PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
The panel consisted of Hon. Beverly Martin
(11th Circuit Court of Appeals); private
practice attorneys, Chris Marquardt (Alston
& Bird), Dr. Christina Brown-Marshall
(Fish & Richardson); and Monica Khant
(GAIN Executive Director). Charlie Lester
(Eversheds Sutherland, retired) deftly
moderated the panel, eliciting insights from
each of the panelists. Hon. Martin discussed
the impact volunteer lawyers can have on
immigration cases in federal court, while
Marquardt explained the tremendous need
interest groups working in the local
immigrant community were in attendance
at the event, including Catholic Charities,
GAIN, the GSU Immigration Clinic,
Innovation Law AB, KIND, the Latin
American Association, the Southern Poverty
Law Center, and the Tahirih Justice Center.
We held a reception after the panel discussion
to allow attendees to mingle with the public
interest representatives to find ways that they
could get involved. There was tremendous
energy in the GSU Law School auditorium
remains a tremendous force for good in
our community, and there is much we can
accomplish when we push forward together.
Ryan K. Walsh
Atlanta Bar Association President
The Atlanta Bar Association remains
a tremendous force for good in our
community, and there is much we can
accomplish when we push forward together.
for legal assistance that he has witnessed
through his work as a volunteer and an
advocate in the local immigrant community.
In addition, Dr. Brown-Marshall – an
intellectual property litigator – explained
how experience with immigration law
was not a prerequisite for volunteering on
asylum cases, and Ms. Khant explained
the roles played by the many public
interest groups and the tremendous
support they provide to their volunteers.
Representatives from many of the public
that night, and we hope to channel that
energy forward as we continue to look for
ways our Atlanta Bar members can help.
As the Atlanta Bar year continues, we
intend to continue to explore ways we can
help the local immigrant population. To
that end, we welcome any thoughts from
you, our membership, on this important
and timely issue. To the extent that you
have any ideas on how we can help, please
reach out to me or Terri at tbryant@
atlantabar.org. The Atlanta Bar Association
www.atlantabar.org THE ATLANTA LAWYER
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