To be considered for admission to GCAL, an attorney must be admitted to the State Bar of Georgia and must be a member in good standing of that organization. In addition, attorneys must agree to meet or exceed the ethics and professionalism standards established by the Supreme Court of Georgia and by GCAL. For more information about the GCAL Code of Ethics, please visit our Standards and Practices page.
The GCAL Board of Directors must approve all applications for admission to GCAL. Factors considered by the Board in determining whether an applicant shall be accepted as a Fellow are as follows:
(i) Commitment to adoption practice in terms of duration and volume of adoption law practice; specifically, that fifty percent (50%) of an applying attorney’s practice be dedicated to adoption or adoption-related issues or that the attorney regularly provides adoption services to clients in a geographical area that is underserved by full-time adoption attorneys.
(ii) Commitment to attend, in person or telephonically, at least 50% of the meetings of the Association per year, and, notwithstanding the foregoing, commitment to attend in person at least one meeting per year (absent extenuating circumstances).
(iii) Commitment to attend or speak at the Association’s annual training.
(iv) Commitment to serve the Association in some capacity (as an officer, e.g., or by coordinating or participating in an Association committee).
Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis. The Board may, in its sole discretion, approve the application of an applying attorney if the Board determines that the applicant is deserving of membership because of his or her overall commitment to the practice of adoption law or otherwise determines that it is in the best interests of GCAL to admit the applicant.
GCAL requires a non-refundable $35 application fee. Annual dues are $150. You may download a copy of the application here.
For more information about admission to GCAL, please contact our President-Elect at:
Sherriann H. Hicks
Chair, GCAL Membership Committee
368 South Perry Street
Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046
678-985-1000
shhicks@bellsouth.net