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January 2019 Volunteers

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January 2019 Volunteers

We are so grateful for all who have volunteered in January – thank you for standing with us!

Saturday Lawyer

  • Natalie Phan, Lawyers For Equal Justice; Korean American Bar Association
  • Francisca Manuwuike, Lawyers For Equal Justice
  • Esther Graff-Radford, Lawyers For Equal Justice
  • Charletta Fortson, Lawyers For Equal Justice
  • Stacey Burke, Georgia Hispanic Bar Association
  • Fatima Harris Felton, Georgia Hispanic Bar Association
  • Ricardo Lopez, Georgia Hispanic Bar Association
  • Jennifer Blasco, Georgia Hispanic Bar Association
  • Javier Becerra, Georgia Hispanic Bar Association
  • Sophia Haynes, Attorney at Law
  • Vickie Rusek, Attorney at Law
  • Diedre Stokes, Attorney at Law
  • Jordan Whitaker, Boyd Collar
  • Derek Krebs, Attorney at Law
  • Jenna Rubin, Attorney at Law
  • LaJuana Fells, Attorney at Law
  • Pilar Whitaker, Attorney at Law
  • Fallon McClure, Gate City Bar
  • Germain Austin, Gate City Bar
  • Mitchell Albert, Gate City Bar
  • Cingque Axam, Gate City Bar
  • Shawntel Hebert, Gate City Bar
  • Johnetta Paye, Gate City Bar
  • Boykin Lucas, Attorney at Law
  • Sandra Saka, Attorney at Law
  • Matthew Gobel, Attorney at Law
  • Justin Babino, Attorney at Law
  • Francine McQueen, Attorney at Law
  • Marriette Torres, Attorney at Law
  • Helen Suh, Korean American Bar Association
  • Gregory Shin, Korean American Bar Association
  • SeungEun April Lee, Korean American Bar Association
  • Sarah Hamilton, Korean American Bar Association
  • Kevin Fogle, Attorney at Law
  • Kate Hausmann, Attorney at Law
  • Lauren Zeldin, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
  • Jeffrey Costolnick, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.

Saturday Paralegals

  • Victor Olofin
  • Vanessa Le Blanc
  • Shanee Shepardson
  • Judith Marchan Davila
  • Vivian Bradford
  • Latresa Chaney
  • Mary Carson
  • Lori Scott
  • Alexandra Nickerson
  • Hubert Owens
  • Courtney Allen
  • Alexander Hadiaris
  • Michelle France

Eviction Defense

  • Jalisa Stevens, Cruser Mitchell Novitz Sanchez Gaston & Zimet LLP
  • David Meadows, Troutman Sanders LLP
  • Kaylan Meaza, Troutman Sanders LLP

Domestic Violence

  • Joseph Englert, King & Spalding LLP
  • Shirlise Rivera
  • Noah Graubart, Fish & Richardson PC

Guardian ad Litem

  • Dina Khismatulina, The Manely Firm PC
  • Savannah Steele, Ellis Funk PC
  • Charles Bailey, Law Office of Charles E Bailey

PIC

  • Ann Salo, P.C.

Many Tables

COLE THALER | February 28, 2019

Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation doesn’t just work in the courtroom.

You probably know that AVLF provides free legal representation to survivors of intimate partner abuse and low-income tenants.

But AVLF’s commitment to our neighbors runs far deeper. Where community members and policy-makers gather to debate issues and make plans that affect tenants and survivors, AVLF is often in the room, an integral part of the conversation. When leaders and stakeholders come together around a table to dissect problems and strategize solutions, AVLF is at the table too.

We are rolling up our sleeves and doing the work necessary to make Atlanta the safe and stable city our clients deserve.

For example, when civic leaders formed the HouseATL coalition to develop a comprehensive affordable housing plan for Atlanta, AVLF’s Deputy Director, Michael Lucas, joined HouseATL’s executive committee. Michael is also the co-chair of HouseATL’s Prioritizing Communities committee, where he helps implement plans to make Atlanta a city where housing is equitable for all.

This month, when the Georgia House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee held a hearing on House Bill 346, which would ban landlord retaliation against tenants who complain about poor conditions, I was present to give testimony in support of the bill. Sitting directly across the table from House Majority Whip Trey Kelley, I described in detail the horrific conditions in which our tenants live – enduring rats, sewage, mold – and their well-founded fear of retaliation. I urged the legislators to pass the bill to protect Georgia’s most vulnerable tenants.

Jamie Perez, Director of the Safe & Stable Families Project, does not simply serve abuse survivors in the Fulton County Courthouse’s Safe Families Office. She is also the Co-Chair of the Fulton County Family Violence Task Force, a coalition that draws on its member agencies to strengthen protections for domestic violence survivors.

Where community members and policy-makers gather to debate issues and make plans that affect tenants and survivors, AVLF is often in the room.

AVLF staff are also active members of our bar associations. Audrey Bergeson, Family Law Project Staff Attorney, is the Newsletter Co-Editor for the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar and an Officer of the YLD Executive Committee. Standing with Our Neighbors Attorney Ayanna Jones-Lightsy is on the board of the Atlanta Bar’s Public Interest Law Section. Our executive director, Marty Ellin, serves on the State Bar of Georgia’s Access to Justice Committee, which promotes the growth of pro bono service to the poor by Georgia attorneys.

Our commitment to service leads us to other community investments. Standing with Our Neighbors Attorney Erik Provitt serves on the Advisory Board of Warrick Dunn Charities, a nonprofit that awards homes to single mothers. Audrey Bergeson is the Co-Chair of the Board of Advisors for YMCA Camp High Harbour at Lake Allatoona, which ensures that any child who wants to attend summer camp is able to do so, regardless of means.

And our staff is present at Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) meetings; at neighborhood fundraisers; at back-to-school events and holiday fairs. We are at card tables in middle school gymnasiums, at folding tables in church basements, and at gleaming conference room tables in law firms.

At these many tables, we are talking about our clients’ lives and we are listening to our clients’ stories. We are rolling up our sleeves and doing the work necessary to make Atlanta the safe and stable city our clients deserve.

Cole Thaler has written several blog posts on housing in Atlanta. Read them here.

Cole Thaler

Director, Safe & Stable Homes Project

Check out more from this author. 

Cole serves as the director of AVLF’s Safe and Stable Homes Project. He oversees the Saturday Lawyer Program and the Standing with Our Neighbors Program, among others.

Before joining AVLF, Cole was a supervising staff attorney with Georgia Legal Services Program, where he represented low-income rural Georgians in a variety of civil matters. Previously, Cole worked for Lambda Legal, a national legal organization that works on behalf of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and those with HIV. Cole attended Williams College before receiving his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. He shares his home with two rescue dogs, three rescue cats, and husband.

How the Room Speaks: Creating Healing Spaces for Survivors

MARY KOENIG + ASHLEIGH STARNES | February 28, 2019

The recent renovations to the Safe Families Office are more than just an upgrade: they’re a way to create a healing environment for survivors facing the unimaginable.

When we walk into an unfamiliar room, we draw instantaneous conclusions about our environment. Is it safe? Is it hostile? How do I navigate the space before me?

The cool-colored walls of hospitals, the potted plants in a waiting room: every detail of our environment influences how we feel about our surroundings.

So when a survivor comes into the Fulton County Courthouse seeking refuge from their abuser, what is it that they see? How does their environment impact their sense of safety?

Survivors looking for the Safe Families Office are often nervous and intimidated when they enter the building.

The Courthouse isn’t the easiest place to navigate. The maze of hallways and busy courtrooms can be overwhelming to anyone who first enters.

Because of both their circumstances and the unfamiliar surroundings, survivors looking for the Safe Families Office are often nervous and intimidated when they enter the building. But recent renovations to the Safe Families Office have made our clinic a space of healing.

Survivors can now walk into the Safe Families Office and feel exactly that—safe.

When you walk into the SFO today, the room is calm and quiet. The walls are decorated with soothing artwork, and gentle classical music plays in the background.

Survivors can now walk into the Safe Families Office and feel exactly that—safe.

These renovations are important not just because it makes the space more physically comfortable for our clients, but also because things like art, aromatherapy, and soft music communicate that people in that space deserve that comfort. All survivors deserve to be somewhere calming as they navigate extremely sensitive, painful, and often life-threatening situations.

Survivors deserve to feel safe.

It can be extremely difficult to tell the story of your experience with violence. We hope the Safe Families Office communicates hope—assuring survivors that we are here to stand with them, no matter what it takes.

Learn how the Safe Families Office changes the lives of survivors.

Mary Koenig

Social Worker, Safe Families Office

Mary is a social worker in the Safe Families Office, connecting survivors of intimate partner violence with resources and support after they obtain a temporary protective order.

Before moving to Atlanta and joining AVLF, Mary graduated with a Master’s in Social Work and Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina. She is dedicated to working against gender-based violence and supporting survivors, and has worked in violence prevention education, program planning and evaluation, and hotline advocacy. In her spare time, she bakes pies and plays drums.

Ashleigh Starnes

Communications Associate

As AVLF’s Communications Associate, Ashleigh helps Lauren Frazier with website content development, social media outreach, and various other forms of communication with our fiercely compassionate supporters. Ashleigh is ever-eager to share the remarkable stories of our clients, and the impact of AVLF’s staff and volunteers on our community.

Before joining AVLF, Ashleigh was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. She holds a BA in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.

Check out more from this author. 

AVLF Announces 2019 Annual Campaign Steering Committee Chairs

Development Director Libby King introduces our 2019 Annual Campaign Steering Committee chairs.

There’s no way around it: our innovative programs cost money to run.

In 2018, Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation launched our first-ever Annual Campaign, which raised over $985,000 for Atlanta families in need of legal representation. The Campaign has allowed us more resources to optimize our organization, and to bring safety and stability to Atlanta communities.

This year, we’re looking to grow even more. We want to expand our place-based services, collaborate between our housing and intimate partner violence programs, and expand our network of community partners. And we need the funds to do so.

And who will be leading the charge? I am proud to announce the chairs of the 2019 Annual Campaign: Lizanne Thomas (Jones Day) and David Balser (King & Spalding).

“I am so thrilled that Lizanne and David have agreed to give their time and talents to the 2019 Annual Campaign,” says Marty Ellin, our Executive Director. “With their leadership, I know that we will meet and exceed our goal of $1 million.”

Some background on our fantastic leadership:

Lizanne Thomas serves as the Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day’s Southeast U.S. Region. She practices, teaches, and lives corporate governance as the head of the Firm’s corporate governance team. Lizanne serves or has served on the Boards of Directors of three publicly traded companies: Atlantic Capital Bancshares, Inc., Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. In 2016 she was named one of the top 100 directors by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).Additionally, she is a Trustee of the Georgia Research Alliance, serving as Chair of the Audit Committee. She is a Trustee of Washington & Lee University and The Woodruff Arts Center. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta and is a former Trustee of Furman University, and a former director of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

David Balser specializes in trying high-stakes business cases for Fortune 500 companies as a Partner at King & Spalding. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, David focuses on contract disputes, business torts, class actions and professional liability litigation. David’s clients include telecommunications, energy, transportation, and professional services firms, and he has extensive experience representing private equity firms and hedge funds. Chambers USA has identified David as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers.” He has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and by Benchmark Litigation. David is a frequent author and speaker on trial advocacy, class actions, legal ethics, malpractice, professionalism and related topics. He also serves on the board of the Georgia Innocence Project, a non-profit using DNA testing to exonerate wrongly convicted criminal defendants.

And it doesn’t stop there – we have more than a dozen other members of the Atlanta legal and business communities who are stepping up to spread the word about the waves of change we’re making in Atlanta:

Steve Hewitson, Troutman Sanders

Jim Kerr, Southern Company

Rachel Amin, US Legal Support

Bill Holley, Parker Hudson Rainer Dobbs

Jim Gober, Arnall Golden Gregory

Mike Egan, AMB Group

Ed Buckley, Buckley  & Beal

Chris Green, McGuire Woods

Shawntel Hebert, Taylor English

Larry Thompson, Former Deputy Attorney General

Norm Brothers, UPS

Ellen Fitzsimmons, SunTrust Bank

Louise Sams, Turner

Mark Johnson, Newell Brands

Todd Sheldon, Pulte Homes

We are so excited to find new ways to support our community – and we are deeply grateful to the champions of our cause who are helping us spread the word.

And you can help, too. Tell your peers about us. Come to our events. Call us with your questions. We can’t wait to see what’s in store.

With hope,

Libby

Have questions about the Annual Campaign? Check out our FAQ.

Libby King

Development Director

Check out more from this author. 

Libby is originally from Columbus, Georgia. She has served the Atlanta community for almost 17 years in various capacities.

Prior to working at AVLF, Libby worked as the Director of Institutional Advancement at Atlanta Technical College. Prior to this, she raised funds for ovarian cancer research and served in fundraising and community outreach roles at Visiting Nurse|Hospice Atlanta. She was a communications assistant in the Office of Governor Roy E. Barnes after graduating from Clemson University with a BA in Political Science.

Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation Launches LGBTQ Committee

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 Committee is to evaluate and improve its internal and external LGBTQ-inclusivity policies and practices. Co-chaired by Mary Koenig, Safe & Stable Families Project Social Worker, and Akshaya Garimalla, Development Associate, the committee first met in October 2018 and worked out a three-step plan moving forward:

  1. Assess where AVLF is with respect to internal awareness of LGBTQ issues, including hiring practices, non-discrimination policies, and colleague inclusivity;
  2. Assess where AVLF is with respect to working with LGBTQ clients, and
  3. Use that information to identify priorities and create a plan to improve policies, practices, and general environment, both internally and externally.

After its first meeting, Mary and Akshaya created an internal assessment survey distributed to staff in November 2018. They also worked on gathering AVLF’s internal policies for future review. With the survey results in, the Chairs have been formalizing the results for the Committee’s review at the next meeting scheduled for March 2019. At that time, the Committee can take what they learned from the internal survey to brainstorm on next steps, such as what issues to focus on and how to leverage what AVLF is already doing well.

In addition to these efforts, Raksha, an organization addressing social issues for the South Asian community, presented an LGBTQ Cultural Competency Training for staff from AVLF and Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN) in December 2018. Led by Karimah Dillard, Community Partnership and Development Coordinator for Raksha, and Satyam Barakoti, Managing Consultant & Owner of Durga Consulting, the training created a dialogue addressing issues affecting LGBTQ clients and employees, questions held by AVLF and GAIN staff members, and ways each staff hoped to better serve LGBTQ clients in the future. With the expertise provided at the training, AVLF is excited about its next internal LGBTQ Committee meeting and working to improve its LGBTQ inclusivity measures going forward.

 

Jamie Perez

Director, Safe and Stable Families

Check out more from this author. 

Jamie is the director of the Safe and Stable Families Project, which includes the Domestic Violence, Family Law, and Guardian ad Litem programs.

Jamie currently serves as a member of the Fulton County Family Violence Task Force. Prior to joining AVLF, Jamie practiced family law at Holland Roddenbery LLC. She is the former co-chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyer Division’s Family Law Committee. She obtained her JD from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served on the Georgia Law Review. She received her BS in journalism from Ohio University. She went on to work in sports marketing for four years before attending law school.

Jamie is an active member of the Atlanta Bar Association and State Bar of Georgia and has been recognized for her contributions to the legal profession and survivors of domestic violence.

AVLF Celebrates 40th Birthday with over $12,000 in Matched Donations

ASHLEIGH STARNES | February 22nd, 2019

AVLF celebrates the success of our very first crowdfunding campaign, which raised over $12,000 in low-dollar matched donations to the SAFE Fund.
Our friends at Troutman Sanders celebrated our 40th birthday with us by donating to the SAFE Fund.

Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation hosted a one-day grassroots fundraising marathon on February 21st, 2019. The fundraiser celebrated AVLF’s official 40th anniversary, raising over $12,000 for the SAFE Fund.

[Read about the SAFE Fund in the Daily Report.]

Donors were asked to give in increments of $40, and will be receiving exclusive AVLF branded gear for their contributions.

The SAFE Fund is an opportunity reserve fund (or “rainy day fund”) to ensure the long term stability of AVLF’s programs. An anonymous donor has agreed to match the first $500,000 of donations – provided that AVLF can raise the money by September 2019.

Troutman Sanders not only contributed $50,000 to the SAFE Fund, but also threw an in-house birthday celebration for AVLF, encouraging their staff to donate. The firm raised over $1,200 yesterday. Parker Hudson offered to match all contributions made by their employees.

We are so grateful for Atlanta’s commitment to bringing free, high quality legal services to Atlanta homes and families. We look forward to our next 40 years!

Read the first of our 40 Snapshots for 40 Years.

Ashleigh Starnes

Communications Associate

As AVLF’s Communications Associate, Ashleigh helps Lauren Frazier with website content development, social media outreach, and various other forms of communication with our fiercely compassionate supporters.

Ashleigh is ever-eager to share the remarkable stories of our clients, and the impact of AVLF’s staff and volunteers on our community.

Before joining AVLF, Ashleigh was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. She holds a BA in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.

Check out more from this author. 

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton Speaks on AVLF’s Community Impact

ASHLEIGH STARNES | February 19th, 2019

In his State of the Judiciary address, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton shared how Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation’s Standing with Our Neighbors program is making an impact on Atlanta communities.
From left to right: Michael Lucas, Deputy Director; Nekesha Whitaker, Community Advocate; Chief Justice Harold Melton; Ayanna Jones-Lightsy, Staff Attorney; Ashleigh Starnes, Communications Associate; Marty Ellin, Executive Director

AVLF had the great honor of attending the State of the Judiciary address to Georgia’s joint legislative session on February 19th. During the address, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton spoke of how the Standing with Our Neighbors program is bringing pro bono legal services and other resources to communities who need them most.

[Read about the State of the Judiciary Address in the Daily Report.]

By placing attorneys and social workers directly in Atlanta schools, the Standing with Our Neighbors program offers easy access to legal support, and helps families in crisis connect with the resources they need to achieve safety and stability.

Chief Justice Harold Melton showed this clip from CBS This Morning to members of the Georgia Legislature:

Justice Melton explained the connection between early intervention and the court system. “We in the judiciary can and will continue to deal with people on the back end,” he said, “but we would love to see our numbers reduced by communities dealing with individuals on the front end.”

[Watch the full CBS This Morning feature.]

After showing the video, Justice Melton shared with the Legislature how our work in the Standing with Our Neighbors program intersects with the health and wellness of communities – and how we continue to innovate in addressing domestic violence and intimate partner abuse.

“The challenge for all of us is to have conversations in our communities,” said Justice Melton, “recognizing that relationships and intimacy are at the core of the solutions.”

Five AVLF staff members attended, including Standing with our Neighbors Staff Attorney Ayanna Jones-Lightsy and Community Advocate Nekesha Whitaker.

“The challenge for all of us is to have conversations in our communities,” said Justice Melton, “recognizing that relationships and intimacy are at the core of the solutions.”

We are deeply grateful for the support of the Judiciary, and look forward to continuing our work in promoting safety and stability for Atlanta families. 

Learn more about the Standing with Our Neighbors program.

Ashleigh Starnes

Communications Associate

As AVLF’s Communications Associate, Ashleigh helps Lauren Frazier with website content development, social media outreach, and various other forms of communication with our fiercely compassionate supporters.

Ashleigh is ever-eager to share the remarkable stories of our clients, and the impact of AVLF’s staff and volunteers on our community.

Before joining AVLF, Ashleigh was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. She holds a BA in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.

Check out more from this author. 

The Safe Families Office Commemorates 10th Anniversary

The Collaboration of PADV, Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation and the Fulton County State and Superior Courts Have Helped Thousands of Victims of Domestic Abuse

ATLANTA – February 7, 2019 – The Safe Families Office (SFO), a Fulton County-based program that assists survivors of domestic violence seeking civil temporary protective orders (TPOs) and other legal interventions against their abusers, commemorated its 10th Anniversary this year by hosting a special invitation only event on February 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Fulton County Courthouse in Courtroom 8H.

The SFO is a unique collaboration between Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV), Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF) and the Fulton County State and Superior Courts. These organizations work together to provide a holistic approach to addressing survivors’ needs as they seek safety and independence from their abusers. PADV’s Legal Advocates and Crisis Mental Health Advocates provide survivors with domestic violence advocacy, safety planning, counseling and access to two different shelters. AVLF’s attorneys and law students provide legal advice and representation in both protective order and family law cases, and their social worker provides follow-up social work support during the TPO process.

The Fulton County Superior and State Courts generously provide the agencies with a courthouse-based office which is co-located in the same network of buildings as the District Attorney’s and Solicitor General’s offices, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and the Magistrate, State and Superior Court Clerks’ offices, giving survivors access to an array of additional legal options and services in one visit.

“We are honored to be a part of a powerful partnership that offers critically needed legal services and comprehensive support for our clients who are wanting to escape their abuser”

“Bringing these unique organizations with specialized talents together has made a huge and positive impact on the clients PADV serves,” said Nancy Friauf, president and CEO – PADV.

Since 2009, SFO has served more than 19,000 individuals, including more than 6,700 children.

The Safe Families Office staff and volunteers have had more than 150,000 units of service provision/interaction with these clients, more than 40 units a day, and assisted with obtaining more than 21,000 Temporary Protection Orders (TPOs). From April 2016 to December 31, 2018, the office has assigned 450 volunteer attorneys to represent clients in their hearings.

“Over the past 10 years we have seen extreme growth in our services and hope to see more progress in the next 10 years,” said Jamie Perez, director of AVLF’s Safe and Stable Families Project. “We are working as a team on ways to enhance the program and ensure that victims and families of domestic abuse are receiving the help and education they need.”

For more information about SFO, visit avlf.org.

About Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
The Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, Inc., was created in 1979 through the joint efforts of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, the Atlanta Bar Association, the Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers, and the Gate City Bar Association. AVLF is the largest provider of pro bono legal services in Greater Atlanta. For over 35 years, we have promoted access to justice by inspiring volunteer attorneys to provide high-quality education, advocacy, and representation at no charge to low-income families with basic civil legal needs at critical times in their lives. Our programs include services for domestic violence survivors, landlord/tenant disputes, evictions, unpaid wages, and probate issues. For more information, please visit www.avlf.org, or follow AVLF on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Maggie McDaniel
communications 21
mmcdaniel@c21pr.com
404.814.1330

Have questions about the Safe and Stable Families Project? Learn More.

The “Village” of Survivor Support

JAMIE PEREZ | February 4, 2019

Like many things in life, it takes a “village” to accomplish our goals. The same holds true in supporting a survivor of intimate partner abuse through the process of leaving their abuser.

In most cases, no one organization has all of the training, skills, funding, and other resources to support survivors in the multitude of individualized ways they each need support. Collaborative relationships with organizations that share our mission and vision allow us to help survivors obtain safety and independence from abuse, beyond a temporary protective order.

For example, AVLF prides itself on providing a safe, open, welcoming space, in the form of The Safe Families Office, in the Fulton County Courthouse where survivors can obtain friendly assistance in filing for temporary protective orders (TPO) and other TPO-related claims, as well as providing legal representation in their evidentiary hearings, social worker support for their financial, job-related, transportation, and other needs, and family law legal representation for their related divorce, custody, contempt, and child support claims. But the Safe Families Office exists as a result of the support and partnership of the Fulton County Superior and State Courts who generously provide space within the courthouse, along with technical assistance, and Partnership Against Domestic Violence, who partners within the office to provide safety planning, additional filing assistance, mental health services, access to shelter, legal advocacy services, and court accompaniment.

Many clients who come through the Safe Families Office are parents of young children – some have fled with just the clothes on their backs when they arrive.

Thanks to the support of Helping Mamas, our social workers are able to obtain free baby products (including diapers, formula, toys, bath supplies, and other vital items) for young children. For clothing assistance, our social workers provide vouchers to Threads, a clothing “store” where clients may come in and use their vouchers to choose clothing items they need.

We see survivors who hail from all over the world – some with limited English proficiency – who we would struggle to serve properly if it weren’t for culturally-specific pro bono advocacy organizations who provide accompaniment to court and culturally-specific support services, such as Raksha, Tapestri, Latin American Association, and Caminar Latino.

Warm handoffs free up survivors to focus on their immediate needs while the organizations take on the responsibility of making contact.

There are survivors who need additional legal assistance not provided by AVLF or outside our service area of Fulton County – such as immigration, health, and family law claims. We partner with Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network, Atlanta Legal Aid Society, and Georgia Legal Services Program through the Georgia Victim Legal Assistance Network to provide “warm handoffs” of clients to these partner organizations to assist in the ways AVLF cannot. Warm handoffs free up survivors to focus on their immediate needs while the organizations take on the responsibility of making contact.

Of course, for victims of crime with related criminal cases, we partner with victims’ advocates and prosecutors in the Fulton County District Attorney’s and Solicitor General’s Offices to ensure survivors have the support they need outside of the civil legal arena.

We also have partners who provide support when survivors are transitioning away from living with an abuser. United Way of Greater Atlanta partners with AVLF to assist survivors with moving expenses, first month’s rent, security deposits, and utilities, which provide a vital bridge to survivors as they learn to manage a one-income household.

Have questions about the Safe and Stable Families Project? Learn More.

 

Jamie Perez

Director, Safe and Stable Families

Check out more from this author. 

Jamie is the director of the Safe and Stable Families Project, which includes the Domestic Violence, Family Law, and Guardian ad Litem programs.

Jamie currently serves as a member of the Fulton County Family Violence Task Force. Prior to joining AVLF, Jamie practiced family law at Holland Roddenbery LLC. She is the former co-chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyer Division’s Family Law Committee. She obtained her JD from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served on the Georgia Law Review. She received her BS in journalism from Ohio University. She went on to work in sports marketing for four years before attending law school.

Jamie is an active member of the Atlanta Bar Association and State Bar of Georgia and has been recognized for her contributions to the legal profession and survivors of domestic violence.

Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, and the Books Our Children Cherish

ASHLEIGH STARNES | January 22, 2018

Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation provides free children’s books to low income families who come to our Saturday Lawyer clinic, and we have a new wish list.

Cover of “Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis” by Jabari Asim. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis.

 “When the good Lord was handing out the gift of conviction, he gave a hefty dose to Sojourner Truth.”

This is the opening line of Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by children’s author Andrea Davis Pinkey. The book includes biographies of ten Black women in history who “lit the path to freedom for generations”, including Harriet Tubman, Ella Josephine Baker, and Rosa Parks.

Let It Shine is one of over 50 children’s books on Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation’s wish list from the local bookstore Charis. We’re collecting donations for our clients’ children – because for families living in poverty, books are often a luxury.

“Once I started working with deeply impoverished clients in Georgia, it didn’t take me long to notice that their budgets – stretched to the breaking point for the bare necessities – often didn’t have room for trips to the bookstore,” writes Cole Thaler, Director of AVLF’s Safe and Stable Homes Project.

“We want the children who pick up free books in our offices to see themselves reflected in the pages.”

But Thaler noticed that characters in our books did not reflect our client demographics.

“AVLF gives free children’s books to the low-income Atlanta families that we serve, because we believe that reading opens doors and inspires dreams,” says Thaler. “We also believe that representation is important: most of the families who receive our services are Black, and we want the children who pick up free books in our offices to see themselves reflected in the pages.”

[Further reading:  Housing Justice is Racial Justice]

Our new wish list contains dozens of books about visionary Black artists and leaders, from Billie Holliday to John Lewis. Other books like Welcome, Precious and Something Beautiful celebrate Black childhood and creative expression.

The prices of the books start at $5. You can purchase the books either online and have them shipped to AVLF’s office, or at Charis in Little Five Points.  We can also arrange to pick up the books from Charis (or from you).

Want to know more about our book donations? Read this blog post by Safe and Stable Homes Director Cole Thaler.

Ashleigh Starnes

Communications Associate

As AVLF’s Communications Associate, Ashleigh helps Lauren Frazier with website content development, social media outreach, and various other forms of communication with our fiercely compassionate supporters. Ashleigh is ever-eager to share the remarkable stories of our clients, and the impact of AVLF’s staff and volunteers on our community.

Before joining AVLF, Ashleigh was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. She holds a BA in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.

Check out more from this author. 

Anonymous Donor Challenges AVLF to raise $500,000

LIBBY KING | January 28, 2019

To commemorate our 40th Anniversary, an anonymous donor has offered $500,000 to secure the future of Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation – but only if we raise $500,000 to match.

Last summer, Executive Director Marty Ellin received a phone call that he will never forget.

A great friend of AVLF, who believes deeply in the organization’s mission and work, challenged AVLF to create an Opportunity Reserve Fund which has been deemed the SAFE (Stabilizing Atlanta for Everyone) Fund. This generous donor has agreed to match the first $500,000 of donations – allowing AVLF to create a $1 million rainy day fund.

Raising the full amount, and more, will do nothing less than transform the organization’s ability to save lives and promote safe and stable homes and families.

This generous donor has agreed to match the first $500,000 of donations – allowing AVLF to create a $1 million rainy day fund.

“As AVLF celebrates 40 years of serving the Atlanta community, we have received an extraordinary opportunity to ensure that we will be able to continue to serve – and even lead – the Atlanta community for the next 40 years,” said Ellin.

The donor stresses, however, that they will only match the donations if AVLF raises $500,000 on its own by September.

February 21st, AVLF Match Day, is a one-day fundraising marathon for the SAFE Fund.

In commemoration of our official 40th anniversary on February 21st, we are hosting AVLF Match Day – a one-day fundraising marathon for the SAFE Fund. For one day only, donors will receive AVLF-branded gear with their donation of $40 or more.

Given the urgency, we are asking our many friends to make a special gift in addition to supporting our annual campaign. Atlanta-based law firm Troutman Sanders has made the inaugural gift to the SAFE Fund in the amount of $50,000. You may have seen the news in the Daily Report. We hope you will join Troutman Sanders and make a one-time gift to the SAFE Fund.

Have questions about the Annual Campaign or the SAFE Fund? Check out our FAQ.

Libby King

Development Director

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Libby is originally from Columbus, Georgia. She has served the Atlanta community for almost 17 years in various capacities.

Prior to working at AVLF, Libby worked as the Director of Institutional Advancement at Atlanta Technical College. Prior to this, she raised funds for ovarian cancer research and served in fundraising and community outreach roles at Visiting Nurse|Hospice Atlanta. She was a communications assistant in the Office of Governor Roy E. Barnes after graduating from Clemson University with a BA in Political Science.

AVLF’s Safe Families Office Prepares to Celebrate 10th Anniversary

JAMIE PEREZ | JANUARY 24, 2019

Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation hits major milestone with the 10th anniversary of the Safe Families Office

February 9th marks the 10th anniversary of AVLF’s Safe Families Office (SFO) – Georgia’s very first lawyer-staffed, Courthouse-based resource for survivors of intimate partner abuse.

The SFO is a unique collaboration between AVLF, Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV), and the Fulton County Superior and State Courts. The office serves survivors of domestic violence seeking civil temporary protective orders against their abusers. PADV’s SFO Legal Advocates and Crisis Mental Health Advocate provide survivors with domestic violence advocacy, safety planning, counseling, and access to shelter. AVLF’s SFO attorneys, law students, and social workers provide legal advice and representation in both protective order and family law cases, as well as follow-up social work support during the TPO process.

The Fulton County Superior and State Courts generously provide the agencies with a courthouse-based office and general support for its mission. The partners work together to provide a holistic approach to addressing survivors’ needs as they seek safety and independence from their abusers.

The Safe Families Office is co-located in the same network of buildings as the District Attorney’s and Solicitor General’s offices, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Magistrate, State, and Superior Court Clerks’ offices, giving survivors access to an array of additional legal options and services in one visit. In 2009, when the SFO first opened, and again in 2018, this extraordinary partnership was named a “best practices model” for its service to survivors of domestic violence by Vivian Huelgo, General Counsel for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence.

As we look forward to the next 10 years, the Safe Families Office hopes to continue educating and empowering survivors to know their legal options. We hope that one day our services will no longer be necessary, but until then, we will remain a resource for survivors looking to rebuild healthy, positive lives.

Do you know someone who may be experiencing intimate partner violence? Check out our blog post on 5 Signs of Intimate Partner Abuse and Where Survivors Can Get Help.

Jamie Perez

Director, Safe and Stable Families Project

Jamie is the director of the Safe and Stable Families Project, which includes the Domestic Violence, Family Law, and Guardian ad Litem programs.

Jamie currently serves as a member of the Fulton County Family Violence Task Force. Prior to joining AVLF, Jamie practiced family law at Holland Roddenbery LLC. She is the former co-chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyer Division’s Family Law Committee. She obtained her JD from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served on the Georgia Law Review. She received her BS in journalism from Ohio University. She went on to work in sports marketing for four years before attending law school.

Jamie is an active member of the Atlanta Bar Association and State Bar of Georgia and has been recognized for her contributions to the legal profession and survivors of domestic violence.

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