Awards

Presented by the past presidents of the State Bar of Georgia at the State Bar’s Annual Meeting

About the Award
The Chief Justice Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award, presented by the Bench and Bar Committee of the State Bar of Georgia, honors one lawyer and one judge who have and continue to demonstrate the highest professional conduct and paramount reputation for professionalism.

Nominations
Anyone can submit a nomination for the Chief Justice Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award. The call for nominations typically goes out in late October, and the deadline is early December.

Contact
Sarah Coole, sarahc@davidegalliani.com

Presented by the Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession in May

About the Awards
The Commitment to Equality Awards, presented by the Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession, recognize the efforts of lawyers and legal employers who are committed to providing opportunities that foster a more diverse legal profession for members of underrepresented groups in the state of Georgia. These awards are presented to lawyers who not only personally excel in their own practice, but who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting diversity in the legal profession. The Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has dedicated his or her career to these causes.

• Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award
• Commitment to Equality Awards
• Avarita L. Hanson One to Watch Award

Nominations
Anyone can submit a nomination for the Commitment to Equality Awards. The call for nominations typically goes out in early November, and the deadline is mid-January.

Contact
Sarah Coole, sarahc@davidegalliani.com

Presented by the president of the State Bar of Georgia at the State Bar’s Annual Meeting

About the Award
This is the highest accolade bestowed on an individual lawyer by the State Bar of Georgia. The recipient is honored for “conspicuous service to the cause of jurisprudence and to the advancement of the legal profession in the state of Georgia.”

Nominations
This award is not open for nominations. The president of the Bar, along with the State Bar’s Executive Committee, chooses the awardee each year.

Contact
Sarah Coole, sarahc@davidegalliani.com

Presented by the executive director or general counsel of the State Bar of Georgia at the State Bar’s Annual Meeting

About the Award
This award honors a staff member of the State Bar of Georgia who distinguishes himself or herself by being dedicated to carrying out the ideals of the Bar.

Nominations
While this award is not traditionally open for nominations, if you have positive feedback regarding a State Bar employee, we would love to hear from you. You may email Executive Director Damon Elmore (damone@davidegalliani.com) or General Counsel Russ Willard (russw@davidegalliani.com).

Contact
Sarah Coole, sarahc@davidegalliani.com

Presented by the Attorney General of Georgia, Feeding Georgia and the Young Lawyers Division

About the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy
The Georgia Legal Food Frenzy is an effort of the Office of the Attorney General, the YLD and Feeding Georgia, a statewide network of eight regional food banks. The competition is designed to help the 1 in 4 children in Georgia whose families struggle to provide food for them during the summer months. Winners are awarded in the following categories:

• Attorney General’s Cup
• Attorney General’s Cup—Law School Division
• Sole Proprietor
• Small Firm
• Medium Firm
• Large Firm
• Legal Organization
• Corporate Legal Organization

Contact
Nathalie Malkoff, nathalie.malkoff@feedinggeorgia.org

Presented by the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism and the State Bar of Georgia in February

About the Awards
Judges and lawyers meet the criteria for these awards if they have combined a professional career with outstanding service and dedication to their communities through voluntary participation in community organizations, government-sponsored activities, or humanitarian work outside of their professional practice. Contributions may be made in any field, including but not limited to: social service, faith-based efforts, recreation, education, sports, the arts, politics and youth mentoring.

Nominations
The call for nominations typically goes out in mid-September, and the deadline is mid-November.

Contact
Karlise Y. Grier, kygrier@cjcpga.org

Presented by the Local and Voluntary Bars Committee at the State Bar’s Annual Meeting

Award Categories

• Award of Merit
  Awards of Merit are given to voluntary bar associations for their dedication to improving relations among local lawyers and devoting endless hours to serving their communities. The bar associations are judged according to size.
• Law Day Award
  In 1961, Congress declared May 1 as Law Day USA. It is a special time for Americans to celebrate their liberties and rededicate themselves to the ideals of equality and justice under the law. Every year, voluntary bar associations plan Law Day activities in their respective communities to commemorate this occasion. This award will be presented to voluntary bars that provide the best Law Day activities.
• Best New Entry Award
  One or more awards will be given to associations entering the Award of Merit or Law Day Award competitions for the first time within the last four years. This award will be based on excellence of the entry and the judges reserve the right to determine whether the award should be a single award, or one presented in each category, depending primarily upon the degree of new participation. (No separate entry in this category is needed. The committee will make a final determination based on all entries.)
• Newsletter Award
  This award is presented to voluntary bars that provide the best informational source to their membership.
• Website Award
  This award is given to bar associations with websites that exemplify excellence in usefulness, ease of use, content and design in meeting the needs of the website's targeted audience.
• The President’s Cup
  The judges will recommend to the Bar president an award of a traveling President’s Cup to the most outstanding local or voluntary bar association from within all membership categories. The State Bar president will have the final decision on this award. Any bar association that submits an entry in any category, with the exception of the Thomas R. Burnside Excellence in Bar Leadership Award, is eligible for the President’s Cup. (No separate entry in this category is needed. The committee and State Bar president will determine the recipient.)

Submissions
The submission period typically begins in January, and the deadline is late-March.

Contact
Ashley Stollar, ashleys@davidegalliani.com

Presented by the Access to Justice Committee of the State Bar of Georgia and the Pro Bono Resource Center of the State Bar of Georgia in November

Award Categories

• The H. Sol Clark Award
  The H. Sol Clark Award is named for former Court of Appeals of Georgia Judge Clark of Savannah, who was known as the “father of legal aid in Georgia.” The Clark award honors an individual lawyer who has excelled in one or more of a variety of activities which extend legal services to the poor.
• The William B. Spann Jr. Award
  The Spann Award is given each year either to a local bar association, law firm or a community organization in Georgia which has developed a pro bono program that has satisfied previously unmet needs or extended services to underserved segments of the population. The award is named for a former president of the American Bar Association and former executive director of the State Bar of Georgia.
• The A Business Commitment Pro Bono Business Law Award
  Presented by the Pro Bono Resource Center of the State Bar of Georgia, the Pro Bono Business Law Award honors the business law pro bono contributions of an individual lawyer, corporate legal department or law firm to the nonprofit community development sector in Georgia.
• The Dan Bradley Award
  Presented by the Access to Justice Committee of the State Bar of Georgia, the Dan Bradley Award honors the commitment to the delivery of quality legal services of a lawyer of Georgia Legal Services Program or the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. The award honors the memory of Georgia native and Mercer Law graduate Dan J. Bradley, who was president of the federal Legal Services Corporation.

Nominations
The call for nominations typically goes out in March, and the deadline is April.

Contact
Mike Monahan, mikem@davidegalliani.com

Presented by the Sections of the State Bar of Georgia at the State Bar’s Annual Meeting

About the Awards
These awards are presented to outstanding sections for their dedication and service to their areas of practice, and for devoting endless hours of volunteer effort to the profession.

• Section of the Year
• Section Awards of Achievement

Contact
Mary Jo Sullivan, maryjos@davidegalliani.com

Presented by the General Practice & Trial Law Section at the State Bar’s Annual Meeting

About the Award
The “Tradition of Excellence” Award is presented to four outstanding members of the General Practice & Trial Law Section: one plaintiff lawyer, one defense lawyer, one general practice lawyer and one judge. The award, predicated on age and years of service to the public and bar, is one of the most prestigious honors a lawyer or judge can receive. To be eligible, a nominee should:

• be a Georgia resident;
• be at least 50 years old;
• have 20 years of outstanding achievement as a plaintiff’s lawyer, defense lawyer, general practitioner or judge;
• have made a significant contribution to CLE or Bar activities;
• have a record of community service; and
• have a personal commitment to excellence.
  

Nominations
Click here to make your nomination(s). The deadline is March 10, 2025.

Contact
Abbey Patterson, abbey.m.patterson@gmail.com

YLD Awards of Achievement
Presented by the YLD of the State Bar of Georgia at the State Bar’s Annual Meeting

• Distinguished Judicial Service Award
• Ross Adams Award
  The Ross Adams Award is named after the late Ross Adams and recognizes a YLD past president that demonstrates continued support of the YLD and its goals.
• Griffin Bell Triumph in Leadership Award
• Award of Achievement for Service to the Bar
• Award of Achievement for Service to the Public
• Award of Achievement for Service to the Profession
• Award of Excellence for Dedication to the YLD
• YLD Ethics & Professionalism Award
  The call for nominations typically goes out in March, and the deadline is late April.
  The YLD Ethics & Professionalism Award is presented by the YLD Ethics and Professionalism Committee each year to a YLD member in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia who embodies the Lawyer’s Creed adopted by the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism. Recipients exhibit fairness, integrity, diligence, good judgment and professionalism. They demonstrate exceptional ethical qualities or judgment relative to their peers in one respect or another.
• Outstanding YLD Affiliate

YLD Signature Service Award
Presented by the YLD of the State Bar of Georgia at the YLD Signature Fundraiser
The Signature Service Award recognizes an individual who has achieved a certain level of service, measured by his or her commitment to the YLD and to the mission embodied by the Signature Fundraiser’s beneficiary organization.

Nominations
With the exception of the YLD Ethics & Professionalism Award, the Young Lawyers Division awards are not open for nominations. Recipients of the YLD Awards of Achievement and the YLD Signature Service Award are chosen by the YLD president.

Contact
Jessica Oglesby, jessicao@davidegalliani.com