The Atlanta Lawyer May 2015 | Page 42

section update Litigation Section By Kevin P. Weimer Fellows LaBriola LLP [email protected] T he Litigation Section has been busy this Spring. The annual “Meet the Judges” Luncheon with the Judicial Section took place on March 20, 2015, and the Securities Subsection hosted a CLE on shareholder inspection rights on March 26. In recognition of the tenth anniversary of the Fulton County Courthouse shootings, the Section donated $1,000.00 to the Rowland W. Barnes scholarship fund at Emory University School of Law. Judge Barnes was a great friend and supporter of the Atlanta Bar Association. At our April 17th breakfast meeting, Tony Cochran, Hank Fellows, and Jake Larkins presented practical tips for Daubert motions. The Section hosted a joint CLE program with the Criminal Law Section on April 27th regarding representation of unpopular clients that featured U.S. District Court Judge Richard W. Story delivering the closing argument from To Kill a Mockingbird in character as Atticus Finch. On April 30, the Litigation Section joined the Judicial Section for its annual awards luncheon, during which Chief Judge Myra H. Dixon of Fulton County State Court received the Romae Turner Powell Judicial Service Award. The final breakfast program of the year was the annual legislative summary on May 8th. State Senator Elena Parent (D) and State Representative Bert Reeves (R) updated the Section on the latest happenings under the gold dome. 42 THE ATLANTA LAWYER May 2015 The signature event of the Section is the annual Bench and Bar Reception, which was held on May 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Nelson Mullins. The recipient of this year’s Logan E. Bleckley Distinguished Service Award was Chief Judge Herbert E. Phipps of the Georgia Court of Appeals, who was introduced by Presiding Judge John J. Ellington. The final event of the Bar year will be a special happy hour with the Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers on May 27 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Monday Night Brewing. Included in the low admission price of $10 (for members, summer associates, and law students) is a souvenir pint glass with drink tickets for beer tastings throughout the evening and a tour of the brewery. The band Escape Vehicle will provide live music. The Litigation Section is proud of the great programs it has held this year and looks forward to more in the coming year. Resuming in September, the Section’s breakfast and CLE meeting will take place on the second Friday of each month at 7:30 a.m. at Ansley Golf Club. The Litigation Section would like to thank its sponsors for their support: ATS (Applied Technical Services); Duplicating Products; Esquire Solutions; Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP; JAMS; and The Partners Group. As part of the Section’s judicial outreach efforts, we continue to offer free admission for all judges and judicial law clerks who attend our functions. The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association