Brunswick Attorney Honored by Mercer Law School
MACON—Brunswick attorney James A. Bishop, a 1967 graduate of the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University, was named the recipient of this year’s Meritorious Service Award. Dr. R. Kirby Godsey, president of Mercer University, presented the award to Bishop at the 2003 Law Day Luncheon.
(Complete text of Dr. Godsey presenting award to Bishop)
In making the presentation, Godsey noted how Bishop, in addition to being a great alumnus, “has become a devoted friend to the wider endeavors of the University and to all of us associated with Mercer. He is always looking for ways to promote the University or to make Mercer a better institution.”
Bishop currently serves as the chair of the Mercer Law School Dean Search Committee and, in December, was elected chair of the Mercer University Board of Trustees. Godsey pointed out that rather than regarding his position as chair as an honor, it has become clear that Bishop looks at his role as a responsibility. “He knows that the Board is a strong, influential and important body who literally holds the University in trust. He has great respect for his colleagues on the Board, and he enjoys their respect, but he is someone who will work constantly to make sure the Board’s work during his chairmanship is effective and sound.”
Described by friends as a “tenacious worker,” Bishop is not reluctant about becoming engaged and working for the good of the cause or the institution in which he believes. The Brunswick attorney is known for taking initiative, establishing contacts and connecting the University with corporate leaders in Georgia and throughout the southeast.
Bishop is known through the Brunswick and St. Simon’s area for his tireless work in community endeavors, church involvement and family commitments. The entire region benefits from his leadership and insight.
Bishop and his son, James A. “Jimmy” Bishop, a 1996 graduate of the Mercer Law School, are in practice together at The Bishop Law Firm in Brunswick. The firm practices in the areas of banking, corporate, business, real estate, insurance and trial. Though his practice is located in Brunswick, he has taken on cases and legal work across the state. For more than 30 years, he has served as the general counsel for Rich Sea-Pak, headquartered in Brunswick and the Golden Isles.
Bishop is chair of the Board of Directors for the Coastal Bank of Georgia; a member of Rich Sea-Pak Corporation’s Board of Directors; a member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; former member of the Board of Directors of United Way of Brunswick and Glynn County; member of the Sea Island Club Board of Directors; member of the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce; past president of the Okefenokee Area Council Boy Scouts of America and original Trustee of Leadership Georgia established in 1972.
Bishop is currently serving his second term on the Mercer Board of Trustees. He was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1967 after receiving his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Georgia in 1964 and earning his law degree from Mercer in 1967.
More than 300 persons attended the annual Law Day Luncheon held March 14 at the Macon City Auditorium. Secretary of State Cathy Cox, a 1986 graduate of the Mercer Law School, was keynote speaker.
