ABOUT US
“IN RECOGNIZING THE HUMANITY OF OUR FELLOW BEINGS,
WE PAY OURSELVES THE HIGHEST TRIBUTE.”
–THURGOOD MARSHALL
OUR STORY
We Are the Hope of Our Founders
Established in 1948, the Gate City Bar Association was organized by the 10 sole African-American lawyers in the city at that time, to provide the educational, social, and community involvement of a professional association for African-American lawyers.
When we were founded, we could not attain membership in the predominantly white bar associations in this part of the country. Thus, we were founded out of necessity.
Meeting at different restaurants once a month, our founders bonded to discuss legal happenings, assist each other with problematic cases, support each other through instances of intense discrimination and being denied full privileges in the practice of law by judges.
Through perseverance and the determined pursuit of our mission, today we serve in the highest levels of the judiciary in this state, in major law firms, in corporate counsel suites, in government policy making positions, in general practice, and in the most powerful political arenas.
Our Mission
To create in the community a practical appreciation for the legal profession; to encourage persons of outstanding promise to attend first rate law schools and return to the communities that need their services most; to oppose arbitrary and capricious laws in our state with all the force and fiber of which we are capable as an organization; to uphold and extend the principles of justice in every phase of American life to the end that no one shall be discriminated against because of color, race, religious beliefs or national origin.
Our Purpose
- To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States and the State of Georgia;
- To further the purposes and goals of the National Bar Association;
- To uphold and maintain the Canons of Ethics of the Legal Profession;
- To provide continuing legal education programs to the legal community;
- To participate in the selection of federal, state, and local judges;
- To encourage all members of the Atlanta legal community and particularly the African-American Atlanta legal community to participate in the activities of the Association;
- To coordinate the efforts of the members of the Association in promoting the welfare of the community.
