By: Brian Smith, Associate, Arnall Golden Gregory
I recall a distraught young lady walking into the office provided to me by The Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundations’ pro-bono Saturday Morning Lawyers Program. Like the three other Associate volunteers in attendance that day, I was there to evaluate the pre-screened legal case of the young woman about to walk through the door.
A young, live-at-home college student soon emerged – only 18 years old. She explained to me that she had been constantly harassed by creditors attempting to collect upon a $5,000.00 bill which resulted from her mother’s unauthorized use of her credit card. She feared prosecution of her single mother, and losing her home. She did, however, feel strongly about working out a repayment plan with her creditor, and she, like so many others with nowhere else to turn, called upon AVLF for help. I accepted her case and, nearly two weeks later, was able to secure a zero percent interest re-payment plan on an aging credit card balance. I found myself wishing that my credit cards had such reasonable rates. When I informed the young lady of the settlement result that I had obtained in her favor, she gave me one of the most gratifying “thank-you’s” I’d ever received. She told me that I had saved her credit, and possibly her home.
My story is fairly typical. Settlements like this are obtained every week due to the efforts of countless AVLF attorney volunteers. And it’s no secret that Associates are the lifeblood of AVLF’s Saturday Morning Lawyers Program’s positive impact. Through the generosity of their respective law firms, and their individual conviction to equal access to justice, Associates at firms all around Atlanta routinely give selflessly of their time and talents. Their service enables AVLF to serve.
Because Associates play such an integral role in its day-to-day operations, AVLF has decided to launch an exciting new initiative to honor the valuable contributions of Associate attorneys from various Atlanta-area firms who have demonstrated a passion for pro-bono service, and a desire to lead.
AVLF is excited to announce the establishment of a Junior Board. The Junior Board will consist of 16 attorneys who have emerged as pro-bono leaders in Atlanta’s legal community. Each of them could likely share a story similar to my own.
The Junior Board’s purpose will be two-fold: to increase awareness among Associates of the pro-bono projects of AVLF, and to assist AVLF with its fund-raising efforts. The Junior Board will work to recruit even more talented Atlanta-area attorneys to help feed Atlanta’s under-served, and seemingly insatiable, need for quality legal representation.
The Junior Board’s first major fund raising effort will be to recruit more Associates to attend AVLF’s annual Wine Tasting event. The Wine Tasting has been a major source of AVLF operational funding, and we hope to make this year’s event better (and younger) than ever. We’ve already begun our work to this end.
Pro-bono, public service is a mandate of all Georgia lawyers, and a habit best instilled young. AVLF, its Board of Directors, Marty Ellin, as Executive Director of AVLF, and myself, as the first President of the Junior Board, thank you, in advance, for your support of this new Associate-driven initiative to expand the services and broaden the reach of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation.
I recall a distraught young lady walking into the office provided to me by The Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundations’ pro-bono Saturday Morning Lawyers Program. Like the three other Associate volunteers in attendance that day, I was there to evaluate the pre-screened legal case of the young woman about to walk through the door.
A young, live-at-home college student soon emerged – only 18 years old. She explained to me that she had been constantly harassed by creditors attempting to collect upon a $5,000.00 bill which resulted from her mother’s unauthorized use of her credit card. She feared prosecution of her single mother, and losing her home. She did, however, feel strongly about working out a repayment plan with her creditor, and she, like so many others with nowhere else to turn, called upon AVLF for help. I accepted her case and, nearly two weeks later, was able to secure a zero percent interest re-payment plan on an aging credit card balance. I found myself wishing that my credit cards had such reasonable rates. When I informed the young lady of the settlement result that I had obtained in her favor, she gave me one of the most gratifying “thank-you’s” I’d ever received. She told me that I had saved her credit, and possibly her home.
My story is fairly typical. Settlements like this are obtained every week due to the efforts of countless AVLF attorney volunteers. And it’s no secret that Associates are the lifeblood of AVLF’s Saturday Morning Lawyers Program’s positive impact. Through the generosity of their respective law firms, and their individual conviction to equal access to justice, Associates at firms all around Atlanta routinely give selflessly of their time and talents. Their service enables AVLF to serve.
Because Associates play such an integral role in its day-to-day operations, AVLF has decided to launch an exciting new initiative to honor the valuable contributions of Associate attorneys from various Atlanta-area firms who have demonstrated a passion for pro-bono service, and a desire to lead.
AVLF is excited to announce the establishment of a Junior Board. The Junior Board will consist of 16 attorneys who have emerged as pro-bono leaders in Atlanta’s legal community. Each of them could likely share a story similar to my own.
The Junior Board’s purpose will be two-fold: to increase awareness among Associates of the pro-bono projects of AVLF, and to assist AVLF with its fund-raising efforts. The Junior Board will work to recruit even more talented Atlanta-area attorneys to help feed Atlanta’s under-served, and seemingly insatiable, need for quality legal representation.
The Junior Board’s first major fund raising effort will be to recruit more Associates to attend AVLF’s annual Wine Tasting event. The Wine Tasting has been a major source of AVLF operational funding, and we hope to make this year’s event better (and younger) than ever. We’ve already begun our work to this end.
Pro-bono, public service is a mandate of all Georgia lawyers, and a habit best instilled young. AVLF, its Board of Directors, Marty Ellin, as Executive Director of AVLF, and myself, as the first President of the Junior Board, thank you, in advance, for your support of this new Associate-driven initiative to expand the services and broaden the reach of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation.
Please visit our website (www.avlf.org) or call (404.521.0790) for more information on AVLF's programs, services, and volunteer opportunities.
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