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April 4, 2025
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Volunteer

For over 40 years, Atlanta’s top firms and legal professionals have stood with AVLF to protect the rights of our neighbors—and they’ll tell you, the impact flows both ways. From the courthouse to community schools, our volunteers show up where they’re needed most—offering legal guidance,…

Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation Launches LGBTQ Committee

February 25, 2019
JAMIE PEREZ | February 25, 2019 AVLF works to improve inclusivity and advocacy for LGBTQ clients. In 2018, after various staff members expressed concern about ensuring our LGBTQ clients feel welcomed to access our services, AVLF created an internal LGBTQ Committee. The purpose of the…

Volunteer Take: Helping Those Who Need It Most

October 10, 2017
"My clients have all been wonderful, hardworking people who found themselves in untenable situations and had the courage to stand up and say 'no more.' These cases serve as powerful reminders of the resiliency of the human spirit."

Volunteer Take: Few Legal Endeavors Are As Rewarding as Potentially Saving a Client’s Life

August 31, 2017
One of the first things you learn in domestic violence training at AVLF is that violence can occur in any relationship, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation. We saw that firsthand. She was married to her abuser for decades and had several children with him. Both were highly educated, well-employed, and, to the outside world, had presented as a nearly perfect family. Until he tried to kill her.

Volunteer Take: A Lawyer Counts the Victims in Family Violence Cases

August 2, 2017
I add the original victim's and batterer's child or children. The batterer literally pounds cruel lessons home. The children learn them young, filing them in the backs of minds, to surface later. An impulse to beat or to let a batterer attack can lie in wait, until a threat, tantrum or argument triggers it.

How Many Volunteers Does It Take to Win a Case?

July 18, 2017
After living in her house for several years, Ms. Arrington discovered both her air conditioner and her kitchen sink were leaking. Even after her attorney's advocacy forced the landlord to make repairs, he refused to reimburse Ms. Arrington for her water-logged property.

Volunteer Take: Pro Bono Makes Me A Better Attorney

June 2, 2017
I am a guardian ad litem because I love having a positive impact on families. But I take cases through AVLF because they provide the support I need to be successful in confronting challenging issues and to develop my skills. That's why I will continue to take pro bono cases through AVLF—and I encourage others to, as well.

As the Violence Escalated, One Volunteer Put a Stop to It

April 10, 2017
Ms. P's boyfriend had been violent before, but his abuse had been escalating in frequency and intensity. After a recently attack, he was arrested and charged with simple battery. After the arrest, the Solicitor's Office recommended that Ms. P visit the Safe Families Office.

Letter From Leadership: Why We Must Always Take Sides

January 30, 2017
More often than I wish were true, people think of “pro bono legal services” as simply giving a poor person a free lawyer. But pro bono publico (usually shortened to pro bono) does not mean “free,” it means “for the public good.”

Volunteer Spotlight: Connecting with My Community

January 17, 2017
Little did I know when I began volunteering with the AVLF Saturday Lawyer Program seven years ago that AVLF would become such a meaningful part of my life. (Written by guest blogger and AVLF volunteer attorney Raj Shah.)

One Volunteer’s Story: “I wanted to give her hope.”

November 28, 2016

Ha Pham has been volunteering at AVLF for the past several weeks. Not only has she been tremendously helpful to to Cole Thaler and the Saturday Lawyer Program, she's made a huge impact on the lives of our clients - and she learned something about herself in the process.

Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation Brings Banker on Board

April 23, 2015

Meredith Dobbs, Daily Report (reprinted with permission)

W. Steve Allen is a banker, not a lawyer, but he became the board president for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation this year—the first nonlawyer to head the board in its 35-year history.

Volunteer Story: When Landlords Fail, Pro Bono Counsel Steps In

December 1, 2014

Ms. Travis was a low-income single mother in Fulton County who was thrilled to sign a lease and pay a deposit on a new apartment. But when she moved in, she discovered that the unit had no running water, no functional electricity or appliances, and no working door locks. She reported the problems to the landlord, whose response was essentially “too bad.” He refused to repair the unit or release Ms. Travis from her lease. She reached out to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation for help, and I accepted the case pro bono.

Guardian ad Litem Training

July 8 @ 9:00 am
Learn the fundamentals necessary to become a volunteer Guardian ad Litem with AVLF.  WHEN: July 8-9, 2025 (This is a two-day training) TIME: 9:00 am-5:00 pm WHERE: King & Spalding LLP; 1180 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 1600, Atlanta, GA 30309 REGISTRATION: https://support.avlf.org/event/gal-training-july-2025/e661761 Over the course…

AVLF Honored with Heart of the Community Award by CareSource

May 21, 2025
This June, AVLF was recognized with a Heart of the Community Award from CareSource. This award is given to select organizations who strive to always be one step ahead in providing access to services for CareSource members and the community at large. Each recipient makes…

Summer Social

June 5 @ 6:00 pm
Join AVLF's Leadership Council and other professionals passionate about making a difference at the 2025 Summer Social! WHEN: Thursday, June 5, 2025 | 6:00 – 8:00 PMWHERE: Wild Heaven Brewery - 1010 White St SW Atlanta, GA 30310Grab your tickets at: www.avlf.org/summersocial During this event,…

Axios Atlanta Spotlights AVLF’s Eviction Defense Program

March 21, 2025
Since its launch as a pilot in 2022, Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation's eviction defense advocacy program has helped about 800 households understand their rights and available legal resources during the eviction process, AVLF executive director Michael Lucas told Axios. Read the full story on Axios. Illustration: Brendan…

Pressroom

AVLF Pressroom Welcome to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF) Pressroom, your resource for media inquiries, press releases, and the latest news about our work. We are committed to advocating for housing stability, survivor safety, and access to justice in Atlanta, and we welcome opportunities…