Speaker

Fulton County State Court, Georgia

Speaker Bio

Diane E. Bessen is a judge for the Fulton County State Court in Georgia. She was appointed to the court by Governor Roy Barnes in July 2002, and has run unopposed for each subsequent term.

Judge Bessen received a B.A. in 1979 and a J.D. in 1986 from Emory University.

Awards

  • Unsung Hero Award, Anti-Defamation League
  • Professionalism Award, Atlanta Bar Association
  • Champion of Justice Award, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association

Associations

  • Member, Board of Governors of State Bar of Georgia
  • Co-editor, Atlanta Bar Association, The Atlanta Lawyer
  • Member, Statewide Judiciary E-Filing Steering Committee
  • Member, Fulton County Courts’ Joint Governance Committee
  • Adjunct professor, Medical Malpractice Litigation, Emory University School of Law
  • Fellow, Lawyers’ Foundation of Georgia
  • Member, Council of State Court Judges
  • Member, Lawyer’s Club of Atlanta
  • Member, North Fulton Bar Association
  • Member, Sandy Springs Bar Association
  • Member, Georgia Association of Women Lawyers
  • Member, Georgia Association of Black Women Lawyers
  • Member, Lamar Inn of Court
  • Past chair, Judicial Section of Atlanta Bar Association
  • Past chair, E-File Committee of State Bar of Georgia
  • Former delegate, American Bar Association National Council of State Trial Judges
  • Former member, New Courts Commission, State Bar of Georgia
  • Former member, Legislative Advisory Committee, State Bar of Georgia