Celebrating Service
Rita A. Sheffey Public Interest Award: Lisa Liang
The Rita A. Sheffey Public Interest Award is given each year
to an Atlanta attorney who has demonstrated leadership
in the public interest, excellence in the profession and an
outstanding commitment to the Bar. The award is named in
honor of Rita A. Sheffey, the creator of the Public Interest
Law Section and former president of the boards of the
Atlanta Bar Association, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and
the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation.
The Public Interest Law Section has selected Atlanta Legal
Aid Society staff attorney Lisa K. Liang as the second recipient
of the Rita A. Sheffey Public Interest Award. Before attending
law school, Liang worked as a social worker in children’s
oncology and was a first-grade Teach for America teacher
in Chicago. Liang is being recognized for her generosity of
time and talent to the Atlanta Bar, as well as her mentorship
of law students and new attorneys. Specifically, she has
been involved in the Therrell High School Task Force and is
an active member of the Atlanta Bar Editorial Board, serving
as co-chair. Lisa also serves on the Executive Committee of
the Bar after coming in first for members at large in the Bar
election. From writing articles to mentoring students, Liang
has given her time and dedication to being a public servant
in the legal community.
Guest Speaker: Jonathan Rapping
Jonathan Rapping is the President and Founder of Gideon’s
Promise, an organization that trains and inspires public
defenders across Georgia through all phases of their
careers. The program inspired an award-winning HBO
documentary, “Gideon’s Army”. Rapping is the Director of
the Honors Program in Criminal Justice at Atlanta’s John
Marshall Law School, where he also teaches criminal law
and criminal procedure. He is also a Lecturer on Law at
Harvard Law School where he helps to run its prestigious
Trial Advocacy Workshop. Rapping recently was awarded
the prestigious national fellowship “genius grant” from the
MacArthur Foundation in the amount of $625,000.
REGISTER NOW!
10.17.14
7th Annual Celebrating Service Luncheon and Pro Bono Fair
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association
October 2014
THE ATLANTA LAWYER
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