Atlanta, GA. The 10th Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service will be presented on March 10, 2009 at a special ceremony and reception. Since 1998, these awards have been presented to honor lawyers and judges in Georgia who have made significant contributions to their communities and demonstrate the positive contributions of members of the Bar beyond their legal or official work.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest recognition given by the State Bar of Georgia and the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism, co-sponsors of the Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service. This year it will be awarded posthumously to an outstanding community and public servant: The Honorable Griffin B. Bell, a partner with King & Spalding LLP of Atlanta. He is a former federal appellate judge, appointed by President John F. Kennedy, and served as United States Attorney under President Jimmy Carter. This award is reserved for a lawyer or judge who, in addition to meeting the criteria for receiving the Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service, has demonstrated an extraordinarily long and distinguished commitment to volunteer participation in the community throughout his or her legal career.

Awards are given to selected attorneys in the judicial districts of Georgia from which nominations were received. This year's recipients are: Ms. Rebecca R. Crowley, Waycross (Judicial District 1); Ms. Laverne L. Gaskins, Valdosta and The Honorable James E. Hardy, Thomasville (Judicial District 2); Ms. Tomieka R. Daniel, Byron (Judicial District 3); The Honorable Johnny N. Panos, Decatur (Judicial District 4); Ms. Denise Cleveland-Leggett and Ms. Judith A. O'Brien, Atlanta (Judicial District 5); Mr. J. Kevin Moore, Marietta (Judicial District 7); Mr. David L. Cannon, Jr., Canton (Judicial District 9); and Mr. David E. Hudson, Augusta (Judicial District 10).

These deserving judges and attorneys have served a wide range of community organizations, government-sponsored activities, and humanitarian efforts outside of their professional practices. Their fields of service include: youth athletics and mentoring programs, literacy programs, social services, church and religious activities, politics, conservation and the environment, promotion and support for legal aid programs, community development, education, sports, recreation, and the arts. These awards recognize the commitment of Georgia lawyers to volunteerism, encourage all lawyers to become involved in community service, improve the quality of lawyers' lives through the satisfaction they derive from helping others, and raise the public image of lawyers. All honorees are members of the State Bar of Georgia.

The Awards Presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Georgia-Pacific Center Auditorium, 133 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia and a reception will follow. Awards will be presented by Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham and Bill Liss, Financial and Legal Editor with WXIA Television News in Atlanta. Mr. H. Thomas Wells, President of the American Bar Association, of Birmingham, Alabama, will make a special appearance. The Selection Committee is chaired by Patrise M. Perkins-Hooker, Esq., a partner with the Atlanta law firm, Hollowell, Foster & Gepp, PC. This event is free and open to the public. The program is presented by the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism and State Bar of Georgia. Georgia-Pacific Corporation is a title sponsor.

For more information, contact: Nneka Harris-Daniel, Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism at (404) 225-5040.