The Atlanta Lawyer January/February 2011 | Page 31

mblc Multi-Bar Leadership Council Promotes Parties, Purpose, Pro Bono By Jessica Harper and Kellyn McGee D id you k now that membership to the Atlanta Bar Association also includes membership in t he Mult i-Ba r Leadersh ip Council (“MBLC”)? The MBLC member bars include Atlanta Bar Association, DeKalb Bar Association, DeKalb Lawyers Associat ion, Gate Cit y Ba r Association, Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, North Fulton Bar Association, Sandy Springs Bar Association, State Bar of Georgia Diversity Program, State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division, South Asian Bar Association of Georgia and Stonewall Bar Association. The mission of the MBLC is to foster and improve relationships among members of local bar associations. It was founded in 2001 by then-Atlanta Bar President Seth Kirschenbaum, recipient of the 2011 Commitment to Equality Award from the State Bar. In addition to promoting the many programs and events of its member bars’, the MBLC holds four to five of its own events annually. The most recent event, the MBLC’s Party with a Purpose at Après Diem on October 22, 2010, drew over forty attendees and raised hundreds of dollars in monetary donations Shown from left to right are Charles B. Hess (Office of the Mental Health Advocate) and former MBLC Chair Kathleen Womack (Kathleen M. Womack P.C.). The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association [email protected] [email protected] and over 150 pounds of food for the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The MBLC also held a Court of Appeals Candidate Forum on September 14, 2010, that drew over 130 attendees. The MBLC has long been a supporter of pro bono and community service efforts of the legal community. In January and February 2011, the MBLC is partnering with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (“AVLF”) to serve in its Saturday Lawyers’ Program. After attending a one-hour CLE training session with happy hour, MBLC participants volunteer in the Saturday Lawyers’ Program on January 29, 2011, and February 12, 2011. Saturday Lawyers provide meaningful pro bono services to low-income clients. Areas of focus include landlord-tenant and debt-collector harassment. MBLC co-chair Kellyn McGee serves on the AVLF Board and has been instrumental in encouraging MBLC members to volunteer. “Years before I was on the board, I participated as a Saturday Lawyer to help a woman get her security deposit back from a landlord who never allowed her to move into the apartment. I knew nothing about landlord-tenant law, but AVLF provides training, and AVLF and Atlanta Legal Aid staff are always available to help,” McGee commented. For additional information about AVLF and Saturday Lawyers, please go to http://www.avlf.org/home2. To register for the MBLC Saturday Lawyers event, please contact [email protected]. Shown from left to right are Ana Maria Martinez (Owen Gleaton Egan Jones & Sweeney LLP) MBLC Co-Chair Jessica J. Harper (Bodker Ramsey Andrews Winograd Wildstein), David N. Schaeffer (Chilivis, Cochran, Larkins & Bever, LLP) and Atlanta Bar Association President Michael B. Terry (Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore, LLP). January/February 2011 THE ATLANTA LAWYER 31