Atlanta Bar Foundation Tribute
A Lifetime of Service
Thank You, Sally Hogsette
Remarks by Atlanta Bar Foundation President Wade Malone
and Immediate Past President Liz Price
T
he motto of the Atlanta Bar Association is “Lawyers
Who Serve.” And it has long been the case that
Atlanta lawyers have stepped up to assist those in
need by providing legal services, financial contributions or
community engagement. The Atlanta Bar Foundation, the
charitable arm of the Association, has been at the forefront
in affording financial support for the charitable aims of the
Association and its members. In particular, the Foundation
has long endorsed initiatives created by members of this Bar
by hosting events and providing grants to worthy programs
and pro bono organizations. Prime examples include the
Minority and Diversity Clerkship Program, the Summer
Law Internship Program, the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers
Foundation, the Truancy Intervention Project, and the
Georgian Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN), all of
which were the brainchild of Atlanta Bar members.
Though the Foundation was established in 1985, it was
only five years ago that it hired its first Executive Director.
With renewed vigor and focus on charitable giving under
the leadership of Immediate Past President Judge Jackson
Bedford and President Allan Tanenbaum, the Foundation
Board hired Sally Hogsette to serve at its helm. Sally was
no stranger to the Foundation or the Bar Association. Sally
began her law practice in Atlanta after graduating from
Emory University. She had served in a number of leadership
positions at the Bar, was one of the founders of the Pro Bono
Partnership and had been working in the Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Legal Department for 20 years. Sally had been a long active
Board member of the Foundation, including serving as its
Treasurer, and her commitment to the Foundation’s aims
was well known. Sally readily agreed to take on this new role
and to devote her attention to the mission of the Foundation.
Over her term as Executive Director, the Foundation has
experienced incredible growth and vitality. The Foundation
established a grants program, created LawJam – the annual
battle of the bands, and during the term of President Bill
Ragland, raised over $250,000 in its 25th Anniversary
Campaign. The Atlanta Bard Show, a longstanding event
involving hundreds of Atlanta lawyers and producing everincreasing financial support to the Foundation, continued to
gain greater momentum and popularity. The Legal Runaround,
a 5k race, which raises funds to provide scholarships for the
children of Atlanta police officers who were injured or killed in
the line of duty, continued to draw a loyal following and engage
Atlanta lawyers and police officers in a mutually rewarding
event. Sally’s hand was evident in all of this and many more
accomplishments over the last five years.
This spring, Sally announced to the Foundation Board the
exciting news of her engagement, along with the news of
her upcoming retirement as Executive Director. Winding up
her service with the 5th Annual LawJam event in June, Sally
managed the most successful event ever, both in terms of
attendance, receipts and fun factor. In recognition of her
passionate support and commitment to the Foundation,
LawJam leaders Bert Reeves and Brenton Hund presented
Sally with an engraved vase and the news of her induction
as the first member in the LawJam Hall of Fame.
Sally Hogsette, Executive Director of the Atlanta Bar Foundation,
is honored as the 2014 Inductee into the LawJam Hall of
Fame. From left: LawJam Stage Director Brenton Hund,
Turner Broadcasti