The Leah Ward Sears Award

For Distinction in the Profession recognizes a GABWA member who has been practicing at least ten years who, like Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the highest professional and ethical standards, and whose legal career exemplifies excellence in the practice of law.

This award recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of black women in the legal profession.

Prior recipients include:

Teresa Wynn Roseborough (2006)
The Hon. Patsy Y. Porter (2007)
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy (2008)
The Hon. Gail Tusan (2009)
Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming (2010)
The Hon. Brenda S. Cole (2011)
Patrice M. Perkins-Hooker (2012)
The Hon. M. Yvette Miller (2013)
Paula Frederick (2014)
The Hon. Myra H. Dixon (2015)
Sharon Nyota Tucker (2016)
The Hon. Joy Lampley-Fortson (2017)
Tricia “C.K.” Hoffler (2018)
O.V. Brantley (2019)
The Hon. Constance C. Russell (2020)
The Hon. Verda Colvin (2021)
The Hon. Nancy Abudu (2022)
Jamala S. McFadden (2023)

GABWA Founder Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears is one of the three founders of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and served as its first president. Chief Justice Sears was the first African-American woman to serve as a Superior Court Judge in Georgia.

When appointed by the Governor Zell Miller in February, 1992, she was the first woman and the youngest person ever to serve on the Supreme Court of Georgia.

In retaining her appointment as a Supreme Court Justice, Sears became the first woman to win a contested state-wide election in Georgia. In 2005, Justice Sears became the first black woman to serve as Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.
 

The Barbara A. Harris Award

For Service to the Community recognizes a GABWA member who has been practicing at least ten years, whose service to the community extends beyond the practice of law, and who has had a significant impact on the social, political and economic equality of minorities and women. Recipients of this award shall have contributed substantially to programs that provide community uplift and empowerment.

Prior recipients include:

Avarita L. Hanson (2006) 
Kim E. Anderson  (2007)
Juanita Baranco (2008)
R. Javoyne Hicks White (2009)
Dawn M. Jones (2010)
Deborah Poole (2011)
Suzanne W. Ockleberry (2012)
Julie M.T. Walker (2013)
Noni Ellison Southall (2014)
Bettieanne C. Hart (2015)
Carmen Smith (2016)
The Hon. Mary A. Buckner (2017)
The Hon. Asha Jackson (2018)
Andrea Young (2019)
Tiffany Williams Roberts (2020)
Jacqueline Bunn (2021)
Michelle Arrington (2022)
Elicia Hargrove (2023)
 
GABWA Founder Judge Barbara A. Harris was appointed as the first woman to serve as Chief Judge of Atlanta Municipal Court on June 18, 1992. Judge Harris began serving on the City of Atlanta Municipal Court in May 1982 when she presided over preliminary hearings for felonies and misdemeanors and conducted non-jury trials of offenses under the Atlanta City Code. Prior to her appointment, Judge Harris spent five years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia in the Civil Division and worked as a law clerk to the late Georgia Supreme Court Justice Charles L. Weltner. In March 2000, Judge Harris created the Atlanta Community Court, a division of the Atlanta Municipal Court that responds to what are known as quality of life crimes: prostitution, disorderly conduct, panhandling, and low-level drug offenses. The Atlanta Community Court, one of the most comprehensive community courts in the country, is committed to the dual principles of restorative justice and rehabilitation.

The Bensonetta Tipton Lane Award

The Bensonetta Tipton Lane Award for Commitment to the Family recognizes a GABWA member who has been practicing at least ten years and who has used her professional and personal leadership to strengthen the community through family and child-related programs and initiatives, including those that focus on education, domestic violence, health care, child-advocacy, adoption, and other issues impacting the family.

Prior recipients include:

The Hon. Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore (2006)
Bernadette Hartfield (2007)
Anita Wallace-Thomas (2008)
The Hon. Tangela Barrie (2009)
Divida Gude (2010)
Wanda Andrews (2011)
Nora Polk (2012)
Karlise Yvette Grier (2013)
The Hon. Glenda Hatchett (2014)
Tomeika Daniel (2015)
Carmen Smith (2016)
Michelle Harris Jordan (2017)
The Hon. Sonja Natasha Brown (2018)
Sherry Boston (2019)
Mercedes G. Ball (2020)
Charlotte Combre (2021)
The Hon. Shondeana C. Morris (2022)
Adwoa Ghartey-Tagoe Seymour (2023)

 
GABWA Founder Judge Bensonetta Tipton Lane has a long and distinguished record of service on the bench, having served on the Superior Court of Fulton County for over a decade since her appointment in 1995. Prior to that, Lane was a judge on the City Court of Atlanta, serving full-time from 1992 to 1995 and as a pro hac vice judge from 1986 to 1992.  Lane also served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Georgia Department of Medical Assistance from 1992 to 1993. Judge Lane began her legal career in 1976 with The Law Project, a public interest law firm, and thereafter spent nearly a decade from 1982 to 1993 as a solo practitioner practicing employment discrimination and civil rights law. 

The Zenith Award for Distinction in the Profession (Individual)

 

The Zenith Award for Distinction in the Profession recognizes an individual from the community-at-large who has achieved a high-level of success in his or her profession; and demonstrated extraordinary service to Black women and children through both professional and personal leadership.

Prior recipients include:

Diane Rowley, M.D. (2006)
Karen Elaine Webster Parks (2007)
William “Bill” Brennan (2008)
Justine Boyd (2009)
Renée Lewis Glover (2010)
Jackie Parker (2011)
Danita Knight (2012)
Chief Justice Carol W. Hunstein (2013)
Teri Plummer McClure (2014)
Helene D. Gayle, M.D., M.P.H. (2015)
Harold E. Franklin, Jr. (2016)
Thomas G. Sampson (2017)
Linda A. Klein (2018)
Michael W. Tyler (2019)
Chief Justice Harold Melton (2020)
Natasha Perdew-Silas (2021)
Linda Earley-Chastang (2022)
Ira Foster (2023)

The Zenith Award for Service to the Community

 

The Zenith Award for Service in the Community recognizes an organization from the community-at-large for its exceptional leadership in serving the community by taking a leading role in enhancing the welfare, health, education or political or financial empowerment of minority communities.

Prior recipients include:

Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP (2006)
Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers (AIM) (2006)
Alternative Life Paths Program, Inc. (2007)
Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys (2008)
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office (2009)
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough (2009)
The Restorative Justice Center (2010)
Southern Center for Human Rights (2011)
Students Without Mothers (2011)
Carrie Steel Pitts Home (2012)
Georgia Legal Services Program (2013)
Hosea Feed the Hungry (2014)
Atlanta Business League (2015)
Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters (AIB) (2016)
Atlanta Bar Association Summer Law Internship Program (2017)
Chick-fil-A Foundation (2018)
Davis Bozeman Law Firm (2018)
Planned Parenthood Southeast, Inc. (2019)
Fair Fight Action. Inc. (2020)
Gate City Bar Association- Justice Benham Law Camp (2021)
Black Voters Matter (2022)
The Pink Frog Foundation, Inc. (2023)

The Zenith Award for Political Action

 

The Zenith Award for Political Action recognizes an individual or organization for their significant impact on the political landscapre at the local, state or national level by advancing the political interests of groups that have been historically underserved, such as minorities, women and children.

Prior recipients include:

House Minority Leader Stacey Y. Abrams (2012)
Laverne Lewis Gaskins (2013)
Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (2014)
Janice L. Mathis (2015)
Henrietta Turnquest (2016)
Rep. Tyrone Brooks (Ret.) (2017)
Charles S. Johnson, III (2018)
Bryan Stevenson (2019)
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (2020)
Chairwoman Lisa Cupid (2021)
Marissa McCall Dodson (2021)
Rep. Calvin Smyre (2022)
Maria O. Banjo (2023)