From the President: My Final Reflections

by Jennifer Little

It is with mixed feelings – sadness but also gratification – that I write this final column for the DeKalb Bar Association. As I underscored at my swearing in last June, it is an honor to serve as your president and I have enjoyed every second. Much has been learned from this rich experience, and I can’t thank every member enough for giving me this opportunity to serve as your president.

I’m gratified about creating the community events series aimed at educating people on the various issues they face in their daily lives. We had great responses from the community as we focused on elder abuse, gangs, mortgage relief fraud, landlord/tenant issues and family law. I also reflect fondly on the Candidate Forum with GABWA for DeKalb, Fulton and Cobb counties, YLD socials hosting the new judges and the CLEs on business, ethics and professionalism, the Trial Lawyers Community Outreach events and Family Law Breakfasts; these have been some great activities. We had a wonderful and well-attended holiday party at the home of Supreme Court Chief Justice Carol Hunstein and a successful Bench and Bar Dinner at Emory. It was also a great Law Day luncheon in May and, of course, we can all look forward to two more networking gatherings by the end of the year.

Thank you to our luncheon speakers: the GA Gang from Fox5 WAGA-TV; the Attorney General candidates, Sam Olens and Ken Hodges; Westlaw; State Rep. Mike Jacobs, U.S. Attorney Sally Yates and State Sen. Jason Carter. I would also like to thank Justice John J. Ellington, chief judge of the Court of Appeals, for highlighting our outstanding Bench and Bar reception. This year was a great success but it could not have been achieved without certain people. I would like to thank our board of directors, our newsletter editor, Jody Peskin, and our immediate past president, Denise Warner. Finally, I would like to recognize Cindy Harris, our executive director, for an outstanding first year with our organization.

Let me pause, too, to reflect on the high ideals of our legal calling. I’m reminded of some insightful quotes from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who spoke recently at an Augusta Law Day ceremony. One thing he said that was very instructive: In all the years since 1991 that he has served as a justice, he said that amidst all of the controversial cases – ranging from abortion to the death penalty – “I still have yet to hear the first unkind word” from his fellow justices. What a tribute to collegiality and civility!

Justice Thomas also emphasized a truism that we can all take to heart: “If the law is to have any integrity, we have to give it that integrity.” God bless you all and thank you for this most wonderful year. I will never forget it.