CAREY KERSTEN | June 30, 2015
Quick snapshot (name, education, job history, any other boards you sit on, etc.): James M. (“Jimmy”) Rusert, University of Georgia, A.B.J., summa cum laude in Broadcast News with a minor in Theatre (2006), University of Georgia, School of Law, J.D., cum laude (2010). I have practiced law with DLA Piper for my entire career, specializing in commercial litigation and white collar defense and investigations. I have served on Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation’s Junior Board for nearly two years now and look forward to continuing to serve in the future.
How did you get involved with AVLF? I started volunteering with AVLF as a summer associate at DLA Piper. For years, our office has represented victims of intimate partner violence through the Safe Families Office, and I had the pleasure of working on two petitions for protective orders while I was a summer. That introduction, at a time when I knew what I wanted to do for my career but didn’t know how to best serve my community in doing so, showed me just how rewarding working for AVLF can be.
Give us your best elevator pitch – what does AVLF mean to you? AVLF stands up for people who can’t or don’t know how to stand up for themselves. At one domestic violence protective order hearing I worked on as a summer associate, we successfully negotiated with the abuser and got our client the protective order she wanted. When we were leaving, we offered to walk her to her car if she felt unsafe. She told us that we didn’t need to because she didn’t even get the protective order for herself, she just wanted it to protect her kids. I knew right then that I needed to continue to help AVLF serve clients that had been convinced that they weren’t worth it.
What is your favorite AVLF moment? Through the Safe Families Office, I represented a client seeking a domestic violence protective order against her abuser. When we first met the week before the hearing, she was 9 months pregnant, but we agreed to pursue the protective order before the baby came so she could feel safe. We prepared our case and agreed to meet early in the Safe Families Office on the morning of the hearing. The client didn’t show up, so I had to go ahead up to the courtroom to get ready for the calendar call. Just before the clerk called the docket, the client walked through the doors of the courtroom and sat down next to me. I leaned over and told her that I was nervous she wasn’t going to be here because she went into labor. She looked at me and, with a completely straight face, held up her wrist to show me the hospital band and told me she had the baby last night and her mom was at the hospital watching it so she could come to court to get her protective order!
What are you proudest of professionally? I’m most proud of the meaningful relationships I’ve built with so many incredible lawyers. Between my counterparts in the non-profit world, in-house counsel, friends (and opponents) at other firms, and my colleagues from around the country and the world, my work life is full of interesting people and brilliant counselors.
And personally? I am most proud of my family. My amazing, selfless wife spends her days taking care of everyone around her without ever asking for a moment to herself. Our two boys are both unique and similar – our cautious preschooler and “bull in a china shop” toddler can regularly be found hugging each other so tight that they both fall over into a laughing, grinning pile.
Is there anything else you want our readers to know? If you have not already signed up, AmazonSmile is a very easy way to give back to AVLF while you do your everyday online shopping. For a family with little kids that probably shops a little more on Amazon than we should, it’s an easy way to feel a little less guilty!
