A Conversation with Leah Ward Sears

Former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears shares fascinating details about her distinguished career and recent biography, Seizing Serendipity: The Life and Career of Leah Ward Sears. Additionally, she discusses professionalism and changes within the practice of law and the value of alternative dispute resolution. In 1992, Sears became the first woman and youngest justice to sit on the Supreme Court of Georgia. In 2005, she became the first African American woman to serve as chief justice of any state supreme court in the country. Sears was twice on the President's shortlist for appointment to the United States Supreme Court. Sears is currently a partner at Smith Gambrell & Russell in Atlanta.