06/22/2024
📯What a beautiful day celebrating the achievement of the Honorable Shondeana C. Morris of and presenting her with the 2024 Atlanta Bar Association’s Outstanding Women in the Profession Achievement Award during the 23rd Annual Women of Achievement Award Luncheon today at the Piedmont Driving Club. The program included remarks by Immediate Past President Michelle Urbani Wallace on the history of this longstanding award, and what made this year’s recipient such a noteworthy asset to the profession, our Atlanta Bar Association, and those of bench and bar of the State Bar of Georgia.
Simply put, Judge Morris continues to serve our legal and social communities at the highest level in her appointments and service and has made it a safer place to talk about mental health and the challenges we all are allowed to admit we face. She challenges us to support one another, and perhaps most importantly, she inspires us to make wellness a priority for ourselves (and be supported in that endeveour).
Although the Award is not limited to the past year’s achievements, it is remarkable that within the past Board year alone Judge Morris has contributed to causes and events our Section has sponsored or is affiliated with such as: Wellness Institute Retreat of the State Bar of Georgia, Women’s History Month and supporting CLEs, WIP, DRS, and GABWA Foundation, Inc., joint Spring CLE and Reception on health concerns for decision makers, Lawyers Living Well, Lawyers Assistance Program, Su***de Awareness and Prevention, and Out of the Darkness Su***de Prevention just to name just a stellar few.
We gained amazing perspective and insight from guest presenter Daniela Britton in how Judge Morris has dedicated a career in excellence to continued public service to the many communities she serves, and how deeply inspirational she is in her interactions cle presentations and service.
In true Judge Morris fashion, she took the opportunity to dedicate the award to all of us and extended gratitude to all the figures, friends, and family that helped shape her journey and supported her and her personal story of dealing with loss. That space she continues to widen to discuss mental health in our profession has not only saved lives, it has made us better lawyers. Judge Morris also shared the exciting news the Bar of Georgia’s Wellness Center has just been officially approved by the Supreme Court of Georgia and thanked her committee members for the years long effort to bring awareness to the interest and need of resource. Judge Morris also thanked groups like our section, and the Young Lawyers Division State Bar of Georgia for engaging interest and diolog in our programming around women’s issues and wellness as we all work together and support one another’s events and initiatives.
Judge Morris properly received a standing ovation for her Award presentation and for the remarks she was so kind to share.
Vice Chair LeeAnn Jones closed our program with highlighting the past board year’s accomplishments, thanking Michelle for her service to the Women in the Profession Section and Atlanta Bar Association, and invited all in attendance to join our section in the new board year at our exciting events, CLEs, and service that is in store. It’s never too late to get involved and we wish everyone a happy and restful summer break before our annual fall kickoff.
👏✨Thank you to our 2023-2024 sponsors who absolutely led to our successful full year. We could not have put on the programming we did without the support and we appreciate you all:
Advantage Law Firm, Michelle Urbani Wallace
Barnhart Family Law, Kristy Barnhart
First Horizon Bank, Greg Williams
Forward Push - Marketing & Advertising
Holland & Knight
Trustpoint One, Jennifer Toner
