For his commitment to excellence in service to the DeKalb County community, Officer Timothy W. Paske received the DeKalb Bar Association’s Officer of the Year award at the annual Law Day ceremony in May.

Each year police supervisors are asked to select an officer who exemplifies excellence in police work in DeKalb County. Professionalism, leadership, work ethic, and esprit de corps are all qualities considered when making this selection. Several officers achieved excellence this year, but Paske, according to his lieutenant, has excelled above the rest.

The DeKalb Bar Association’s first Outstanding Service award goes to Connie Curtis, an officer who has been with the department since 2003 and has been assigned to the DUI Task Force/STAR Team since 2009. During her tenure she has maintained a high level of professionalism and on numerous occasions exhibited superior leadership ability.

Officer Curtis began her career at South Precinct working as a uniformed patrol officer assigned to the morning watch shift. Because of her aggressive traffic patrols and increased level of productivity, she was approved for specialized classes in the realm of DUI enforcement and traffic direction and control. She also became a certified field training officer and has trained more than 20 uniformed officers while in Uniform Division.

The DeKalb Bar Association’s second outstanding service award goes to an officer who has been employed by the DeKalb County Police Department since August 2006. According to his supervisor, Reynaldo Cintron has been a model veteran officer and always a top producer on the watch. Cintron spends his shift working hard to make the North Precinct a safer place for the citizens of this county. He is always the first to volunteer for special assignments and is a great role model for the newer officers.

Officer Cintron’s mentoring of new officers is not a required task but his dedication to teaching inexperienced officers not only shows his commitment to his chosen profession but also his care and compassion for his fellow officers.

by Megan Hodgkiss

Thousands of people participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Atlantic Station this past Mother’s Day, helping to raise money and increase awareness in the fight against breast cancer. Among them were members of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and the Atlanta Bar Association’s Women in the Profession section (WIP). The two legal groups are partnered in the Breast Cancer Legal Project, a program providing pro bono legal services to low-income cancer patients through Grady Health System and DeKalb Medical Center.

by Denise VanLanduyt
President, DeKalb Bar Association

This year the DeKalb Bar Association honors Judge Clarence F. Seeliger with our Pioneer Award for his years of service and leadership to the DeKalb County Bench, Bar, and public.

Judge Seeliger was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He attended the University of Washington, graduating with a degree in Political Science in 1963. He entered the United States Air Force in 1963, serving in Biloxi, Mississippi; Savannah, Georgia; Vietnam; Thailand; and Altus, Oklahoma. He was released from service in August, 1967, with the rank of captain.

Judge Clarence Seeliger

Judge Seeliger went on to attend Emory University Law School, entering in the fall of 1967 and graduating in March 1970. While at Emory Law, he interned at the Southern Regional Council, a biracial commission of lawyers, ministers and newspaper editors from 13 Southern states who opposed segregation and urged more whites to champion equal rights. He was admitted to the Bar in 1970. He later opened a solo practice in Decatur.

Reporter for the Daily Report R. Robin McDonald captured the brewing scene in DeKalb and then-lawyer Seeliger’s experiences, which led to his decision to run for judge:

The DeKalb Bar Association Holiday Party was held on Thursday, Dec. 13, at the Solarium at historic Scottish Rite, 321 W. Hill St., in Oakhurst. A wonderful time was had by all. Our charity for this holiday season was the…

by Megan Hodgkiss Health care advocacy. Financial literacy. Government transparency. These are just some of the issues that lobbyists will focus on during the upcoming Georgia legislative session. Legal professionals got a sneak peek of these agendas during the recent…