insights, news and announcements for our members, colleagues and community
The CLE held on October 15 at Carpe Diem Restaurant in Decatur was a success! William Zachery and Jack Fishman spoke on the topic "How to Start and Run a Business" and attendees learned the do's and don’ts of being…
Judge Adams Receives Thurgood Marshall Award DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams was presented with the 2009 Thurgood Marshall award at the DeKalb County NAACP’s 53rd annual Freedom Fund Awards Banquet. Judge Adams received the award for his…
Lawyers should take a lesson from the great Hollywood directors because an informal survey of law clerks and judges regarding their pet peeves related to lawyers reveals a common theme: Avoid hyperbole. (Spoiler Alert: if you’ve not yet watched The Lion King, Old Yeller, Bambi, or Ghost, read no further.)
by David M. Cox, Esq.
We seem to be cursed to live in interesting times. Many business concerns are facing serious cash flow issues. Money problems bring about marital strife, and financial issues surrounding divorces and business separations are more difficult in times where assets are more difficult to sell. Homeowners are walking away from their homes in the face of unemployment and mounting mortgage debt. Many investors have entered into real estate deals that have gone sour. In troubled times, debtors often neglect tax issues until it is too late to take advantage of some relief provisions in the tax code.
by Daniel DeWoskin
Trial Attorney
www.atlantatrial.com
This month, I had the pleasure of meeting with former DeKalb Bar Association President Mike Hawkins of the Hawkins Law Firm. Mike works exclusively in the area of DUI defense and has done so for many years now. For 10 years, Mike practiced as a named partner at his former firm, but ventured out in July 2008 to establish his own practice. Mike and his former partner dissolved their partnership on good terms, and the impetus behind the change was largely Mike’s preference to design his professional life in a manner that complemented his personal life. If you have been reading this article for the past few months, you have likely found that this rationale is a common theme for the lawyers I have interviewed and who have made significant changes to their practices.
By Rachel Elovitz
Dear Barrister:
A dear friend recently called me, frantic. Her 15-year-old daughter, who I’ll call Virginia, had been strip searched by the school principal. He suspected that Virginia was selling her mother’s oxycodone pills to other students. His “suspicion” was supposedly based on the report of another student. When the principal’s “pat down” did not produce anything, he told Virginia to remove her top. He then asked his secretary to search Virginia’s bra – and when that did not produce anything, he asked Virginia to remove her pants. He had his secretary check around Virginia’s underwear. There were no drugs.
Judge Castellani, center, stands with FLS chair Denise VanLanduyt, left, and FLS vice-chair Rebecca Crumrine
Sporting one of his colorful “Save the Children” ties, Judge Robert J. Castellani addressed a record turnout at the DeKalb Bar Family Law Section Breakfast on October 1, the first breakfast in the new permanent location at the Old Courthouse on the Square in Decatur.
Judge Castellani began by recounting his earlier years as a young lawyer who did a substantial amount of domestic relations work because many lawyers “dumped” their family law cases. He noted that family law is an area where the Bar can do the most good by helping people in difficult situations. To him, domestic relations lawyers are the “unsung heroes of the Bar.” He also noted, however, that the adversarial “trial lawyer’s mentality” frequently does not work in this arena, seeing how destructive and ineffective it can be to litigants and their children.