L-R: Jack Grote (Atlanta Legal Aid Society) and Leslie Lipson (Lipson Advocacy).
First, re-entry advocacy is more vital than
ever due to the circumstances created by the
coronavirus pandemic. Second, our work
is possible remotely. Attorneys will work
with law students and other volunteers to
correspond with an assigned incarcerated
person while obtaining relevant documents
and drafting advocacy materials. Finally, re-
entry work is always important, particularly
given that individuals pursuing the parole
process are not legally entitled to an attorney.
Contact Amith Gupta at
[email protected] for more
information.
Non-Profit Corporation Directors:
It’s Not Just Another Volunteer
Position
In the March Madness session scheduled for
March of 2020, the Labor and Employment
Law Section, in conjunction with Pro Bono
Partnership of Atlanta (PBPA), planned
to educate participants about general
employment laws affecting nonprofit
organizations, including guidance on
the creation or review of employee and
volunteer handbooks; proper compensation
of employees and volunteers under the
Fair Labor Standards Act; and the use of
other types of workers in the nonprofit
work environment, including independent
contractors, volunteers and interns.
2. Why should we consider volunteering
with this organization now?
In addition to the typical employment law
projects that we have at Pro Bono Partnership
of Atlanta for nonprofit organizations, such
as drafting employee and volunteer
handbooks, answering wage and hour
questions, and providing advice regarding
employee classifications, the COVID-19
crisis has raised new and unique challenges
to the nonprofit community. New legal
issues have arisen, including new leave
requirements, loans conditioned on
maintaining employee headcount, and issues
raised by the uncertainties of continuing to
operate in this climate.
To ensure that the experience is a
valuable one for attorneys and nonprofit
organizations, PBPA screens clients
20
April 2020
prior to assigning matters to a volunteer
attorney, identifies a specific legal need in
the attorney’s area of expertise, limits the
scope of each volunteer opportunity, and
provides malpractice insurance to volunteer
attorneys. Clients are very appreciative of
the fine work that our volunteer attorneys
do for them, and this work helps hundreds
of nonprofits in Georgia to focus on their
important missions rather than expending
valuable resources for legal help.
1. What attendees would have learned had
they been able to attend:
Contact Rachel Spears at
[email protected] fore more
information. This CLE (which is designed for all lawyers,
not just for tax lawyers) equip attorneys who
serve on nonprofit boards or who provide
pro bono representation to nonprofits
with some of the information necessary to
protect and enhance the §501(c)(3) non-
profit corporation they serve or advise.
The CLE provides an overview of a non-
profit corporation director’s duties and
responsibilities, a brief overview of the
requirements and purpose of the articles of
incorporation and bylaws, an overview of
board policy and procedures including the
ethics of representing a non-profit board.
Georgia Re-Entry Project (GRP) 2. Why should we consider volunteering
with this organization now?
1. What attendees would have learned had
they been able to attend:
At our CLE, attendees would learn how to
get involved in our volunteer effort to assist
incarcerated individuals obtain parole.
Specifically, attendees would have learned
how the parole system in Georgia works,
what factors parole commissioners consider
when determining whether or not to grant
parole, and best practices for working with
currently incarcerated clients.
2. Why should we consider volunteering
with this organization now?
While some of the typical corporate law
projects that we have at Pro Bono Partnership
of Atlanta for nonprofit organizations
include revising articles of incorporation and
bylaws, drafting or revising board policies
and procedures, and assistance with mergers
and dissolutions, the COVID-19 crisis has
raised unique challenges for the nonprofit
community. Due to the economically
difficult times, we expect to see a need for
more merger and dissolution work.
To ensure that the experience is a valuable one
for attorneys and nonprofit organizations,
PBPA screens clients prior to assigning
matters to a volunteer attorney, identifies a