Letter to the editor

On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I would like to express congratulations and thanks to Phyllis J. Holmen, who has announced her intention to retire as executive director of the Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP), where she has worked throughout her distinguished 43-year career in the legal profession.

Ms. Holmen's contributions to the cause of access to justice for Georgians who are unable to afford the services of a lawyer over the past four decades are immeasurable. Under her superb leadership, GLSP takes on thousands of cases each year in 154 Georgia counties for low-income people who need representation in a wide variety of civil matters.

She is also a leader among her peers in Georgia's legal community. I am among those who have had the honor of serving alongside Phyllis on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee of the State Bar of Georgia for many years.

Ms. Holmen will be appropriately honored by GLSP as one of its biennial Champions of Justice on Jan. 25, and we add our applause to that recognition. We further extend our gratitude to Phyllis Holmen for her incredible career and lasting influence on the expansion of pro bono service and availability of legal services in all corners of our state. We wish her well in the years of retirement ahead.

Brian D. “Buck” Rogers

President, State Bar of Georgia