey different parts of a story at trial – that story is your version of what happened and why. Opening statements are the first time you tell your story from beginning to end. Attorneys are much less dependent on “picking the right jury” when they spend time designing a convincing theme and presenting it in a compelling manner that initially engages, and makes the most sense to, a wide variety of jurors. Read more
Judge Coursey Speaks at May Family Law Section Breakfast
The Family Law Section of the DeKalb Bar Association welcomed the Honorable Daniel M. Coursey, Jr., as its speaker for the May breakfast meeting. Judge Coursey began by observing that he has weathered a lot of family law changes in his more than 28 years on the DeKalb Superior Court bench. By way of illustration, he pointed to the recent parenting plan and child support statutory revisions with their concomitant increase in paperwork. But Judge Coursey emphasized that attorneys need not submit all documentation relating to these matters separately: Where an attorney might submit five separate orders, for example, the judge instructed that condensing them into fewer documents is permissible and judicious. Read more
DeKalb Bar Celebrates Law at Luncheon
The Law Day proclamation signed by CEO Burrell Ellis is read by Public Safety Director William Z. Miller
This year, the DeKalb Bar Association again partnered with DeKalb County and City of Decatur Schools to celebrate Law Day, a national initiative developed by the American Bar Association (ABA). The 2010 Law Day theme was Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions and Emerging Challenges. To commemorate Law Day each year, members of the DeKalb Bar visit local high schools to make presentations that celebrate our legal system. This year, nine attorneys visited more than 20 classes to commemorate Law Day.
As in years past, the Bar sponsored an essay contest for students in grades 6-8 and a poster contest for students in grades 4-5. We had more than 50 submissions and the winners are listed below. The first place recipients in each category attended the DeKalb Bar luncheon and had an opportunity to discuss their poster/essay with the members of the Bar. The first place essays are printed below.
Rebecca Salmon Receives Liberty Bell Award
Judge Merck presents the Liberty Bell Award
to Rebecca Ellen Salmon
The Liberty Bell Award is awarded annually by the DeKalb Bar Association in conjunction with our Law Day program, for accomplishments in public service. Rebecca Ellen Salmon is this year’s recipient of the Liberty Bell Award for her work in the Immigrant Children Advocacy Project (IACP). Ms. Salmon received her J.D. from University of Georgia School of Law in 2007. During 2006 she had a law school internship at Catholic Charities and later continued to work there as an Equal Justice Works Fellow (EJW). Read more
Two Officers Win Officer of the Year Awards in DBA’s Law Day Program
In years past, despite all the excellent candidates, the Law Day Award judges have been able to select a single candidate for the honor of Officer of the Year. This year, however, there were two nominees who went so far above and beyond the call of duty that it was decided that the tie could not be broken and both officers were deserving of the title “Officer of the Year.” Read more
In Memoriam: W. Fred Orr II, 1941-2010
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of one of our own, W. Fred Orr II, who passed on May 4. Fred was a native child, born in Atlanta on July 5, 1941, and attended the Atlanta public schools. He was an honor graduate of Brown High School, and active in school athletics and activities. Fred attended Emory University, majoring in Political Science, was admitted to the Emory University School of Law after three years of college, and after only one year of law school, he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Law. In 1965 he was awarded a Bachelor of Laws degree from Emory Law School. Mr. Orr was a member of the Emory Law Review, then known as the Journal of Public Law, and the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. He was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in December 1964, while still in law school. Read more
Douglas F. Aholt