From the President: Standing up For Children

by Denise VanLanduyt
President, DeKalb Bar Association

Do you remember the TV show, A Different World? It was a spin-off sitcom from The Cosby Show. Maybe you also remember the catchy, late ’80s music and theme song? Here are the lyrics:

I know my parents love me,
Stand behind me come what may.
I know now that I’m ready,
Because I finally heard them say
It’s a different world form where you come from.

Here’s a chance to make it,
If we focus on our goals.
If you dish it we can take it,
Just remember you’ve been told
It’s a different world from where you come from.
It’s a different world from where you come from.

I recently visited the DeKalb County Juvenile Court. As I sat in Judge Linda Bratton Haynes’s courtroom, I could only think, wow, I grew up in a very different world than each of the adolescents brought before her. I have come across children over my lifetime with various issues and challenges. But, this was different. As I think of their stories today, I don’t even know if the encouraging and motivational lyrics of The Cosby Show spin-off  (which interestingly were co-written by Mr. Cosby himself) would even reach them or mean anything to them.

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Mark That Calendar!

. . .  for these important upcoming events: DeKalb Bar Family Law Section Breakfast, October 4, 2012, Old Courthouse 7:30 a.m. Georgia Bar Family Law Section Mixer October 3, 2012  5-8:00 pm at Gordon Biersch in Midtown DeKalb Bar YLD…

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September Luncheon Recap

The DeKalb Bar Association held its first luncheon of the year on September 20. The luncheon was held at the Historic Courthouse and was sponsored by the Stonewall Bar Association and Ballard Spahr, a national law firm with offices in…

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Family Law Section September Breakfast Meeting Features District Attorney Robert James

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After a summer hiatus, the Family Law Section convened the first breakfast meeting of the 2012-2013 year on September 6, 2012 with guest speaker DeKalb District Attorney Robert James. Before a packed house, James explained his pledge to serve the citizens of DeKalb County through “competence, compassion, and commitment to justice.”

District Attorney James described to the attendees how he began his career at the Rockdale County District Attorney’s office and what an awakening it was for him when he started as an Assistant DA in DeKalb after three years in Rockdale. He explained that DeKalb County is very different, and that despite having three years of solid experience, he felt overwhelmed when he first started. According to James, the volume and severity of crime in DeKalb County is unique. He stressed that the complexity of an ADA’s case load does not lend itself to prosecutors who are fresh out of law school. James believes that the victims of crime deserve experienced prosecutors. Thus, when he became the District Attorney, he made a “quick dash” to hire experienced Assistant District Attorneys. James also firmly believes that the perspective which comes with prosecutorial experience is very important. He said that his office is one of, if not the most, experienced District Attorneys’ Offices in Georgia.

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The Practice Corner – What My Children Teach Me About Time

by Daniel DeWoskin
Trial Attorney
www.atlantatrial.com

Before you begin this article, I should tell you that it could be a gigantic book. Instead, I will keep it to a length certain not to take you more time to read than it would take me to get my four year old dressed and buckled in for the daily ride to school. For those of you who truly live your professional lives by the billable hour, I can only imagine the havoc that a child’s sense and understanding of time must bring into your life. Along with all the wonders and joys and all of that other stuff. The good stuff, I mean.

I, myself, have never practiced in such a way that the billable hour has controlled my schedule. Sure, I have billable hours, but many of my cases are contingency based or flat rate. This gave me a little bit of an edge when my kids came along and suddenly my schedule was, well, totally obliterated. You see, for all the social and professional events I have to make, and all the client appointments, late nights working, weekend meetings, and other round the clock stuff so many of us attorneys do, I have always made certain that my priorities are straight.

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