Attorney, community pillar, and quiet servant recognized by the State Bar of Georgia for an extraordinarily distinguished career of giving back
by Erica L. Woodford, Esq. | Clerk of Superior Court, Bibb County | Member, State Bar of Georgia Committee on Professionalism

On a celebratory morning in Atlanta, the legal community of Georgia gathered for the 26th Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service — and Macon had every reason to stand a little taller. Among the honorees recognized for their outstanding contributions to community service, one name resonated with particular meaning for those who know and love the Middle Georgia legal community: Mr. Virgil L. Adams, Attorney and founding partner of Adams, Jordan & Herrington, P.C., was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award — the highest recognition bestowed by the awards program.

The room swelled with pride as members of Macon’s legal, civic, and community family made the trip to Atlanta to witness the moment. In attendance to celebrate Virgil were his law partners, Caroline Herrington and Jimmy Jordan; his former partner, the Honorable Marc Treadwell, United States District Judge, accompanied by his wife; Virgil’s devoted wife, Paula Shipp Adams; State Court Judge Jeffrey Hanson; Justice Verda M. Colvin of the Supreme Court of Georgia; Attorneys Brian Adams, Tomieka Daniel, Ira Foster and Tracy Dellacona; Erica L. Woodford, Clerk of Superior Court for Bibb County; and many others who came to bear witness to a well-deserved recognition.

The presence of so many familiar faces from Macon spoke volumes — because that is what Virgil Adams inspires in people. He shows up for others, and others show up for him.

About the Justice Robert Benham Awards
The Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service were established in 1997 by the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Georgia to honor lawyers and judges who have made outstanding contributions to community service. Named in honor of the Honorable Robert Benham — the first African-American justice appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1989, who served as Chief Justice from 1995 to 2001 — the awards carry a legacy of excellence, service, and the highest ideals of the legal profession.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious recognition in the program. It is reserved for a judge or lawyer who, in addition to meeting the general criteria for the award, has demonstrated an extraordinarily long and distinguished commitment to volunteer participation in the community throughout his or her legal career. It is not given lightly — and it could not have been given to a more deserving recipient.

A Son of Macon, A Servant of All
Virgil L. Adams is, in every sense of the word, a Macon man. A native of this city, he graduated summa cum laude from Albany State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and went on to earn his Juris Doctorate in June of 1980 from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University — an institution that would later benefit from his leadership as a member of its Board of Trustees from 2020 to 2025.

Following his graduation from Mercer, Adams was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia and served for seven years as an Assistant District Attorney for the Macon Judicial Circuit. He entered private practice in 1987 and eventually became a founding partner of what is now Adams, Jordan & Herrington, P.C. — a firm with offices in Macon, Milledgeville, and Albany, Georgia. Adams has built a distinguished trial practice representing victims of serious injury and death, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, and defective products.

In 2017, Adams was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers — a Fellowship extended only by invitation, after careful investigation, to experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility, and collegiality. In October 2023, he was appointed Chairman of the Georgia State Committee of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

A Root Person: Community Service Beyond the Courtroom
If Virgil Adams’s legal career is impressive, his community footprint is nothing short of extraordinary. Justice Verda M. Colvin of the Supreme Court of Georgia, who wrote a letter in support of Adams’s nomination, offered perhaps the most fitting description of who he is: “Virgil is a root person. ‘Root people’ are hard to find because they are not trying to be seen. They do their work underground. But quietly and without fanfare, they provide help and support and nourishment. Virgil L. Adams has lived a life of service to others. He is truly a community servant.”

Adams is a charter member and founding president of the 100 Black Men of Macon-Middle Georgia, Inc., an affiliate of the national organization dedicated to improving the quality of life within African-American communities. Under his leadership as the chapter’s first president, the organization established Project REACH — a transformative scholarship program that adopted a fifth-grade class at a local inner-city elementary school and provided tutoring, resources, and funding for post-secondary education. Through this program alone, the Macon chapter provided funding for the post-secondary education of 20 students from that initial class.

The chapter also created Step Forward, an alternative sentencing program for non-violent, first-time juvenile offenders, in partnership with the local Juvenile Court — achieving a zero-recidivism rate among its participants. Additionally, Career Fest, an annual college and career recruitment program for high school juniors and seniors across Middle Georgia, now serves more than 2,000 students annually. Adams remains actively involved with Bruce Elementary School, the chapter’s adopted school, through the Academy to Inspire Readers (A.I.R. 100) program, personally volunteering his time to read with students and provide guidance.

Beyond 100 Black Men, Adams is a founding member of NewTown Macon, the non-profit public-private partnership that has been responsible for significant economic growth and revitalization in downtown Macon, with investments exceeding $950 million. He serves on the Executive Board of NewTown Macon and is a founding board member of Macon Hope, Inc., which in 2024 received its charter establishing First Tee-Middle Georgia as a fully sanctioned PGA TOUR First Tee Foundation chapter — bringing life-skills programming through golf to youth across the region.

Adams served on the board of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia for seven years, including as Board Chair and Chair of the Grants Committee — helping to steward an organization that has awarded more than $86 million in grants to strengthen the quality of life in communities across Central Georgia. He is the current chairman of the Sam Hart Community Impact Award Program, held annually at Mercer University, and serves as a member of the Albany State University Foundation.

He is also a member of Middle Georgia Justice, a non-profit that provides legal assistance to those who cannot afford access to effective representation for essential legal needs; a member of the Epsilon Beta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; and a frequent speaker on legal topics at churches and nonprofits throughout the Macon community.

Judge Howard Simms, who wrote in support of Adams’s nomination, recalled a piece of advice Virgil once gave him: “One of the things he told me was that, in addition to volunteering my services and time, I also had to learn to say ‘no’ or otherwise risk getting spread too thin to keep up. It was, I think, a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ admonition because it is readily apparent that Virgil has seldom said ‘no’ to any invitation to serve.”

A Partnership of Purpose
Behind every great man is a great partner, and Virgil Adams is no exception. He and his wife, Paula Shipp Adams — a retired educator — are actively involved in and dedicated supporters of the Otis Redding Center for the Arts in Macon. Established in honor of the late Macon native and soul music legend Otis Redding, the Center reflects the couple’s shared commitment to giving back to the community and enriching the lives of young people through the arts. They reside in Macon with their Standard Schnauzer, Kenya.

Macon Proud
On the morning of the 26th Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards, as Virgil L. Adams received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Macon did not just send its congratulations — Macon showed up. And that is entirely fitting, because Virgil Adams has spent a lifetime showing up for Macon.

His recognition is a reminder that the most profound contributions to a community are often the ones made quietly, consistently, and without expectation of reward. Virgil Adams has embodied that truth for decades. Macon is better because of him — and we are proud to call him our own.