Sunday, October 10, 2010

Celebrating Pro Bono Service

by: Martin Ellin, Executive Director, AVLF

I went to law school in part because I wanted to be Atticus Finch. Never mind that my neighborhood was the city of Baltimore, hardly rural or particularly Southern; never mind that my neighbors were more likely to be named Jacob and Sarah than Jem and Scout. And never mind that by the time I went to law school American society had evolved enough that 20% of my class looked like Tom Robinson.

At that point of my life I had little direct focus, but as was true for the people of Harper Lee’s Maycomb, it was for me, as I entered law school, a time of vague optimism: what seemed likely to me was that wherever and whenever good lawyers were tested, there was the possibility of heroism and nobility.

And I was right.

Immediately upon entering law school I began to see the real-life embodiment of Atticus Finch’s sense of the importance of doing the hard work to promote justice. Whether it was the Judges of the 5th Circuit continuing to shape and sharpen civil rights, or lawyers on the Judiciary Committee fighting a President’s efforts to undermine the Constitution, or VISTA lawyers scrambling to find a legal toehold for migrant workers, there was validation of my belief in the profession.

Thirty five years of legal practice later, and especially from my perspective as the Executive Director of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, I continue to be amazed by the dimension of the concern for the welfare of our people, our legal system and our country by lawyers. The profession, continuously tested, still presents opportunities to be moved by the expressions of dignity, integrity and, yes, nobility and heroism displayed by those of commitment and courage. Those virtues are visible in a number of settings, and at AVLF is demonstrated, among other ways, through the volunteer efforts of private lawyers conducting civil pro bono work for the poor of Atlanta thousands of times each year.

The ever-expanding participation of pro bono attorneys has become both an integral and indispensable part of the delivery of legal services to poor people. The American Bar Association has announced the second annual National Celebration of Pro Bono Week, October 25–31, 2010; the celebration is designed both to highlight the important work that lawyers do to provide equal access to justice and to invite greater participation in pro bono work from the legal community. As the Bar notes: “Ongoing efforts to expand critical representation to the growing numbers of people living on the social margins depend heavily on the involvement of volunteer lawyers… More than at any other time in the history of the country, there are both the resources and the technology needed to connect low-income people with critical needs to lawyers with the skills to address them. The National Celebration of Pro Bono promises to build on efforts already made and has the potential to be the tipping point for widespread, systemic pro bono participation.” The National Celebration of Pro Bono website, www.celebrateprobono.org, is the primary resource for information, publicity materials, and news about the celebration.

In Atlanta, among other things, the Atlanta Bar Association will hold a Celebrating Service luncheon on October 22nd (see the Atlanta Bar’s web site, www.atlantabar.org for details), at which the Atlanta Bar, Atlanta Legal Aid and AVLF will give their annual Pro Bono Awards. We congratulate all award winners- in fact we congratulate all lawyers who perform pro bono legal service- and we hope that you will share in the festivities.

I am proud to work among the open-minded, the generous, the ethical and the judicious, those whose work would make “the bravest man who ever lived” proud.

“When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2008 Homicide Data.”

by: Jenni Stolarski, Director, AVLF Domestic Violence Project

In mid-September, the Violence Policy Center issued its annual report entitled “When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2008 Homicide Data.” Using the most recent national data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Supplementary Homicide Report, the report details 2008 homicides involving one female victim and one male offender and ranks the states by rate of female homicides. Regrettably, Georgia ranks 10th in the nation in 2008 for females murdered by males in a single victim/single offender homicide. This ranking not only marks a change from Georgia’s ranking of 15th in last year’s annual report, it gives Georgia the dubious honor of securing a place within the top 20 for all eleven years of the study.

Although the study itself does not focus strictly on intimate partner violence, it highlights important lessons. First, it determines that the vast majority of females were murdered by someone they knew -- more often than not, an intimate partner. In Georgia, 82 females were murdered in 2008. In 76 of these homicides, the victim to offender relationship could be identified, with 95% involving a situation where the female victim knew the male offender. In 63% of those cases, the relationship was a current or former intimate partner relationship. Second, the study serves as a reminder of how lethal a combination intimate partner violence and guns are: in Georgia, where weapons could be identified, handguns were involved in more instances than any other type of weapon combined. The report concludes that “. . .women face the greatest threat from someone they know, most often a spouse or intimate acquaintance, who is armed with a gun.”

The release of the Violence Policy Center Report coincides with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which takes place every October. In many ways, it is a call for honoring those victims who lost their lives and those survivors who continue to face the many and complex challenges involved in leaving an abusive relationship. Throughout October, domestic violence agencies in the metro-Atlanta area and the state will host candlelight vigils and other events to provide community forums for reflecting upon and discussing this issue.

But even more, this report must also be a call for action. Making a permanent break from an abuser is complex and dangerous work, often requiring some form of legal action, particularly when the parties are married or when children are at issue. Research has shown that access to civil legal representation has the most impact on a survivor’s ability to make a permanent break from her abuser.[1] However, access to legal representation continues to be the biggest unmet need for survivors in the metro-Atlanta area. Attorneys, paralegals, law students, and legal professionals have skills and knowledge that can be used to make a difference in the lives of survivors and their children.

Since the creation of its DV Project in 1990, Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation has provided legal assistance and representation to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault, primarily in the areas of civil temporary protective orders and divorces. In addition to the army of solo practitioners and smaller-firm participants, our Domestic Violence Project specifically enjoys the support of several local and national law firms, including Arnall Golden Gregory; Alston & Bird; DLA Piper; Kilpatrick Stockton; and Sutherland. Working with Emory University School of Law, Georgia State University College of Law, and Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, we also provide a field placement for law students seeking real legal experience in assisting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

In February, 2009, AVLF, Partnership Against Domestic Violence (“PADV), and the Fulton County Superior Court strengthened our long-existing partnership by opening the Safe Families Office in the Fulton County Courthouse. At the Safe Families Office, free legal and safety planning assistance is available on a walk-in basis to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. With the full and ongoing support of the Court and its Family Division, the Safe Families Office is staffed and managed by seasoned employees of AVLF and PADV as well as numerous volunteers from both organizations. Committed to the core belief that survivors must be equipped with legal and safety planning information in order make the best and safest decisions for their individual circumstances, AVLF and PADV work alongside each other to provide coordinated services to survivors. This client-centered collaboration allows legal assistance, social services assistance, and safety planning assistance to take place in one location during one intake appointment. After intake is completed, appropriate cases are considered for placement with volunteer lawyers who are trained and mentored by AVLF staff. Since launching in 2009, over 4000 survivors have received assistance at our Safe Families Office. In a site visit this past summer, Vivian Huelgo, Chief Counsel for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic Violence described our work at the Safe Families Office as “a model best practices program.”

Since opening the Safe Families Office, we have seen how client-centered, collaborative work can present survivors with real alternatives to staying in abusive relationships. We have been inspired by the courage and resilience that our clients demonstrate in the face of adversity. And we have been inspired by the scores of advocates and legal volunteers who step out of their daily practice to answer the call for help. To mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month, National Pro Bono Celebration Week, and the virtual one-year anniversary of our Safe Families Office, there will be a volunteer appreciation reception on Friday, October 29, 2010, from 2:30 – 4:30, at our Safe Families Office, located in Courtroom 6G of the Fulton County Courthouse. We invite you to attend and see for yourself the work that is being done to stop intimate partner violence in our community.

As a community, we do not have to accept our ranking. We have the ability to collaborate and work together to end intimate partner violence.

Won’t you join us?

Jenni Stolarski is the Director of AVLF’s Domestic Violence Project. For more information on AVLF’s DV Project, please visit www.avlf.org.


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[1] Farmer, A. and Tiefenthaler, J. Explaining the Recent Decline in Domestic Violence, Contemporary Economic Policy, 2003, vol. 21, issue 2, pp. 158-172.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

AVLF Volunteer Honors Domestic Violence Awareness Month


By: Sarah Cash, Associate Attorney, Arnall Golden Gregory, LLP- (AVLF Domestic Violence Project Volunteer)

As a Commercial Real Estate Associate in last year’s tough real estate market, I was looking for a way to satisfy my desire for high productivity and community involvement. Being familiar with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation because my firm, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, is an avid supporter of the organization, I began researching their various volunteer programs.

I knew that domestic violence was a growing problem and wanted to learn more about what I could do to make a difference, so I attended a training session for AVLF’s Domestic Violence Project. The Project matches pro bono attorneys with domestic violence clients who need representation in civil temporary protective order hearings in Fulton County Superior Court and mentors volunteers attorneys throughout the duration of the case. You do not have to be a litigator or have family law experience to participate. The requirements sounded straightforward but, to be honest, I was anxious about the possibility of an abuser redirecting his or her anger at me for getting involved.

When I met my first client, a young mother whose abuser choked and punched her when she tried to end the relationship, my fears quickly dissolved. After all, if this woman could stand in front of the judge and a courtroom full of people and tell her story, the very least I could do was help guide her through the process. And so I did, time and time again. Each case gave me more confidence, and each grateful hug gave me determination to help even more.

One Tuesday afternoon last month, the firm’s receptionist told me I had a visitor, a former client – we’ll call her Angela – who I helped obtain a Temporary Protection Order almost a year prior. I will never forget Angela’s case. It involved some of the most terrifying details I’d heard since I started volunteering: after years of physical and verbal abuse, her abuser held her hostage in her own home with a knife to her throat. As I hurried upstairs to meet her, I worried that she was visiting because something terrible had happened.

I was wrong. Angela looked happy and relaxed, with a huge smile on her face. As we talked, she told me that she had been doing great since the hearing. She now lived in a new apartment and was dating a new man who treated her like a lady. She was visiting me that day to say thank you and to let me know how my help had positively changed her life. I was speechless. While my clients always express sincere appreciation at the hearing, I rarely hear from them afterwards and often wonder how they’re doing. This was the first time a client had ever contacted me to let me know how their life had changed since our interaction. It was a very fulfilling moment.

As I reflect on my experiences this October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I realize that AVLF’s Domestic Violence Project taught me the real meaning of courage. Not from facing my own fears, but from watching those who were threatened, insulted and beaten confront their attackers and demand an end to the abuse. I am honored to stand next to them, and I encourage you to do the same.

For more information about AVLF’s DV Project or any of AVLF’s other volunteer programs, please visit www.avlf.org. If you are interested in volunteering with AVLF’s DV Project, please contact Toni Roberts at troberts@avlf.org.