PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Splendour Without
Diminishment
Margaret Hughes Vath
Georgia State University
School of Law
I had the privilege of representing the Atlanta
Bar Association at the National Conference of
Bar Presidents as part of the American Bar As-
sociation Midyear Meeting earlier this month.
I attended numerous sessions on member en-
gagement, leadership strategies, and the like.
These sessions are always useful to me even if
the topics might seem rote. But, tucked in among
this typical conference fare, were some unique
and wonderful additions: nationally-renowned
speakers on mindfulness, self-care, wellness, and
overcoming addiction. Such important topics in
such troubling times.
To me, part of the draw of these educational
conferences, beyond my natural affinity for the
networking and knowledge-sharing that occurs,
is the bit of sightseeing I’m able to squeeze in.
On this short trip, it was an excursion through
Vancouver's illustrious, bustling downtown on
an American Bar Foundation Fellows’ bus tour.
It was there I learned the motto of British Co-
lumbia: “Splendour without diminishment.”
It’s from the Latin, Splendor Sine Occasu. Its lit-
eral translation references the sun never setting
over the British Empire, combined with the
geographical position of British Columbia and
the setting sun shown on the
B.C. shield. But, it struck me
as such a lovely phrase that
I began to consider its more
figurative interpretation.
“But, it struck me as such a
lovely phrase that I began to
consider its more figurative
interpretation.”
6
February 2018
I’ve been reflecting on this
motto and on the confer-
ence themes. I wonder how
we could each exhibit "splen-
dour without diminishment."
How can we—as lawyers, as
citizens, and as humans—