(Atlanta, GA / January 15, 2009) Linda A. Klein of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowtz, PC, received the Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award as the State Bar of Georgia recognized four Georgia attorneys for their achievements in promoting diversity in the legal profession during the sixth annual Commitment to Equality Awards presentation ceremony Wednesday, January 7. The awards program is sponsored by the State Bar’s Women and Minorities in the Profession Committee.
Klein is managing shareholder of the Georgia offices of Baker Donelson in Atlanta. In 1997, she became the first woman to serve as president of the State Bar. She is also a co-founder of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Georgia chapter and has served as president of the Board of Directors’ Network, whose mission is to prepare and place women of all colors on corporate boards.
In 2004, the American Bar Association president Klein with the prestigious Margaret Brent Achievement Award, which is bestowed upon women who have “achieved professional excellence in their field and have influenced other women to pursue legal careers, opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, and/or advanced opportunities for women within a practice area or segment of the profession.”
The Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has dedicated his or her career to these causes. “These awards recognize the important work of translating our profession’s aspirations of equal opportunity, inclusiveness and diversity into practical reality,” said State Bar President Jeffrey O. Bramlett. “It is fitting and proper that we recognize these award winners whose efforts improve our profession and its responsiveness to the needs of the public we serve.”
The Women and Minorities in the Profession Committee is accepting nominations for the 2010 Commitment to Equality Awards and the Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award. Nomination forms may be obtained by contacting Sharon Bryant at the State Bar of Georgia, sharonb@gabar.org or 404-527-8776.
The State Bar of Georgia, headquartered in Atlanta with one satellite office in Tifton and another to be located in Savannah, was established in 1964 by the Supreme Court of Georgia. All lawyers licensed to practice in Georgia belong to the State Bar. Its 40,000 members work together to strengthen the constitutional promise of justice for all, promote principles of duty and public service among Georgia's lawyers, and administer strict codes of legal ethics. The State Bar succeeded the voluntary Georgia Bar Association, founded in 1884.