From the President: Bench and Bar, an Unmitigated Success

by Scott Bonder
President, DeKalb Bar Association

Thank you again to our sponsors, speakers, and attendees for making the DeKalb Bar Association Bench and Bar Dinner a wonderful success. Nearly 360 attendees mixed and mingled at the Druid Hills Golf Club. The crowd seemed to ebb and flow past the several appetizer areas, with the full bar acting as a harbor that allowed for more intimate conversations.

As many of you know, we delayed the dinner by a few weeks to accommodate the Club’s kitchen renovations. The renovations served us well as the food quality was excellent this year for both the appetizers and the dinner itself. Overall, the drinks were pretty darn tasty as well. One notable phenomenon was that each subsequent drink tasted better than its predecessor. I guess they still have some kinks in the system over at Druid Hills.

This year our program deviated a bit from the norm. We took time to thank Jack Fishman for his service. Jack served as the DeKalb Bar’s treasurer for nearly fifteen long years, and he certainly deserved our thanks.

Our Pioneer Award winner, Mary Margaret Oliver, was ably introduced by Hollie Manheimer. Mary Margaret was honored for her history of service to DeKalb County and Georgia overall. Mary Margaret has practiced law and dedicated herself to Georgia almost continuously since 1987 when she first served in the Georgia House or Representative. Since then, she has served in both the Georgia House and Senate from 1987-1992 and then again from 2002 through the present.

Our main speaker, Judge Sara Doyle of the Georgia Court of Appeals was both a good speaker and a good sport. As the attendees learned, Judge Doyle has some Florida connections that make her far more interesting than a mere robe wearing opinion writer. But, you had to be there to learn those personal details. Judge Doyle did an excellent job of updating us on the latest news at her court. The most notable event at the Georgia Court of Appeals that she discussed is the newly approved budget for an entire new panel of judges. Assuming that the Governor signs the bill authorizing this budget increase, the Georgia Court of Appeals will have three new judicial spots in 2016.

I was also very happy with the unofficial post-dinner turnout at the Golf House Bar. A good number of attendees lingered for several hours after the event, which is always a good sign of genuine collegiality.

The Bench and Bar Dinner typically marks the highlight of our year and this year was no exception. To the contrary, I look forward to seeing next year’s Board and Officers try to surpass this on