State bar polls lawyers on choice of Appeals Court judge

Atlanta attorney Bruce Edenfield fared the best in a State Bar of Georgia poll on the qualifications of the seven candidates running for a seat on the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Decatur lawyer Christoper McFadden, State Sen. Michael Meyer von Bremen (D-Albany), Atlanta lawyer Sara Doyle and Lawrenceville lawyer Mike Sheffield were also well regarded by their peers. Each was deemed “qualified” or “well qualified” on more than 70 percent of the ballots.

Lawrenceville lawyer Tamela Adkins and Douglasville lawyer Perry McGuire were deemed “not qualified” on 57 percent of ballots cast.

The State Bar sent its poll to all of its 27,179 active, in-state members. Only 3,143 Georgia lawyers — little more than 11 percent — cast ballots. The results were released Wednesday.

Also, not every ballot that was returned contained an opinion on every candidate. Lawyers were given the option of saying they did not have enough knowledge about a particular candidate to express an opinion, and many picked that option.

The State Bar does not endorse candidates for judicial office but has conducted a survey of its membership in statewide races since 1970, State Bar president Jeffrey Bramlett, an Atlanta lawyer, said in a statement. “The bar conducts these polls on an impartial basis as a public service to aid Georgia voters in making informed decisions,” he said.

The percentages of those deemed well qualified and qualified follow: Edenfield (96 percent), McFadden (93 percent), Meyer von Bremen (91 percent), Doyle (83 percent), Sheffield (71 percent), Adkins (43 percent) and McGuire (43 percent).