Pro Bono March
Madness
March in Atlanta usually brings Pro Bono March Madness, but
this year Pro Bono March Madness was cut short by COVID-19.
Of the 17 planned Pro Bono March
Madness programs, only six were held prior
to social distancing mandates.
On Monday, March 2, 2020, the Bankruptcy
Section presented Learning to Litigate
Bankruptcy Adversary Proceedings and the
seminar was led by Greg Taube (Nelson
Mullins) and John Mills (Taylor English).
Attendees learned basics of litigation in
the bankruptcy adversary proceedings
while representing pro bono clients. Greg
Taube commented that the attendees were
“great and several volunteered for pro
bono cases at the seminar.” Those wanting
more information or to get involved
should contact Greg Taube at greg.taube@
nelsonmullins.com.
The Atlanta Legal Aid Society presented
Gender Affirming Name and Birth
Certificate Changes: The Basics on March
3, 2020. Pro Bono Director Cari Hipp,
(Atlanta Legal Aid Society) and Laura
Sclafani, Esq. (Smith & Lake) presented the
information to the attendees. Specifically,
attendees learned how to file for and obtain
gender-affirming name and birth certificate
changes, including the general process of
and examples of problems that may arise.
Cari Hipp explains, “While these cases
are legally straight-forward, having an
advocate helps clients feel supported, safer,
and more confident during what can be an
intimidating and vulnerable time.”
Contact Lori Anderson at
[email protected] for more
information.
Also, on March 3, 2020, the Georgia Heirs
Property Law Center held a CLE entitled
18
April 2020
Unlocking Heirs Property in Georgia. The
CLE panel included Executive Director
Skipper StipeMaas (Georgia Heirs
Property Law Center), Staff Attorney
Gentry Mander (Georgia Heirs Property
Law Center), Shareholder Nikola Djuric
(Djuric Spratt), and Founding Attorney
Shunta McBride (The Law Office of Shunta
V. McBride, LLC).
As explained by Gentry Mander, “Heirs
property consists of real property that has
been passed from generation to generation,
leading to joint ownership among many
family members. The result is often clouded
and fragmented title, which prevents
individual family members from reaping the
financial gains of the property or increasing
its value and building generational wealth.”
Inc. and Lipson Advocacy co-hosted
From Confusion to Confidence: Hacking
IEP Meetings about Special Education
services and advocacy to over 50 interested
attorneys and advocates as part of Pro Bono
March Madness. Disability Integration
Project attorney, Jack Grote (Atlanta Legal
Aid Society) and Leslie Lipson (Lipson
Advocacy), presented the training to prepare
attorneys to participate in a Pro Bono
Project designed to support students with
disabilities so they can experience a quality
education on Georgia schools. Some issues
covered included what to do to prepare for
an IEP meeting; how to understand and
safeguard parents’ concerns; how to have a
child/student participate appropriately; and
how to narrow the issues.
Contact Jack Grote at
[email protected] for more
information.
Addressing Legal Re-entry Needs through
Pro Bono was presented by the Georgia
Justice Project on March 10, 2020. The
material was presented by Staff Attorneys
Hsindy Chen (Georgia Justice Project),
Rachel Holmes (Georgia Justice Project),
Attorney and Equal Justice Works Fellow
Ross Brockway (Georgia Justice Project),
Community Outreach Specialitist Danielle
Whylly (United States Attorney’s Office for
the Northern District of Georgia), James
The Unlocking Heirs Property in Georgia
seminar provided both urban and rural
practitioners with information about
Georgia title standards and intestacy laws
as well as tools to protect and preserve
low to moderate-income landowners’
property, including instruction on probate
administration, quiet title actions, partition
actions, and tenancy agreements. The
seminar addressed how heirs property can
be prevented through thoughtful estate
planning. Practitioners left the seminar with
tools to assist pro bono and other clients in
remedying the problems associated with
heirs property, preserving property from
loss, and helping clients generate wealth
and economic value from the property.
Contact Gentry Mander at
[email protected]
for more information.
On March 9, 2020 Atlanta Legal Aid Society,
L-R: Zandria Redding (GJP Employment Specialist, M
Specialist, United States Attorney’s Office, Norther
(Associate, King and Spalding, Panelist), and Car