(Atlanta, GA / November 9, 2010) Baker Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC is pleased to announce that Linda A. Klein has been inducted into the Order of the Coif.
The Order of the Coif is an honorary scholastic society, the purpose of which is to encourage excellence in legal education by fostering a spirit of careful study, recognizing those who as law students attained a high grade of scholarship, and honoring those who as lawyers, judges and teachers attained high distinction for their scholarly or professional accomplishments.
A graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law, Ms. Klein was honored at a Law Council dinner hosted by Washington and Lee on October 21, 2010, in recognition of her induction into the Order of the Coif.
Ms. Klein, managing shareholder for Baker Donelson's Georgia offices and a member of the Firm's board of directors, focuses her practice in most types of business dispute resolution, including contract, construction, pharmaceutical and employment law, and professional liability. She is currently serving as chair of the American Bar Association's (ABA) House of Delegates, the policy-making body of the Association.
Ms. Klein currently holds numerous board positions, and is president of Southface Energy Institute, a leading non-profit supporting sustainable development. She is past president of the Board of Directors’ Network, the mission of which is to diversify corporate boards. While president, she began an annual program to count the number of women of color in corporate leadership and highlight their achievements. Ms. Klein is a co-founder of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association's Georgia chapter. She served as chair of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association from 2003 to 2004. She is a past chair of the Committee on Rules and Calendar of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association and past chair of the Association's Coalition for Justice. She is a past president of the Caucus of State Bars, past chair of the Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, and past chair of the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia.
Ms. Klein has received many accolades for her accomplishments. She is the recipient of the American Bar Foundation’s 2010 Fellows Outstanding State Chair Award, and she was honored with the 2009 Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award from the State Bar of Georgia, which recognizes Georgia attorneys for their achievements in promoting diversity in the legal profession. She also was named to the YWCA 2009 Academy of Women Achievers. In 2004, the American Bar Association presented her with the prestigious Margaret Brent Achievement Award, which is bestowed upon women who have "achieved professional excellence in their field and have influenced other women to pursue legal careers, opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, and/or advanced opportunities for women within a practice area or segment of the profession." In 1998, Georgia Trend Magazine named her one of the 100 most powerful and influential Georgians. Atlanta Magazine named her a Georgia Super Lawyer and one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Georgia annually since 2004. Ms. Klein is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and in Who's Who in America and Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business.
In June 1997, Ms. Klein became the first and, to date, only woman president of the State Bar of Georgia. During her tenure, Ms. Klein responded to the many personal calls she received from indigent women seeking help for domestic violence problems. She led a multi-pronged strategy to propose and receive $2 million of state funding for legal services for victims of domestic violence. That first year, 6,000 families were helped with those funds. Since then, annual appropriations totaling more than $20 million have helped children and women facing every kind of domestic violence situation in every corner of the state and at every level of the judicial system.
Ms. Klein has authored numerous published works, most on construction law topics. Her lecture schedule includes presentations in France, Sweden, Canada and across the United States. She is a member of the American Law Institute and a certified mediator and arbitrator, frequently serving as a neutral as well as a client advocate.