ALAS
Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s 2013 Service Awards
By Lisa Liang
Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
[email protected]
T
his year, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society is honored to
present the following awards to four brave and accomplished attorneys: the Randall L. Hughes Lifetime
Commitment to Legal Services Award to W. Terrence Walsh
of Alston + Bird ret., the 2012-2013 Extraordinary Service to
Atlanta Legal Aid Society Award to Joshua M. Kamin of King
& Spalding, the Volunteer of the Year Award to Laurice Rutledge of McKenna Long & Aldridge, and the Innovations in
Pro Bono Service Award to Claire Moynihan, Esq.
The Randall L. Hughes Lifetime Commitment to Legal
Services Award
The Atlanta Legal Aid Society is honored to present W.
Terrence Walsh with the third annual Randall L. Hughes
Lifetime Commitment to Legal Services Award. Terry is
the recipient of many prestigious awards and the subject of
numerous articles highlighting his commitment to public interest
work. For example, the American Bar Association recognized
him as a hero of our profession in 2007 with the John Minor
Wisdom Award and in 1986, the State Bar of Georgia bestowed
upon him the H. Sol Clark Award.
Whereas many devote their lives to one career, Terry committed
himself to two concurrently: his career as a business litigator at
Alston + Bird and as a tireless advocate for legal services. His
Atlanta Legal Aid career began almost in tandem with his almost
forty year career at Alston + Bird. Over the last forty years,
Terry has worked as a volunteer attorney, board member, board
president, annual campaign chair and fundraising magnate.
Terry created legacy programs that continue to augment and
sustain legal services work. An innovative request to Alston
+ Bird in 1995 launched the Legal Aid Fellowship Program,
in which over 60 Fellows from 20 Atlanta firms and law
departments have participated and continually support. Terry
began an annual fundraising campaign in 1978. Executive
Director, Steve Gottlieb, remembers the legendary 1978
campaign as one that did not cover the cost of postage but has
transformed and grown to raise $1.6M in 2012. Terry continues
to run a fundraising competition between local laws schools,
named the Atticus Finch Challenge, in which the winning school
receives a prized handmade glass finch figurine. In a nod to
Terry’s fervent commitment to fun competitive fundraising, he
convinced the individual glassmaker to return from retirement
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THE ATLANTA LAWYER
October 2013
to handcraft another finch figurine when an unnamed law
school “misplaced” it the prior year.
Terry’s commitment to legal services has become a family
tradition. He and his son, Ryan, became the first Atlanta Legal
Aid Society father – son board presidents, when in 2011,
almost twenty-five years later, Ryan succeeded his father
as Atlanta Legal Aid Society board president.
2012-2013 Extraordinary Service to Atlanta Legal Aid
Society Award
Over the last year, Joshua M. Kamin spent countless pro
bono hours strategizing, negotiating, drafting, executing,
confirming and ensuring the successful purchase of Atlanta
Legal Aid Society’s soon-to-be new headquarters at 54 Ellis
Street.
Josh’s experience as a partner in King & Spalding’s Capital
Transactions and Real Estate Practice Group not only
brought calm to the storm of buying the new building, but
saved Atlanta Legal Aid hundreds of thousands of dollars in
legal fees. He handled each complex detail and transaction
with calm precision. Executive Director Steve Gottlieb
recalled the lengthy conference room table with seemingly
endless metal file dividers Josh used to “organize the chaos”
of the transaction. Without pause, Josh navigated each file,
explained each necessary piece while allaying each resulting
fear, and pointed out the signature lines.
Even with Josh’s busy practice of representing multiparty
and multibillion dollar real estate transactions, Steve called to
mind how available Josh was to the Atlanta Legal Aid team.
Josh’s tireless and detailed work epitomizes the commitment
to and importance of pro bono service that accompanies the
privilege to practice law.
Volunteer of the Year Award
Laurice Rutledge has been busy since her 2010 graduation
from law school. Since the beginning of her legal career
as an associate at McKenna Long & Aldridge, where she
focuses on advising and representing clients on health
care law, Laurice has volunteered with Atlanta Legal Aid’s
Unemployment Benefits Pro Bono Project. She is also heavily
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