Judge Phelps Receives Distinguished Service Award

Northern Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge R. Chris Phelps is the recipient of the State Bar of Georgia’s 2016 Distinguished Service Award.

The award was presented by the State Bar of Georgia during its Annual Meeting on June 18.

Phelps was honored for his extensive service to the legal profession, the justice system and the public during his four-decade career as an attorney and judge.

He recently completed 32 years of continuous service on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia, representing the attorneys of the Northern Circuit, which includes Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Madison and Oglethorpe counties.

Judge Phelps also served on the Finance Committee of the 48,000-member State Bar for 20 years and as its chairman for 12 years.

He previously served as chair of the Review Panel of the State Bar Disciplinary Board, the Continuity of Law Practice Committee, the Programs Committee and the Bar Governance Committee of the State Bar.

A lifelong resident of Elberton, Phelps was engaged in the general practice of law for 38 years prior to being appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal as Superior Court judge.

He was sworn in as Superior Court judge on March 4, 2015, and was elected to a full four-year term on May 24, 2016.

In making the presentation last week, State Bar President Robert J. “Bob” Kauffman said the legal community in Georgia owes a debt of gratitude to Judge Phelps for his many years of exemplary service.

The Distinguished Service Award is the highest accolade bestowed on an individual member of the State Bar of Georgia.

Recipients in recent years include several former chief justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia and the current president-elect of the American Bar Association.

The honor recognizes “conspicuous service to the cause of jurisprudence and to the advancement of the legal profession in the state of Georgia.”