See You In Court seeyouincourt

Today on the podcast, Robin and Lester interview Judge Alvin Wong, Georgia’s first Asian American judge.
 
Guest Bio
Judge Wong came to Richmond, Va. from Hong Kong when he was 14. His father
enrolled him at Fishburne Military Academy in Waynesboro, Va., shook his hand
and said he’d “see him next summer.” He followed a classmate from Fishburne to
Auburn University without even knowing where it was. He graduated early and
moved to Atlanta. He started taking night classes at John Marshal Law School and
passed the Georgia Bar in 1976. He hung out a shingle and worked as a trial lawyer
and then was a partner at Gambrell & Stolz (now Baker Donelson) for 20 years.
Judge Wong was elected to the State Court of DeKalb County in 1999 and since
his election in 1999, he’s been reelected, unopposed, to six consecutive terms. With
his election in 1999, he became the first Asian American judge in Georgia history.
At that time, Asians made up less than two percent of registered voters in DeKalb
County.
In 2004, Judge Wong co-founded a DUI court to help people, calling it one
of the most rewarding things he’s done. He also sits on the board of the Lifeline
Animal Project, a nonprofit that helps turn Atlanta animal shelters into no-kill
shelters. He also brings to the courthouse Coco, a dachshund-chihuahua mix he
rescued a decade ago. Jurors love to meet her after the trial is over.
Judge Wong was elected by his peers in 2021 as president of the Georgia
Council of State Court Judges, overseeing the entire state. His election marked the
first time an Asian American served as president of any judicial council in Georgia.
In 1993, Judge Wong and Professor Natsu Saito of Georgia State University
Law School combed the State Bar Directory to find 10 attorneys to start an Asian
American Bar Association. Today, the Georgia Asian Pacific Bar Association
(GAPABA) has 750 members. In 2014, GAPABA named its top prize the “Judge
Alvin T. Wong Pioneer Award”. It is given in his honor to a lawyer who
demonstrates leadership to pave the way for the advancement of APA attorneys. He
is the recipient of the 2017 Traditions of Excellence Award presented by the
General Practice and Trial Section of the State Bar of Georgia. He received the
2022 Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the
Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession of the State Bar of Georgia.
Judge Wong serves the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional
Responsibility – Judges Advisory Committee and as a Fernbank Museum of
Natural History trustee and NAPABA (the National Asian Bar) Law Foundation
board member, mentoring future leaders as co-director of its Thomas Tang
National Moot Court Competition.

Today on the podcast, Robin and Lester reflect on the rare Presidential Pardon successfully obtained for Peter Heidgerd.
 
Robin Frazer Clark is a trial lawyer. She was the 50th President of the
State Bar of Georgia, is a Past President of Georgia Trial Lawyers
Association, a Past President of the Lawyers Club of Atlanta and has
practiced law in Georgia for 36 years. She is a member of the
International Society of Barristers and of the American Board of Trial
Advocates. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Robin
has tried over 75 jury trials and argued in Georgia Appellate Courts over
45 times.
 
Links:
http://www.akintate.com/
https://www.gatriallawyers.net/
See You In Court (seeyouincourtpodcast.org)
To learn more about the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation, visit fairplay.org

McCracken “Ken” Poston, Jr. is a Georgia trial lawyer, practicing criminal defense
in Ringgold, Georgia. He is a former 4 term legislator in the Georgia House of
Representatives. He is a graduate of the The University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga and is a 1985 graduate of The University of Georgia School of Law.
He has practiced law for 39 years in Georgia. He gained national attention for his
handling of several notable cases that were featured on CNN Presents, Dateline
NBC, A&E’s American Justice and Forensic Files. Ken’s new book “Zenith Man:
Death, Love and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom” tells the tale of Alvin
Ridley, accused of murdering his wife, and Ken’s courtroom battle for Justice for
Alvin.

Links:
https://www.mccrackenpostonjr.com/
http://www.akintate.com/
https://www.gatriallawyers.net/
See You In Court (seeyouincourtpodcast.org)
To learn more about the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation, visit fairplay.org

Today on the podcast, Robin and Lester discuss negligent security with Gilbert Deitch and Andrew Rogers
 
Guest Bio
 
Gil Deitch is widely recognized as a leading advocate for the rights of
crime victims and an expert on civil cases arising from rapes and other
criminal assaults occurring on private and public property. For decades he
has been known by lawyers and judges as a pioneering force in the field of
premises liability and has handled more negligent security cases than any
other attorney in the State of Georgia and throughout the Southeast.
 
Gil Deitch is a member of the Georgia and Tennessee Bar Associations. He
belongs to the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. He received his law
degree (J.D.) from the University of Tennessee in 1970 and his
undergraduate degree (B.B.A.) from the University of Georgia in 1967.
 
Andy Rogers has worked tirelessly for crime victims since 1988. After
beginning his career as criminal prosecutor, Mr. Rogers has concentrated
exclusively on representing crime victims in civil cases for over 20 years.

Links:
Atlanta Crime Victim Attorneys - Deitch + Rogers
http://www.akintate.com/
https://www.gatriallawyers.net/
See You In Court (seeyouincourtpodcast.org)
To learn more about the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation, visit fairplay.org

 
Today on the podcast, Robin and Lester flashback to previous guests answers on the ultimate question: What is Justice?
Links:
http://www.akintate.com/
https://www.gatriallawyers.net/
See You In Court (seeyouincourtpodcast.org)
To learn more about the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation, visit fairplay.org

 
 
Today on the podcast, Robin and Lester interview author and lawyer Martin Siegel
 
Guest Bio
Martin Siegel’s law practice focuses on briefing and arguing complex appeals in federal and state courts. He also handles key motions in trial courts and consults on legal analysis and strategy. Siegel has won appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appellate courts around
the country, and the Texas Supreme Court, and has repeatedly earned recognition
from peers. 
In 2012, he was elected to the Texas Bar Foundation, a fellowship limited to 0.3% of federal civil appeals | Houston | Law Offices of Martin J. Siege (siegelfirm.com)licensed Texas attorneys each year based on regional peer nomination. The Texas Bar Foundation supports projects providing affordable legal services for underserved communities, promotes professionalism, and educates the public about the justice system. Martin graduated from the University of Texas undergrad and then Harvard Law School. 
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Martin J. Siegel was the last law clerk for Judge Irving R. Kaufman, the subject of Martin’s new book, who served on the Second Circuit. Martin then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York and as Special Counsel on the staff of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee from 2000-2001.
 He now practices law in Houston, Texas and teaches American Legal History at the University of Houston Law Center, where he also directs the Appellate Civil Rights Clinic. He also serves on the board of the Anti-Defamation League, Southwest Region, and has drafted state legislative testimony and amicus briefing for the ADL. Martin is also a Senior Editor of Litigation, a quarterly publication of the American Bar Association’s Section on Litigation.

Links:
 Houston | Law Offices of Martin J. Siege (siegelfirm.com)
https://www.martinjsiegel.com/
http://www.akintate.com/
https://www.gatriallawyers.net/
See You In Court (seeyouincourtpodcast.org)
To learn more about the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation, visit fairplay.org