As amended through July 11, 2024
Rule 4-402 - The Formal Advisory Opinion Board(a) The Formal Advisory Opinion Board shall consist only of active members of the State Bar of Georgia who shall be appointed by the President of the State Bar of Georgia, with the approval of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia.(b) The members of the Formal Advisory Opinion Board shall be selected as follows: (1) Five members of the State Bar of Georgia at-large;(2) One member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association;(3) One member of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association;(4) One member of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers;(5) One member of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia;(6) One member of the Georgia District Attorneys Association;(7) One member of the faculty of each American Bar Association Accredited Law School operating within the State of Georgia;(8) One member of the State Disciplinary Board;(9) One member of the State Disciplinary Review Board; and(10) One member of the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Georgia.(c) All members shall be appointed for terms of two years subject to the following exceptions: (1) Any person appointed to fill a vacancy occasioned by resignation, death, disqualification, or disability shall serve only for the unexpired term of the member replaced unless reappointed;(2) The members appointed from the State Disciplinary Board and State Disciplinary Review Board and the Executive Committee shall serve for a term of one year;(3) The terms of the current members of the Formal Advisory Opinion Board will terminate at the Annual Meeting of the State Bar of Georgia following the amendment of this Rule regardless of the length of each member's current term; thereafter all appointments will be as follows to achieve staggered, two-year terms:(i) Three of the initial Association members (including the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association, the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia and the Georgia District Attorneys Association) shall be appointed to one-year terms; two of the initial Association members shall be appointed to two-year terms. As each initial term expires, the successor appointee shall be appointed for a term of two years;(ii) Two of the initial members appointed from the State Bar of Georgia at-large (the "At-Large Members") shall be appointed to one-year terms; three of the initial At-Large Members shall be appointed to two-year terms. As each initial term expires, the successor appointee shall be appointed for a term of two years;(iii) Two of the initial members from the American Bar Association Accredited Law Schools shall be appointed to one-year terms; two of the initial law school members shall be appointed to two-year terms. As each initial term expires, the successor appointee shall be appointed for a term of two years;(4) All members shall be eligible for immediate reappointment to one additional two-year term, unless the President of the State Bar of Georgia, with approval of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia, deems it appropriate to reappoint a member for one or more additional terms.(d) The Formal Advisiory Opinion Board shall annually elect a chairperson and such other officers as it may deem proper at the first meeting of the Formal Advisory Opinion Board after July 1 of each year.(e) The Formal Advisory Opinion Board shall have the authority to prescribe its own rules of conduct and procedure.