The Atlanta Lawyer January/February 2014 | Page 40

tIP Truancy Intervention Project: Jones Day Attorneys Make a Difference By Caren Cloud Truancy Intervention Project of Georgia [email protected] P riscilla Jones* was charged with truancy in 2013 and referred to the Truancy Intervention Project for its services. Jones Day attorney, Hillary Keith Perkins accepted the referral and began working in earnest with the young woman who, despite a history as a strong, selfmotivated student, had begun accumulating unexcused absences when she faced bullying at school. After several months of laying important groundwork, Hillary was transferred to the Jones Day New York office and sought a replacement for Priscilla. TIP volunteer attorney Mary Alexander Myers, a litigation associate at Jones Day, agreed to work with the high school sophomore. After meeting with Priscilla and talking with school personne