Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF) is a nonprofit that believes no one standing up for their rights should have to do it alone.
That’s why we stand with, for, and in support of low-income Atlantans as they demand safe and stable housing, insist on fair pay for an honest day’s work, and break free from intimate partner abuse.
The largest provider of pro bono legal services in Atlanta, we leverage the collective power and resources of our professional community to advocate for our clients during their time of greatest need. Every year, over 5,000 Atlantans receive free, first-rate legal services from our staff and the 500 professionals and students who volunteer with us.
We serve survivors of intimate partner abuse, children in high-conflict custody disputes, tenants in disputes with their landlords, employees denied their wages, and people who have recently lost a family member. Whatever our clients are up against, we’re here for them. At AVLF, ‘here’ means many things. It means beside them in court; it means at our downtown legal clinics nearly every Saturday of the year; it means in our two offices in the Fulton County Courthouse; in our communities’ schools and in our clients’ homes.
Over the years, we’ve evolved into a nimble and mobile organization, with staff in centrally-located offices and deeply embedded in Atlanta’s underserved communities. For us, ‘here’ means meeting our clients where they are – geographically and emotionally – then coming up with a plan to get them where they want and need to be.
Though we’re first and foremost a legal organization, we understand that the struggles our clients face don’t occur in isolation, and that getting back on track often requires more than legal representation. In response to this, we’ve pioneered programs and forged partnerships that meaningfully address a diversity of issues related to domestic violence and housing insecurity, including pediatric asthma, homelessness, and trauma. And we’re just getting started.
We’re successful because of the passion and innovation of our staff, the expertise of our partners, and the generosity of Atlanta’s legal community. For over 40 years, our city’s top firms and brightest legal talent have volunteered their time and energy to help our clients in their fight for justice—and have found that they get a great deal back in return. As these lawyers lift the community, their personal and professional lives—and the lives of our clients—are enriched in equal measure.
Together, we’re working to create safer and more stable families, homes, and communities and a more fair and equitable Atlanta, one family at a time.
