Enews: June 2020 (Volume 16, Issue 6)

In this Issue…

– COVID-19 Updates
– Information from the Supreme Court of Georgia
– Georgia Bar Journal: June 2020
– Bar License Fees Due July 1
– Comments Requested for the Draft Superior and State Court Appellate Practice Act
– Help Identify Legal Services Delivery Issues Associated with COVID-19
– Georgia Small Business/Nonprofit COVID-19 Remote Pro Bono Clinic
– Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism Resources
– Local and Voluntary Bar Activities Awards
– In-Person CLE Requirement Extended: View Available ICLE Webcasts
– Free Fastcase Research Offered Through the State Bar
– Wellness Corner

June 26, 2020

COVID-19 UPDATES

At this time, the State Bar of Georgia’s offices will reopen no sooner than Monday, July 13. Although our offices are closed, all of our staff are telecommuting, and they will remain available to assist you when needed, understanding of course, there may be slight delays in providing that assistance. We will continue to update this page [ www.gabar.org ] with important information from the Bar and from our courts, as well as helpful resources for our members and the public.

INFORMATION FROM THE SUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA

Visit the Supreme Court of Georgia’s website [ www.gasupreme.us ] for its information regarding COVID-19, including issued orders, notices and other announcements.

GEORGIA BAR JOURNAL | JUNE 2020

The June 2020 issue of the Georgia Bar Journal is available online [ digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com ] . Some of the highlights include:

– From the President: “Addressing COVID-19 Impact on Civil Legal Services” [ digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com ] by Darrell Sutton, Rick Rufolo, Steve Gottlieb and Paul Painter
– From the YLD President: “The Importance of Quality Mentorship” [ digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com ] by Will Davis
– From the Executive Director: “Marva Jones Brooks: A Life Spent on the High Road” [ digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com ] by Jeff Davis
– Legal Article: “An Overview of Ultimate Issue Evidence” [ digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com ] by Brett M. Adams
– 2020 Fiction Competition Winner: “The Deal” [ digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com ] by Joe Cargile

BAR LICENSE FEES DUE JULY 1

Annual Bar license fees are due each year on July 1.

If you have not already done so, we encourage you to pay your license fee online [ www.gabar.org ] . If you prefer to mail your payment, you can pay by check. If you need another copy of your license fee notice, you can print one without logging in by using the “Print License Fee Notice” Quick Link [ www.gabar.org ] .

For questions regarding your membership, please contact the Membership Department at membership@gabar.org [ mailto:membership@gabar.org ] . Due to the volume of payments received during this period, please allow 15 days before contacting the Membership Department to check on your payment.

COMMENTS REQUESTED FOR THE DRAFT SUPERIOR AND STATE COURT APPELLATE PRACTICE ACT

The Certiorari Review Subcommittee of the Judicial Council of Georgia Standing Committee on Legislation was appointed on July 21, 2016, for the purpose of reviewing and reforming the current certiorari review procedure set forth in O.C.G.A. §§ 5-4-1 et seq. The subcommittee proposes the draft Superior and State Court Appellate Practice Act, which would repeal and replace both the current notice of appeal and certiorari review statutes in O.C.G.A. Chapters 3 and 4 of Title 5 with a single, modern, logical and relatively simplified “petition for review” process for superior or state court review of judicial and quasi-judicial decisions from municipal courts, non-Article 6 probate courts, magistrate courts and other lower judicatories, as defined.

The subcommittee now solicits comments from the bench, bar and public regarding the draft Superior and State Court Appellate Practice Act, which is posted for comment on the website [ georgiacourts.gov ] .

Please submit comments to: certreviewcomments@georgiacourts.gov [ mailto:certreviewcomments@georgiacourts.gov ] no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 9.

HELP IDENTIFY LEGAL SERVICES DELIVERY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19

The State Bar of Georgia has established a special committee to help identify issues related to the delivery of legal services during the public health emergency associated with the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Visit the website [ www.gabar.org ] and use the online form [ form.jotform.com ] to identify legal service delivery issues that you have become aware of in relation to COVID-19.

GEORGIA SMALL BUSINESS/NONPROFIT COVID-19 REMOTE PRO BONO CLINIC

The Georgia Small Business/Nonprofit COVID-19 Pro Bono Clinic is an opportunity for Georgia small businesses with fewer than 25 employees as well as 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations who have suffered adversely from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis to receive free legal advice during a 45-minute remote consultation with a volunteer attorney. For more information and to request an appointment, visit the website [ www.gabar.org ] .

CHIEF JUSTICE’S COMMISSION ON PROFESSIONALISM RESOURCES

The Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism encourages State Bar sections, and local, voluntary and specialty bar associations to use the materials from the Criminal Justice, Professionalism and Coronavirus CLE (available for download here [ cjcpga.org ] ) to facilitate discussions among your members about how the courts will re-open. Please contact Executive Director Karlise Y. Grier at kygrier@cjcpga.org [ mailto:kygrier@cjcpga.org ] if you would like to use the materials or if you would like help planning a professionalism CLE.

LOCAL AND VOLUNTARY BAR ACTIVITIES AWARDS

The deadline for this year’s Local and Voluntary Bar Activities Awards is July 31, so you still have time to compile photos, news clippings, programs, flyers, etc., for scrapbooks and exhibits.

Click here [ www.gabar.org ] for more information regarding the guidelines and submission process. If you have questions, contact Ashley Stollar at 404-527-8792 or ashleys@gabar.org [ mailto:ashleys@gabar.org ] .

IN-PERSON CLE REQUIREMENT WAIVER EXTENDED | VIEW AVAILABLE ICLE WEBCASTS

Due to the fluid situation surrounding COVID-19 and the ability to safely provide in-person CLE learning opportunities at this time, the Supreme Court of Georgia has extended the order temporarily waiving the 6-hour in-person CLE requirement through March 31, 2021. View the order here [ www.gasupreme.us ] .

While we are continuing to practice social distancing and looking for ways to fulfill CLE requirements, visit the website [ www.gabar.org ] for a list of available ICLE webcasts on topics that you would normally see at our summer institutes and programs. This list will continue to be updated as we move forward.

FREE FASTCASE RESEARCH OFFERED THROUGH THE STATE BAR

Free online legal research is available to all Bar members. Learn how to effectively use and navigate Fastcase. In-person sessions are currently cancelled, but you may still sign up for a webinar hosted by Fastcase. Visit the website [ www.fastcase.com ] for more information.

WELLNESS CORNER

Check out the Lawyers Living Well podcast, a joint production of the State Bar’s Attorney Wellness Committee and Lawyer Assistance Program. A podcast for attorneys, by attorneys, each episode highlights wellness resources available to all State Bar of Georgia members. Check out episodes now on SoundCloud [ soundcloud.com ] , iTunes [ podcasts.apple.com ] , Spotify [ open.spotify.com ] and Stitcher [ www.stitcher.com ] , and follow #LLWPod on social media to stay in the loop on new shows.

State Bar of Georgia
104 Marietta St. NW, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30303-2743
Phone – 404-527-8700 Fax – 404-527-8717