Morris, Judge Joliff honored by legal organizations

GAINESVILLE - The head of the public defender's office for Hall and Dawson counties and Hall County Juvenile Court Judge Cliff Joliff have been presented top awards from two state legal organizations.

Brad Morris was honored by the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers with its Indigent Defense Award.

Judge Joliff is the recipient of the Judge Aaron Cohn Award from the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges.

The award is presented annually to one attorney in Georgia who exemplifies indigent defense work.

MORRIS

Since 2004, Morris has overseen the Office of the Public Defender for Hall and Dawson Counties, which represents indigent defendants in criminal cases. He is a graduate of Emory University and the University of Houston School of Law and has practiced criminal law for more than 30 years.

Morris, who lives in Gainesville with his wife Renee, was the 2008 recipient of
the Judge A.R. Kenyon Award from the Gainesville-Northeastern Circuit Bar Association.

The award from the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers cites Morris
"for being a warrior for justice, for a lifetime representing those whose voice
society will not hear and whose dignity society will not honor; for creating a beacon for that work in the Northeastern Circuit Public Defender Office."

JOLIFF

The award received by Judge Joliff is given annually to a juvenile court judge who has made significant contributions to the Council and/or the field of juvenile justice and child welfare.

"I am very honored to receive this meaningful award named after such a remarkable man," Judge Jolliff said.

Over the past year, Judge Jolliff worked tirelessly to assist the Council of Juvenile Court Judges of Georgia in fighting damaging structural and budget cuts at the state level. He was also instrumental in revising many of the provisions of Gov. Sonny Perdue's legislative package relating to "Short term programs" and "Probation management options" that created tense negotiations between the Governor's Office, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the judges.

In 1992, Judge Jolliff was appointed by the superior court judges of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit to be the first full-time, circuit-wide juvenile court judge. He is a former president of the Council of Juvenile Court Judges of Georgia and has served on the following committees/commissions: Georgia CASA, Court Improvement Project (original member), Family Violence Commission, Court Improvement Initiative (Chairman), and AOC Workload Assessment for Juvenile Courts.

The Council of Juvenile Court Judges is composed of all 148 judges of the courts
exercising jurisdiction over juveniles. The Council Staff provides support to juvenile courts through legal research services, legislative tracking, and specialized programs to assist in protecting the best interests of children and the state. The Council annually recognizes one of its member judges who has served with distinction and is deserving of recognition, in honor of Muscogee County Juvenile Court Judge Aaron Cohn's remarkable career of selfless and dedicated contributions to the children, youth and families of his community and the state of Georgia. Learn more at cjcj.georgia.gov [http://cjcj.georgia.gov].