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Mark Your Calendar! |
NO BAR LUNCHEON FOR APRIL
Next Bar Luncheon:
MAY 17th
Carlock, Copeland & Stair,
'Common Malpractice Pitfalls'
Location
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Office Space for Rent
2100 sq ft, 3 executive suites, 3 paralegal office, 2 conference rooms, kitchen and lots of file storage area. Located on Satellite Blvd in the Sugarloaf area very close to the 85 corridor and convenient to GJAC.
kathryn.schrader@schraderlegal.com
Phone: 678-475-5770
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Office Space for Rent
Furnished offices for rent in established law office on McGinnis Ferry Road in Suwanee
Corner Office -approximately 15 x 11 at $650.00 per month.
Office with window - approximately 9 x 11 at $500.00 per month.
Reception and Staff area available - rent can be negotiated. Use of two conference rooms and copy/fax room, internet included
Contact: Charlie M. Hamby at CMH@marks-williams.com |
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President's Corner
By Tuwanda Rush Williams, President
Greetings! Spring is in the air, and the Bar program year is winding down with lots of activities! Please be advised that our April 19th luncheon meeting has been cancelled to encourage attendance at the Bar's Law Day Banquet that evening.
The GCBA's Annual Law Day Program is in full swing! You will find a complete list of the Law Day events in this newsletter, and I would like to highlight a couple of them. The Law Day Banquet will be held on Friday, April 19th beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center in Buford. Guests will be invited to take a self-guided tour of the Center and enjoy a delicious southern-style menu. Our guest speaker will be the Honorable Robert Benham of the Georgia Supreme Court, and Attorney General Sam Olens will bring greetings. As is customary, we will present the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, Pro Bono, GCBA Past President, and Liberty Bell Awards, and the evening will cap with a live band. The cost to attend is $35 per person.
Read more...
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OUTSTANDING LAW DAY EVENTS FOR 
THIS YEAR'S THEME OF 'REALIZING THE DREAM: EQUALITY FOR ALL'
by S. Carlton Rouse
CLICK HERE FOR ALL LAW DAY EVENTS
Law Day Banquet
Gwinnett Environmnetal & Heritage Center
2020 Clean Water Drive, Buford, GA
April 19, 2013 at 6:30-10:30 pm
Contact: drosenberger@spoonerlaw.com
Guest Speaker: Justice Robert Benham
Great Day of Service
 Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity
1074 Redwood Drive, Norcross, GA 30093
April 27, 2013 at 8:30-3:00 pm
(morning team 8:30-11:30 am; afternoon team 11:30-3:00 pm)
Contact: Patricia McKenzie (pmckenzie@attorneypatmck.com)
Charity Golf Tournament
 Hamilton Mill Golf Club
1995 Hamilton Mill Parkway, Dacula, GA 30019
May 3, 2013 at 8:30-2:00 pm
Registration due by April 15th. Click here for brochure....
Educational Program - Gwinnett County Schools
 Speaking/reading engagements at various
elementary & middle school(s).
Bar contact.S. Carlton Rouse
Click here for brochure... See item 3.
Judicial Reception
 Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center
1st Floor Auditorium Breezeway
May 9th - 11:30 - 1:30 P.M.
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Secure ID - Handy Checklist of New 
Laws & DL Requirements Connected With Municipal Courts
by Charles Barrett, Chief Judge of
Duluth Municipal Ct &
Margaret Washburn, Chief Judge of Sugar Hill Municipal Ct
This checklist of recent statutory changes
will make your life easier. Click here for the update.
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Family Law - Child Custody 
Case law update on counterclaims and 'responses' to change custody. Alberti v. Alberti
by Margaret Gettle Washburn, cont. ed.
This April, 2013 case addresses a question that comes up very often with regard to counterclaims v. new actions for custody: Read more...
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WHEN TO TAKE AWAY MOM OR DAD'S CAR
By:Mickey Roberts
One of the toughest decisions an adult child has to make is to take away their parents' cars. I have had personal experience, and I know it is traumatic and painful for both child and parent. I also know that by the time the child decides to take the car, mom or dad has probably placed themselves and others in danger while driving. As an Atlanta traffic attorney with over 30 years of practice experience, I have also seen the devastating consequences of unfit drivers. According to NHSTA stats, older drivers are more likely to get in multiple vehicle accidents than younger drivers. The elderly are also more likely to receive traffic tickets for failure to yield, turning improperly, running red lights and stop signs: all indications of decreased driving ability.
Everyone ages differently, and some well into their 80's are perfectly capable of driving safely. However, it is important that you keep a careful eye on mom or dad's ability to drive as they age.
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April 22 to May 3rd, 2013
Georgia Legal Food Frenzy
by Holly Hance, Young Lawyers Section
What is the Legal Food Frenzy?
The Office of the Attorney General, the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia, and the Georgia Food Bank Association have joined forces to create a friendly food and fund drive competition among Georgia law firms, law schools and legal organization to support the Feeding America food banks in Georgia.
Nearly 60% of Georgia's public school children are eligible for free and reduced lunch The Legal Food Frenzy provides a much needed supply of food and funds to Georgia's regional food banks to help the families of those kids during summer months when schools are closed. The Legal Food Frenzy is timed to help meet that demand.
What is our goal?
Our 2013 Goal: Law firms in 100 cities competing to raise the equivalent of 750,000 pounds of food for Georgia's regional food banks!
When is the Legal Food Frenzy?
March 5 - April 22 Law firms sign up to compete at www.galegalfoodfrenzy.org
April 22 - May 3, 2013 Law Firms, Corporate Law Departments, and Legal Organizations compete! Rules and resources are on the website.
Click here for Firm Resouces Info
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Profile - Judge Christopher A. Ballar, Probate Ct 
of Gwinnett County
by Charles Efstration
Since taking office in January, Probate Judge Christopher A. Ballar has been very busy. "The Probate Court issues weapons carry permits and our court has seen the application for permits triple since mid-December 2012," said Ballar. "The challenge of how handle to this dramatic increase has made itself a new priority."
Judge Ballar enjoys working to solve the new challenges for probate court. "I especially like working in the subject matter of the probate court," said Ballar. Prior to his election in 2012, Judge Ballar worked in a legal field centered on probate court. "My legal practice focused almost exclusively on probate and guardianship matters as well as those estate and elder law issues that surround the court."
When presiding, Judge Ballar said his time as an elder law attorney will influence his decisions. "I hope to be able to bring parties together in an efficient way to solve their problems," said Ballar. |
Gwinnett Pro Bono Project
The Gwinnett Pro Bono Project is now offering exciting CLEs and events in Gwinnett County, free for Project volunteers. Please see
below or click here for the Project's calendar of events:
April 24 - THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF EFFECTIVE WRITING"
Cervantes once cautioned against giving something "to a lawyer's clerk to write, for they use a legal hand that Satan himself will not understand."
Not here in Gwinnett! Join the Gwinnett Pro Bono Project in welcoming noted attorney David Webster for "The Ten Commandments of Effective Writing" on April 24, 2013 at 12:00 noon in the GJAC Auditorium.
As Atlanta Legal Aid Society's General Counsel, and in his private practice, David has participated in over 150 appellate cases, ranging from the state Court of Appeals up to the United States Supreme Court. He is the former chair of the State Bar of Georgia's Appellate Section and of the Formal Advisory Opinion Board, and was named the 2012 recipient of the State Bar's Dan Bradley Award for Public Service. He works closely with Legal Aid's attorneys on developing their writing and appellate skills.
Open to all attorneys! This seminar will earn one general CLE credit, and is free to active members of the Gwinnett Pro Bono Project with a commitment of three or more cases per year.
FUTURE COURSES
May 22 - Creative Discovery in Family Law
June 26 - Caring for your Loved Ones (with Probate Court Judge Chris Ballar)
July 24 - Using Expert Witnesses in Court (with forensic accountant Karen Fortune)
August 28 - Social Media and Evidence
September 25 - Employment Law
October 23 - Selecting a Jury / Voir Dire
November 20 - 2 Hour Professionalism and Ethics Seminar
Click here to contact the Project about volunteering and its monthly CLEs, mentoring, and litigation assistance, or call (678) 514-4818. Click here for the Project's volunteer form. |
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Announcements
 Deborah Fluker appointed as
Suwanee Associate
Municipal Court Judge
The City Council of Suwanee is pleased to announce the March, 2013, appointment of Gwinnett County Bar Member, Deborah R. Fluker, to the position of Associate Municipal Court Judge. Judge Fluker joins fellow Associate Municipal Court Judge William Brogdon and Chief Judge Mark Lewis.
Ms. Fluker's 16 years of law practice has been diverse. For more than ten years, she has prosecuted for the District Attorney's Office in the Northeastern Judicial Circuit, the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit, and the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit.
About five years ago, Ms. Fluker ventured out on her own and established herself as a solo practitioner at The Fluker Law Firm, P.C., primarily handling criminal defense cases. For the last four years, she serves as the Gwinnett County Drug Treatment Court Program's Defense Attorney.
Ms. Fluker graduated from the University of Virginia, with a B.S. in Finance, in 1986. She worked as a financial analyst for approximately 8 years before earning her J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law in 1997. She is married to Reginald Fluker, a 20 year veteran of the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office and they have recently adopted two children.
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Case Law Update 
(Case update provided by Judge Ronnie Joe Lane, Superior Ct., and by Karen Bain, Staff Attorney Div. 10) |
Criminal Law Section 
by Sam Harrison
Friday, May 3, 2013. Noon, La Cazuela, across from
old Courthouse on the Old Courthouse. Speaker
will be Judge Warren Davis, Superior Court, who will present an excerpt from his seminar on 'Dealing with Difficult Clients.'
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Probate Section 
by Hillary Cranford
Currently no events are scheduled for the Probate section at this time.
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 Family Law Section
by Jammie Taire.
There will be no meeting for the month of April. Please attend the Law Day Banquet. |
New Materials in Law Library 
The Homer M. Stark Law Library has the following titles ready for your review:
The ninth edition of The Law and Policy of Sentencing and Corrections in a Nutshell, by Lynn S. Branham; West Publishing
NEW ICLE Titles
- Nuts and Bolts of a Civil Trial-2013
- General Practice for New Lawyers-2012
- Ad Valorem Taxation in Georgia-2012
- Inside the Courtroom: The trial of a Personal Injury Case-2012
- Fiduciary Law Institute-2012
- Basic Fiduciary Practice-2012
- Health Care Fraud Institute-2012
- Social Media and the Law: Beyond the Essentials-2012
- Making Your People Skills Pay Off as an Attorney-2012
Please visit the law library for a complete list of new ICLE materials. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Grace C. Holloway, Director
770-822-8571
Grace.holloway@gwinnettcounty.com
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 Technology
Click here to view an article from the Michigan Law Journal
'Practice Smarter, Not Harder, With These 50 iPad and iPhone Apps,'
by JoAnn L. Hathaway
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 SEEKING ARTICLES, PHOTOS & CO-PUBLISHER(S) & 'REPORTERS'
We have 'opportunities' for those who would like to be a part of this award-winning publication, and no heavy lifting is involved.
Articles - we really appreciate articles written by local judges and lawyers. This is your newsletter, after all. You get to choose the topics which you think may interest your fellow bar members.
Announcements - we are glad to publish various notices concerning your office.
Photos - are always appreciated. We can help you with uploading.
Co-Publishers - are you interested in graphic design? Or helping to edit the newsletter? We can always use extra talent! A detectable pulse meets threshhold qualifications.
GCBA - Reporter - while these press credentials may not get you into the press box at the Turner Field we need 'reporters' to do regular columns, particularly interview pieces.
If you are interested in being part of the 'newsletter team' please email warren.davis@gwinnettcounty.com and/or Margaret Washburn. | |
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Gwinnett County Bar Association's Newsletter Policy
Margaret Washburn, Editor
Articles, notices and ads should be submitted to
Margaret Washburn, GCBA Newsletter in Word, WordPerfect format no later than the 10th day of each month. The editor reserves the right to edit all materials for form and content. Ads will be run for one month at a time, unless additional time is requested.
Your help is most appreciated in making this the best bar newsletter in the state of Georgia.
Sincerely,
Margaret Washburn.
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