Famed attorney Bobby Lee Cook was recently recognized for his work on behalf of criminal defendants by the Southern Center for Human Rights. Cook was honored with a “Lifetime Achievement” award at the 40th Anniversary Benefit Reception for the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta.
That event showcased Mr. Cook’s work in “setting the standard for courageous and zealous advocacy on behalf of criminal defendants.
He was first admitted to the Bar in Georgia in 1949 and has worked at the Summerville Law Firm of Cook & Connelly since 1959. Cook is known worldwide for his expertise in criminal defense having been involved in a number of high-profile cases over the years; he defended Jim Williams in 1989, in the first of four different trials in the 1981 shooting death of Danny Hansford in Savannah; the case was the inspiration for the bestselling book and later movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” directed by Clint Eastwood. Cook is also reputed to have been the inspiration for the long-running TV show, “Matlock”, starring Andy Griffith as a Georgia attorney.
The Southern Center for Human Rights is a nonprofit, public interest law firm dedicated to providing legal representation to people facing the death penalty, challenging human rights violations in prisons and jails, seeking through litigation and advocacy to improve legal representation for poor people accused of crimes, and advocating for criminal justice reform on behalf of those affected by the system in the Southern United States.
