(Photo: Oleg Krugliak/Shutterstock.com)
The Daily Report has identified 55 honorees for the 2019 Georgia Legal Awards.
They will be recognized in special sections of the newspaper and at an evening event in June.
With a record number of nominees this year, the Daily Report had particularly difficult choices in every category. Many candidates who were not selected were excellent.
Attorney of the Year
This award recognizes a Georgia lawyer who in 2018 had the biggest impact on the law or the Georgia legal community or who did the most to advance the cause of justice.
The finalists for Attorney of the Year are:
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Ed Buckley of Buckley Beal
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Laurie Webb Daniel of Holland & Knight
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Sean Young of the American Civil Liberties Union
A panel of six esteemed lawyers will choose a winner, who will be announced at the end of the Georgia Legal Awards dinner. The panel consists of: Josh Belinfante of the Robbins Firm (a 2010 On the Rise class member); Maxine Hicks of DLA Piper (a finalist for last year's Attorney of the Year); Linda Klein of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz (last year's Attorney of the Year); Senior Judge Herbert Phipps of the state Court of Appeals (a Lifetime Achievement honoree last year); Tori Silas of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough (a 2013 On the Rise class member); and Brian Steel of The Steel Law Firm (a 2017 Attorney of the Year finalist and a 2002 On the Rise class member.)
Lifetime Achievement
The Daily Report will recognize 12 legal community members with Lifetime Achievement awards, which recognize lawyers who have left a lasting imprint on the legal community of Georgia:
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David Aughtry of Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry
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Senior Judge Julie Carnes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
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Gilbert Deitch of Deitch & Rogers
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Senior Judge Alford Dempsey of Fulton County Superior Court
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John Fleming of Eversheds Sutherland
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Gordon Giffin of Dentons
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Lash Harrison of FordHarrison
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Richard Hines of Nelson Mullins
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Joel Katz of Greenberg Traurig
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Russ Richards of King & Spalding
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Retired Chief Justice Hugh Thompson of the Supreme Court of Georgia
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Louise Wells of Morris Manning & Martin
Distinguished Leaders
Distinguished Leader awards go to lawyers who achieved impressive results in 2018 and demonstrated clear leadership skills that helped them achieve those results. They are:
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Sally Akins of Ellis, Painter, Ratterree & Adams
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Rob Fortson of McGuireWoods
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Chris Glover of Beasley Allen
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Judge Horace Johnson of Alcovy Superior Court
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Mike McGlamry of Pope, McGlamry
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Azadeh Shahshahani of Project South: Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide