Judge Coursey Speaks at May Family Law Section Breakfast
insights, news and announcements for our members, colleagues and community
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).
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.”
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.
DBA Elections Set for June 17
Are you interested in running for a DBA board position or officer slot? If so, please send your name, contact information and choice of position to our executive director at execdir@dekalbbar.org. The elections will be held at the June 17…
From the President: Facing the Emerging Challenges of Technology
by Denise Warner
The American Bar Association’s theme for Law Day 2010 is Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions, Emerging Challenges. Constitutional principles, such as freedom of speech and press, will be hard fought traditions in the face of the emerging challenges of technology.
The state of Ohio is considering using the social media site Twitter to provide almost instantaneous news of completed executions. In Kentucky, just before a defendant was sentenced for the reckless homicide of his girlfriend, a juror allegedly brushed up on the case by watching a YouTube video. Could you imagine using a website as evidence in a trial 20 years ago?