August 2016
President's Corner

Welcome back for another exciting year of the Gwinnett County Bar Association!  The Gwinnett Bar, along with our outstanding sections, are planning many engaging events and projects for this year.  During the "off-season" summer months, your GCBA officers have been hard at work scheduling luncheon speakers, organizing fun events for attorney networking, and thinking of new ways to serve our members and the entire Gwinnett community.  Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
  • September 2- GCBA Night at the Gwinnett Braves
  • September 9- Criminal Section meeting at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center
  • September 13- Estate Planning and Probate Section Meeting
  • September 16- GCBA Luncheon at the 1818 Club
  • October 1- Law Enforcement Appreciation Day Picnic at Rhodes Jordan Park
Included with this is a 2016-17 membership application, and we highly recommend that you consider joining one of our outstanding bar sections.  As you complete your membership application, please consider forwarding one to a friend or fellow attorney. 
 
Do you have any requests or ideas for the Gwinnett Bar this year?  If so, please send me an email: [email protected].  We always appreciate your input and helpful feedback!

Meet the 2016-2017 GCBA Board!

S. Carlton Rouse, President Elect
Carlton Rouse served the Gwinnett County Bar Association for nearly four years, first as the Law Day Chair in 2013, then as the Community Liaison, secretary of the bar, Vice President and this year as President-Elect. Carlton has a boutique practice that offers representation to clients in the metro Atlanta area and in Gwinnett with respect to criminal defense, serious Injury, consumer bankruptcy, and domestic cases. Prior to opening his firm, Carlton earned his law degree while studying in Boston at Northeastern University and graduated with a J.D. and M.B.A. in 2002. He earned his bachelor's degree from Clark Atlanta University in 1998.

Carlton is currently an active participant with the Gwinnett Community Based Mentor Program, Lawyers Association, Atlanta Legal Aid, and he volunteers within his church. Carlton enjoys spending time with family and playing golf.

Jon Setzer, Vice President
Jon Setzer is a Senior Assistant District Attorney with the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, where he has been for the last eight years. Prior to joining the Gwinnett District Attorney's Office, he worked for the Oconee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office in Eastman, Georgia for two years. Jon earned his law degree from Emory University in 2006 and his Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Sociology from Vanderbilt University in 2003. Jon regularly assists Vanderbilt's Office of Admissions with alumni interviews for prospective students and college fairs at local high schools.

Jon is the vice president of the Gwinnett County Bar Association this year, and he has previously served as treasurer, the Law Day Chairperson, and a liaison with the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia. He was previously the chairperson of the Georgia High School Mock Trial Committee and continues to serve on the State Finals Planning Board, Law Academy Faculty, and Problem Subcommittee for that program. Jon is a 2013 graduate of the Young Lawyers Division's Leadership Academy.
Jon lives in Suwanee with his wife, Heather, and their son, Caleb. He plays soccer for Brick Store Football Club and holds a United States Soccer Federation National Coaching License.

Donald Lee, Treasurer
Donald was born in Silver Spring, MD, went to Cornell University for undergrad in biology, and then attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego for law school. Donald was a public defender in Fulton County Superior Court for three years and then in Fulton County Juvenile Court for another three. For the past three years, he has been a GAL here in Gwinnett Courts handling DFCS, child custody and guardianship cases. He and his spouse, Allison, have been married just short of 6 years. They have two boys (3 and 10 months old) and Max, their 5 year old standard schnauzer. Donald is a Leadership Gwinnett graduate, board member for KABA (Korean American Bar Association) and Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. He loves Gwinnett and wants nothing but to see our community thrive.

Dodie Sachs, Secretary  
Dodie Sachs is an attorney in the O'Kelley & Sorohan Litigation Department and is the lead attorney in the Family Law Division of the firm. Presently, Dodie is the Secretary of the Gwinnett County Bar Association. In 2014, Dodie was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Atlanta Legal Aid Society for her work with the Gwinnett Pro Bono Project and Gwinnett Legal Aid.  In 2015, Dodie was selected to participate in the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL) Leadership Academy Class. Dodie currently teaches the Family Law Information class at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. Dodie was appointed by the Supreme Court of Georgia as a mentor for the Transition into Law Practice Program. Dodie is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars. Dodie and her husband, Jeremey, have five children: Isabel (14), Emma (12), Mili (11), Rafi (9), and Jacob (8).
September Bar Luncheon: 
Civil Attorneys Working to Stop Human Trafficking and Judge of the Month

For the September Bar Luncheon, we welcome Attorney Jere C. Smith and Lt. Chris Rafanelli of the Gwinnett County Police Department.  Our Judge of the Month is The Honorable Melodie Snell Conner, Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Gwinnett County.  

Jere C. Smith is President of the Board of Directors of Civil Lawyers Against World Sex Slavery (CLAWS) and a Partner at Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele, LLP in Marietta, Georgia.  Learn more about CLAWS by clicking here.


Lt. Chris Rafanelli is Supervisor of Vice Crimes Unit for the Special Investigations Division of the Gwinnett County Police Department, investigating cases of sex trafficking crimes. 
 

Judge of the Month: 
The Honorable Melodie Snell Conner, Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Gwinnett County. 
Margaret Washburn Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

On June 23, 2016, the Georgia Council of Municipal Court Judges held its annual Summer Law and Practice Update and Business Meeting. The Council handed out its annual awards at this meeting, including the Frost Ward Lifetime Achievement Award to Margaret Washburn. This award recognizes a municipal court judge who has made significant contributions to the Council of Municipal Court Judges over a long period of time.  She was also elected to the Training Council for the Municipal Court Judges and will serve as the Chair, as former Chair, Lawrenceville Chief Judge Dennis Still has retired from the Training Council after many years of great service.  Judge Still has also received the Award, as has Duluth Chief Judge Charles Barrett, who was last year's recipient, recognizing his contributions as the Council's Legislative liaison.  Click here for full article
Governor Deal Appoints Chuck Efstration to Judicial Nominating Commission

Gov. Nathan Deal appointed State Rep. Chuck Efstration, R-Dacula, as one of 20 people across political lines to serve on the Judicial Nominating Commission in late July. In the same executive order, Gov. Deal reduced the membership of the Commission from 25 to 20. The Commission's chief role is to make recommendations to Gov. Deal for the filling of judicial vacancies across the state. "It is a great honor and responsibility to serve on the Judicial Nominating Commission," Efstration said in a statement to the Gwinnett Daily Post. "I look forward to serving on this important board and working with the other members to advise Governor Deal in the area of judicial appointments." Rep. Efstration and the other members of the Commission will be busy immediately as the Commission has already received nearly 100 nominations for the two new seats on the Georgia Supreme Court created by the passage of House Bill 927.
Lawyers and Judges in the Community

The Christ Church Players invite members of the Gwinnett Bar Association to attend a "Special" performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial By Jury at 7:00 PM on September 9 and 10, 2016 at Christ Church Episcopal, 400 Holcomb Bridge Road in Norcross. 

The show, a comic opera, tells the story of a very unusual jury trial and features Judges Steve Franzen and Rob Waller in very, very unusual roles. The show will be followed by a reception with food and a cash bar.
 Members of the Gwinnett Bar Association may  purchase may advance tickets through Judge Waller for $5.00. Contact Judge Waller by e-mail to take advantage of this special offer. Tickets may also be purchased for $10.00 on the church's website by clicking here.  
 
Come and give Judge Franzen a rousing send-off into his next career as an actor!
Council of Municipal Court Judges Elects New Officers, Gives Awards

The Council of Municipal Court Judges met on June 23, 2016, at the Sea Palms Hotel to conduct its annual summer Law and Practice Update and business meeting. Topics of the Law and Practice Update included Ethics Issues, presented by Mark Dehler, Executive Director, Judicial Qualifications Commission; Ferguson Issues; Probation; Case Law; and Department of Drivers Services Traffic Law Update.
 
The Council elected new officers for 2016-2017: President Gary E. Jackson, Municipal Court of Atlanta; President-Elect Judge Pro Hac John Roberts, Municipal Court of Lithonia; Vice President Judge LaTisha Dear, Municipal Court of Stone Mountain; Secretary Judge Rashida Oliver, Municipal Court of East Point; and Treasurer Judge John "Clay" Davis, Municipal Court of Lovejoy.

The Council recognized a number of municipal judges with awards. Judge Margaret Gettle Washburn, received the Frost Ward Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes a municipal court judge who has made significant contributions to the Council of Municipal Court Judges over a long period of time.  Click here to continue reading
Judge Steve Franz�n, Retiring from the Juvenile Court of Gwinnett County 
But, On the Road Again!
By Margaret Gettle Washburn, Sr. Contributing Editor

Judge Stephen Franz�n, Gwinnett County Juvenile Court, is a graduate of Duke University, B.A. and received his J.D. at the University of Georgia in 1979.  After two years in private practice, he joined the Office of the District Attorney in Gwinnett and served as Chief Assistant Attorney from 1985-1991.  Judge Franz�n was appointed as Judge of the Juvenile Court of Gwinnett County in 1991 and continues to serve.  He served as President of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges; and served on the Georgia Supreme Court Child Placement Project Advisory /Implementation Committee, the Georgia Commission on Child Support.  He was named a Senior Fellow with the Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic at Emory University in 2008; and served as the CJCJ representative on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council since 2009.
 
Judge Franz�n was the first lawyer or judge from the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit to be named as a member of the Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Inn of Court, American Inns of Court, in 2003.  The mission of the American Inns of Court Foundation is to lead the movement to elevate the American practice of law by promoting the ideals of excellence and professionalism.  This particular Inn of Court is dedicated to the improvement of family law practice, share ideas and build camaraderie among the lawyers and Judges.  Steve is a respected Judge of this Inn of Court and served as program chair and committee chair, until his retirement in May from the Inn.  President Gwenn Dorb Holland recognized Steve for his achievements with a crystal trophy. Click here for full article
Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation 
Board Member Spotlight: Ashley Heintz

Ashley Prebula Frazier Heintz went to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received a B.A. in Political Science and minors in Social & Economic Justice and Spanish. Heintz attended The University of Georgia School Law, and thereafter clerked for Judge Clay Land in the Middle District of Georgia. After clerking, she joined Jones Day, where she now practice securities litigation. In addition to serving on AVLF's Junior Board and the PurSHOEing Justice planning committee, Heintz also serves on the Board of Reading Is Essential For All People (REAP) and the Board of the Make-A-Wish of Georgia Atlanta Young Professionals.  Click here to read full interview
Criminal Law Practitioners
 
Former clients whose Driver's license was suspended for drug violations may be eligible for license reinstatement. The Georgia Accountability Courts encourage checking these guidelines and information. Click here!
News & Events

Retirement Announcement:
The Juvenile Court will be honoring the retirements of Judge Stephen E. Franzen and his Judicial Assistant Kathy Wilkinson with a drop-in at the Court between 2pm and 5pm on September the 30th, 2016.  

We invite everyone to join us in wishing them well and a chance to share your memories working with Judge Franzen and Kathy over the years.

GCBA Receives Award!
The Gwinnett County Bar Association received the Law Day Award of Achievement for local and voluntary bar associations with 251 to 500 members.  Josh Huckaby attended the State Bar of Georgia Annual Meeting on June 17, 2016 and accepted the award on behalf of the Gwinnett County Bar Association, and Dodie Sachs, the 2016 GCBA Law Day Chair. 
 
The photo is (L to R) Margaret Washburn, Robert J. "Bob" Kauffman, State Bar of Georgia President 2015-2016, and Josh Huckaby.

GCBA Community News

Sean and Myung-Sun Goldstein, partners at the husband-and-wife law firm of Goldstein Law Group, Norcross, GA, welcomed their second child and first little girl, Leia Jin Goldstein, on May 3, 2016.  Leia weighed in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces.  Mrs. Goldstein and baby are doing well, with Mrs. Goldstein having returned from maternity leave at the beginning of August.  Mrs. Goldstein practices immigration and personal injury law, and Mr. Goldstein practices traffic ticket defense and criminal defense.

Are you moving to a new location?  Have you added a new member to your family or to your professional team?  Please send us your announcements for our newsletters.  We would love to share your great news with the GCBA community! Click here to email us
Reminder: Upcoming Law Enforcement Appreciation Picnic

As many of you are aware, each year the Gwinnett County Bar Association in conjunction with the Gwinnett Chiefs Association sponsors the Law Enforcement Appreciation Picnic which is well-attended by officers and their families.  The picnic is one of the larger projects sponsored by the Bar.  The picnic will be held at Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville on Saturday, October 1, 2016, from 11-2.  Please consider donating either your time or money (or both) to make the picnic the success it has been in years past.  The Bar collects donations, which are then used to purchase door prizes for the officers and their families.  The prize drawing is done for both the adults and the children.  If we don't have good prizes, the officers won't come back next year.  If you can donate money, please make the check payable to the GCBA and send it to the attention of Julie Potts in the Solicitor's Office. 
 
If you wish to volunteer your time at the picnic, please email Julie Potts at Julie.Potts@gwinnettcounty.com.  I know with the help of each and every one of you that this year's picnic will be even more successful than last years. 

 
Co-Parenting?
Milich Minute

Jury trial.  Plaintiff offers Defendant's email to a friend in which Defendant admitted the accident was her fault.

Defendant objects that the email is a forgery.  In deciding whether to admit the email...

Which is the best answer?
  1. The judge should admit the email if there is sufficient admissible evidence that a reasonable jury could find the email is authentic.
  2. The judge should admit the email only if the judge is convinced (by preponderance) it is authentic based on admissible evidence.
  3. The judge decides the issue based on any non-privileged evidence (including hearsay) using a preponderance standard.
  4. The judge should ask her law clerk.

12 Milich

Click to purchase his book here!
Meet the New Law Day Chair, Danielle Mays

Danielle Britt Mays is a lifetime resident of Gwinnett County and attended Buford City Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. Danielle attended college at the University of Georgia, and after graduation,  was accepted into Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law. Danielle graduated cum laude and received her law degree from Mercer Law in 2012. Prior to graduation, Danielle worked as a staff member for the National Criminal Defense College and as a law clerk for the Office of the Public Defender, Macon Judicial Circuit. After graduation, Danielle worked at a small family law firm before accepting an Assistant Public Defender position at the Office of the Public Defender, Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit. Danielle currently practices criminal defense and family law at Chandler, Britt & Jay, LLC, in Buford, Georgia, with her father, Walt M. Britt, and husband, John A. Mays, Jr., and also serves as defense attorney for the Gwinnett County Drug Treatment Court team.

As a lifetime resident of Gwinnett County, Danielle is excited to accept the position as the 2017 Law Day Chair for the GCBA. As the Law Day chair, Danielle intends to engage the community in Law Day activities by reaching out to the local county schools to educate Gwinnett students on the impact of the law in our society and by planning community service projects to give back to Gwinnett. She has also started planning the 2017 Law Day Banquet, tentatively scheduled for April 28, 2017, at the Buford Community Center. Overall, Danielle is looking forward to uniting Gwinnett's legal community, students, and citizens in celebration of the law over the course of the next year.

Criminal Defense Update

The Criminal Section was pleased to have Dept. Warden Scott Pickens as the featured speaker during its August meeting to answer members' questions about the Work Alternative Program (WAP) and Work Release programs. Dept. Warden Pickens was followed by Deputy Baird (Director of the Gwinnett Re-Entry Intervention Program-G.R.I.P.) and Deputy Doby (Inmate Liaison) who answered members' questions about the support services they provide to inmates. 

Deputy Warden Scott Pickens is the Division Director of Support Services for the Gwinnett County Department of Corrections in Lawrenceville, Georgia.  He earned his B.S. in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University in 1997.
 
This year, section meetings will alternate between Classroom B at the Detention Center and Classroom C at the Gwinnett Justice and Administrative Center (GJAC) on the first Friday of each month at 12:00 pm.
 
Next month's meeting will be September 9, 2016 at 12:00 pm in GJAC Classroom C. Lunch is $5 for section members and $10 for nonmembers.
 
The dates for the upcoming meetings are:
October 7, 2016 12:00 pm Gwinnett County Detention Center Classroom B
November 11, 2016  12:00 pm GJAC Classroom C
 
Interested in joining the section ? Please contact Constancia Carter at [email protected] 

Meet the New Criminal Defense Chair, Constancia Carter
 
Attorney Carter received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Spelman College and her Juris Doctor from Georgia State University. She is admitted into the Georgia Supreme Court, the Georgia Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
 
Her criminal defense focus is on those who live with mental illness and are charged with crimes and her practice also includes guardianship/conservatorship and involuntary commitments.
 
Her service to the bar includes membership in Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL), the Gwinnett Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia's Indigent Defense and Inclusion in the Profession Committees. She serves the community as a member of the Greenforest Community Baptist Church and as a member of Sigma Gamma Rho, Sorority Inc.

Estate Planning and Probate Update: 
Meet the Chairs and Next Meeting Information

Melody Glouton is Co-Chair of the Estate Planning & Probate Section of the Gwinnett County Bar Association.  Melody is an attorney with Andersen, Tate & Carr, specializing in Wills, Trusts & Estates.  Melody's practice primarily focuses on probate disputes but she also represents families with guardianships, conservatorships, and all aspects of estate planning and probate administration.  She is a native of Gwinnett County and resides in the Hamilton Mill area with her husband Matt, and their two children, Briggs and Ellison. 
 
In her role as Co-Chair of the Estate Planning & Probate Section, Melody and her Co-Chair, Lindsey Cambardella, host and organize bimonthly meetings for the Section and offer a variety of topics to the group by guest speakers.  Previous topics have included the Annual Georgia Fiduciary Law update, trending topics in Guardianship and Conservatorship law, Divorce and Incapacitated Adults, and Less Common Pleadings  and Strategies in Probate Court.   If you are interested in joining the section, or simply being added to the section email list, please contact Melody Glouton or Lindsey Cambardella.
 
Lindsey is an associate at Bryson Law Firm, P.C., practicing in the areas of probate and trust administration, guardianship and conservatorship, estate planning, and other personal and business matters.  Lindsey also serves as a Guardian ad Litem for the Gwinnett County Probate Court.  Lindsey received her Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia State University, Master of Arts from the University of Missouri, and law degree from the University of Georgia.  While in law school Lindsey clerked for a summer at the Gwinnett County Probate Court.  Lindsey is from Dunwoody and currently resides in Chamblee with her husband Mario.  Lindsey and Melody are excited to continue as co-chairs of the Estate Planning and Probate Section for the 2016-2017 bar year!

The luncheons will be held at 12:00 noon in the private room at LongHorn Steakhouse in Lawrenceville.  The restaurant is located at 800 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043 and can be reached at 770-338-0646.

Note that you do not have to be a member of the section to attend the meetings and no need to RSVP, but if you are interested in joining the section, or simply being added to the section email list, please contact Melody Glouton or Lindsey Cambardella

Please also save the date for the next meeting of the EPPS on September 13, 2016, which will be held at the same time and location.
Family Law Section Update: 
Next Meeting Information

The Family Law Section of the Gwinnett County Bar Association is hosting its regularly scheduled meeting. Lunch is free for section members. All are welcome to attend. The meeting starts at 12:00 p.m. and generally lasts for approximately one hour.  For additional information please email the Chair, Sharon Jackson at [email protected] or send a text to 678-992-3799.

August 31st Meeting Details
Our Speaker:  Dana C. Ashford, Divorce Involving Incapacitated Adults
Location:  La Cazuela Mexican Restaurant, 179 W Crogan St, Lawrenceville, GA 30046, (770) 682-3481
Upcoming Events:  (Last Wednesday of every other month - even months)

Next Meeting - August 31, 2016

Upcoming CLE

The Family Law section of the DeKalb Bar Association is pleased to present a special full-day CLE opportunity. 

2ND Annual Not Your Everyday Custody Case
Advanced Issues Facing Custody Litigators and Guardians ad Litem

Thursday, September 8, 2016
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

State Bar of Georgia
104 Marietta St. NW, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30303

$125 for members of the DeKalb Bar Association Family Law Section
$145 for non-members and registrations after September 4, 2016


Help Wanted!

Part time receptionist needed Monday through Thursday. Hours flexible. 

Please send inquiries to Andrea Wagner at Andrew, Merritt, Reilly & Smith, LLP., (770) 513-1200 or email to[email protected] 

In This Issue
September Bar Meeting Details

Friday, September 16th
from 12pm - 1pm 
at the 1818 Club
6500 Sugarloaf Parkway
#300
Duluth, GA 30097



Gwinnett County Bar Association | | [email protected] | http://www.gcba.org
P.O.Box 576
Lawrenceville, GA 30046