FEATURE
Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
Georgia Appleseed
Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network
Atlanta Legal Aid Society, founded in 1924 represents lowincome clients in civil cases involving family law, health,
housing, consumer finance and government benefits. In addition, it has ten programs focused on issues like disability
rights, senior citizen issues, AIDS, Hispanic Outreach and
other. Atlanta Legal Aid works primarily in the five county
metro Atlanta area, going beyond those limits occasionally.
Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF) brief mission
statement: To create safe and stable homes and families by
inspiring attorneys to fight for equal justice.
Georgia Appleseed is a nonprofit,nonpartisan public interest law center whose mission is to increase justice through law and policy reform by leveraging the
pro bono talents of lawyers and other professionals.
Georgia Appleseed’s vision is a Georgia where the voices of
poor people, children and other marginalized people are heard
and where injustices that no one should endure are resolved.
Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network’s (GAIN) mission is to provide quality pro bono legal representation to
asylum seekers and immigrant victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes
through direct representation and pro bono referrals. Over
the years we have helped hundreds of men, women, and
children escape abusive situations and rebuild their lives.
Georgia Appleseed’s pursuit of systemic change in social
justice is what I initially found exciting and what still inspires
me today. For instance, the Georgia Appleseed Heirs Property project, now the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center,
Inc., is a great example of how a problem gave rise to an
Appleseed project, which in turn, has become a Georgia
nonprofit established to address the issue of heirs property
throughout our state. It has been rewarding to see the
development of this project over the years and to have
played a small part in helping it to where it is now.
Our volunteers go above and beyond to assist our clients in
their immigration matters; in no volunteer is this tendency
more evident than in Kip Kirkpatrick. Kip is a retired partner
from Alston & Bird, a member of GAIN’s Advisory Board, and
a volunteer attorney, who was introduced to GAIN by his son
Byron at Troutman, a former Co-Chair of GAIN’s Board. Kip
accepted his first GAIN case in 2014 which involved a young
lady from Mexico who was victimized by an abusive spouse.
As is the case with many of our clients, Kip’s client faced many
cultural, financial, and linguistic barriers that prevented her from
being able to navigate the complex immigration legal system
and access certain benefits to which she was entitled. Having
been a victim of several years of physical and mental abuse, the
client was also traumatized and in need of legal representation
that took into account her particular sensitivities. Kip readily
accepted these challenges and made every effort to accommodate the client, to explain the nuances of the immigration
relief for which they were applying, and most importantly, to
treat the client with the compassion and respect she deserved.
Contact: Angie Tacker
(404) 614-3922 | www.atlantalegalaid.org
Atlanta Legal Aid’s Rachel Scott, a staff attorney and Atlanta Bar
Association member, recently won a reverse mortgage case that
allowed her widowed, legally blind client to remain in the home
she had occupied for forty years. The decision also protects
thousands of other surviving spouses in similar circumstances.
Mrs. R’s husband did not list his wife as a borrower when he
took out the reverse mortgage on their home. At his death,
the mortgage came due; the lender threatened foreclosure.
Although a federal statute insuring reverse mortgages protects surviving spouses, the implementing federal regulation
contradicted the statute, leaving people like Mrs. R without
recourse. Legal Aid’s Scott sued the lender and HUD, which
runs the reverse mortgage insurance program. Although the
federal judge denied Mrs. R a temporary restraining order,
he also announced his tentative conclusion that the regulation violated the statute. Scott convinced HUD to allow the
lender not to foreclose, maintaining its mortgage insurance.
She settled with the bank, allowing Mrs. R to remain in her
home. HUD made global changes to its insurance program,
protecting Mrs. R and thousands of other surviving spouses.
HUD then moved to dismiss, arguing that the client’s settlement with the lender and HUD’s voluntary changes made
the case moot. In response, Legal Aid asked for judgment
on the pleadings, which the court granted. Legal Aid has
since reached tentative agreement with HUD for payment of
attorney fees, under the federal Equal Access to Justice Act.
Scott is quick to credit several Legal Aid colleagues for their
expert advice in resolving Mrs. R’s problem while also rectifying a significant injustice suffered by surviving spouses. They
are equally quick to praise her persistent professionalism.
10
March 2016
Contact: Martin Ellin
(404) 521-0790 | http://avlf.org/volunteer/volunteer-intake-form/
Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation works to ensure
that volunteering is easy and as meaningful as possible and that clients’ dignity is always given the utmost
respect. No one has done more to strengthen AVLF’s commitment to those values than Safe and Stable Homes Project
Director, Cole Thaler. Small but meaningful touches, significant
strengthening of core programs, and a remarkable level of
personal commitment are the hallmarks of Cole’s leadership.
When clients come to AVLF’s Saturday Lawyer clinic, they
are served coffee and breakfast, and their children have
access to books and toys in their own waiting area. Every
child leaves with free books 2'B