A number of Hall County-based members of the State Bar of Georgia have been appointed to serve as members of standing, special or program committees of the 48,000-member State Bar for 2016-17.

Nicki N. Vaughan of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office in Gainesville was named as chair of the Indigent Defense Committee.

Mark W. Alexander of Stewart Melvin & Frost LLP in Gainesville was selected as vice chair of the Long-Range Planning & Bar Governance Committee.

Northeastern Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Bonnie C. Oliver of Gainesville and Lance D. Crawford of the Law Office of Lance D. Crawford in Flowery Branch will serve on the Bench & Bar Committee, which oversees the Judicial District Professionalism Program.

J. Douglas Stewart of Stewart Melvin & Frost LLP was appointed to the Bar Center Committee, which monitors the Bar’s needs and uses of its headquarters facility in Atlanta.

M. Tyler Smith of Smith Gilliam Williams & Miles P.A. in Gainesville was named to the Business Court Committee.

Kate S. Cook of Cook Law Group LLC was selected for the Unlicensed Practice of Law District 9 Committee, which conducts a local review of allegations of the practice of law being conducted by non-Bar members and other unauthorized entities in an effort to prevent such practices.

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