Early History
The Family Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia was formally created on June 5, 1976, making it the 13th section in State Bar history. In 1975, eight lawyers petitioned the State Bar to establish the Family Law Section. Those lawyers included Jack P. Turner, Atlanta (first chair of the section); Harry Hall, Atlanta; Bob Reinhart, Tifton (second chair of the section); Paul V. Kilpatrick, Columbus (fourth chair of the section); former Supreme Court of Georgia Justice, G. Conley Ingram (third chair of the section). The Board of Governors approved the formation of the section in 1976. The original dues to become a member of the section were $3 per year.
The practice of family law in Georgia had its beginnings in an era where it was disorganized and not viewed by other litigators as a respected area of practice. Through the organization of the section and the professional pride among family lawyers, the practice of family law has evolved to receiving high recognition among lawyers the judiciary in the state. Today, the section membership stands at nearly 2,000 active members, making it the second largest section of the State Bar. The seminars conducted by the Family Law Section are some of the most advanced and sophisticated in the country in the area of family law. The section continues to be committed to excellent educational programs for its members and active in mobilizing the section to heighten awareness of the legislative and appellant issues in the area of family law.
The Family Law Review
An early task of the Section was to publish a newsletter. In 1976, Jack Turner embarked on this task. Originally, Jack copied and distributed the newsletter himself. His early goal was to reduce aggressive litigation through further knowledge and understanding of family law. After the section took over the publication, Jack was named editor. He continued on as the editor until 2000, when Richard Nolen was named editor. In 2001 under Richard’s direction, the Family Law Review was published on the Section’s website. In 2005, Randy Kessler ascended to the editor’s role, and in 2009 his partner Marvin Solomiany became co-editor of the Family Law Review. Today, Leigh F. Cummings continues in the tradition started by Jack Turner all those years ago and carried on by colleagues since 1976.
The Family Law Review is typically published on a quarterly basis. It has been an important tool in continuing the education of lawyers regarding family law issues and to help promote professionalism throughout the Bar. It includes recent case law summaries, articles regarding legislative changes and changes to the Uniform Superior Rules, articles of interest to family lawyers on the state of family law in the State and beyond, as well as writings tailored to helping all family law practitioners improve their practices so as to better serve their clients, colleagues and themselves. The FLR also frequently publishes interviews with judges around the state to keep Members better informed of the judiciary’s positions on various topics as well as procedures in the given judge’s courtroom. Online access to the Family Law Review can be found here.
The Family Law Institute and Other Section Seminars
The annual Family Law Institute, held every May at a location at the beach, is the Section’s signature CLE event. It is one of the most well attended seminars of all of the sections of the Bar. (View the program archive here.)
The Institute was first held in March of 1983. It was initiated by M.T. Simmons (chair 1982-83) and chaired by C. Wilbur Warner (1983-84), which created the tradition of having the incoming chair organize the Institute. The goal then, as now, was and is to provide an advanced seminar for experienced lawyers as well as enable family lawyers an opportunity to socialize together so that better professional bonds can be formed between Members of the Section. The Institute is attended by hundreds of lawyers from around the state who want to hone their skills in family law or by those who want to become more involved in the area of family law. As evidence of the latter, recent “first timer” events have been filled to capacity, which shows that the future of not only Institute, but also the Section and the state of family law in general, is bright indeed. In fact, in recent years, the Institute has become so popular that it has had some difficulty in finding locations large enough to accommodate all of the attendees. In 2018, there were nearly 700 attendees for the three-day event, which was held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center for the second time in the past three years. Other popular destinations for the Institute have included Amelia Island, Florida, where the Institute will be held in 2019, and Sandestin, Florida.
John C. Mayoue (1992-93) began the Family Law Convocation on Professionalism in 1992 in response to the Supreme Court’s initiative on professionalism. The Convocation is held annually, and involves discussion and analysis of issues regarding professionalism and ethics in the family law arena. The Convocation’s format is informal by nature, designed to promote an open discussion between the lawyers in attendance and the panelists, who have historically been some of the most well-regarded lawyers and judges practicing and presiding over family law cases. After Mr. Mayoue’s death in 2016, the Convocation, now in its 25th year, was renamed the “John C. Mayoue Family Law Convocation on Professionalism” in his honor.
In addition to the Family Law Institute as well as the myriad local CLEs on family law topics, the Section also produces the annual “Nuts and Bolts” seminars in two locations, Savannah and Atlanta, at the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The Nuts and Bolts seminars, in contrast to the in-depth and cutting-edge topics covered at the Family Law Institute, are geared more towards providing the attendees “the basics” in family law. The seminar is organized by the incoming secretary of the Section and, taking both the Savannah and Atlanta seminars, is historically one of the most well attended daily seminars put on by any Section of the Bar. In addition, the Atlanta session is typically broadcast live on the internet for those who can not attend in person.
In 2009, the section began the annual tradition of hosting another seminar in conjunction with the State Bar Midyear Meeting. The seminar and Section reception includes a panel discussion among judges throughout the state led by members of the Executive Committee of the Section, and also serves as the meeting in which the Section’s nominated officers are selected by the nominating committee for the coming year are announced and approved by the members of the Section in attendance.
Legislative and Judicial Accomplishments and Milestones
The section has been extremely influential in enacting changes in Georgia law. There is a cooperative relationship between the section and the Legislature and appellate courts. The section has been invited to file numerous Amicus briefs with the appellate courts and has been involved in many legislative and judicial committees. Shiel G. Edlin was the first legislative liaison, and Hannibal Heredia carries on that role today. Some key changes as a result of the continuing efforts of the Section in advising the Legislature include the following:
First Child Support Guidelines in 1986
Creation of the Domestic Relations Financial Affidavit
Extension of duration of child support to age 20
The Supreme Court of Georgia’s Pilot Project in 2003
Enactment of Guardian Ad Litem USCR 24.9 in 2005 (amended in 2009)
New Child Support Guidelines in 2007
Modification of Child Custody Statute in 2008
New Domestic Relations Long Arm Statute in 2010
The Revised Antenuptial Statute passed in 2018