tools of access to justice.”
• A staff attorney who helped a client 23 years ago establish ownership of her property by having all the stepchildren sign quitclaim deeds. Fast forward to today and that work helped make it easier for a client today to inherit her now deceased mother’ s house.
• A managing attorney who“ has transcended beyond the mere provision of legal services …[ being ] a source of many levels of support for this woman when she had very little support.”
• Receptionists who“ are our incredible front line, the first faces of our organization for clients.” They“ cannot work from home, they come into the office every day. They are cheerful, and nice to talk to no matter what is going on in their lives.”
• Administrative staff who“ are our backbone, put up with so much, and are always there to keep [ the firm ] running every day of the week”
• Intake paralegals“ who take that initial breath, which then is utilized by the lungs( lawyers) of course, to keep the body functioning. They are the ones who deal with difficult applicants for hours and sometimes, those applicants change their minds and so their cases do not make it through the intake process and reach attorneys and other casehandlers.”
• A senior staff attorney who“ often works very late at night researching and drafting innovative pleadings particularly in the areas of complex financial issues … lead [ ing ] to great results for her clients.”
One staff member explained in a visual way why we should recognize the IT staff. I believe it applies to many other staff members also:“ It is hard to get appreciated for work that is not‘ legal’ in nature, in a law firm, mostly also because very few can understand the complexities of their job in a law firm. Plumbing comes to mind, you notice the pipes only when there is a problem, though they play a huge role in keeping the house running.”
I agree that all those people and groups are indeed heroes, and I could name more. In fact, I believe that each of our 150 staff members and all our volunteers are heroes. To the amazing list, however, I add our clients. They have the courage to seek help, persistence while facing instability, and emotional resilience during trauma. Imagine facing eviction or being beaten by a spouse or not being able to get insurance coverage for a life-saving procedure. Also imagine you have never talked with an attorney or a paralegal. All you know is that you are in a crisis and don’ t know whom to trust or where to turn. You walk through our front door, call on the phone, or submit a request online for help.
MEMBERSHIP
What happens next can make all the difference in your life. You are vulnerable and scared. You are about to tell the details of your personal life to a stranger. What can be more heroic than that? You put your future in the hands of Atlanta Legal Aid staff to advise you and help you navigate a legal system that sometimes involves laws not favorable to people with low incomes. Working together, clients and Atlanta Legal Aid staff, we seek justice. Studies show that people with lawyers are substantially more likely to get justice than those without.
For the reasons set out above, among others, we emphasize the importance of the client experience. With a generous grant from a long-time funder, we are centralizing our general intake processes to streamline how potential clients access legal services. We want people who need help to talk with someone as soon as possible so we can either start assisting them with brief advice or extended services or refer them to others when we are unable to assist them. At all stages, they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and that is what we offer them.
So, Atlanta Legal Aid has many heroes. They include attorneys, paralegals, intake staff, receptionists, navigators, independent contractors, students, IT, finance, development, facilities, and other administrative staff. They also include our many volunteers, both lawyers and other legal professionals, as well as the law firms, corporate law departments, government and private funders, our Board of Directors, Advisory Council, and Service Council--all of whom believe in our work and support us financially. And they include our community partners and clients. To single out one person or category would do an injustice to the others. You may never know the names of most of our unsung heroes, particularly our clients and staff. You may never see their stories on billboards or in court opinions( although we have some important published court opinions). Yet the quiet, persistent efforts of these unsung heroes is the foundation of justice and fairness as we seek to fulfill our mission to provide free civil legal assistance to help low-income individuals access justice, protect their rights, and secure their safety and stability. Kudos to the Unsung Heroes of Atlanta Legal Aid! www. atlantabar. org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 25