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Webinar: What You Need to Know About Eviction in Fulton County

“Eviction’s fallout is severe. Losing a home sends families to shelters, abandoned houses, and the street. It invites depression and illness, compels families to move into degrading housing in dangerous neighborhoods, uproots communities, and harms children. Eviction reveals people’s vulnerabilities and desperation, as well as their ingenuity and guts.” ― Matthew Desmond, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City 1 in 5 renters in Fulton C…

AVLF Reading List

…om a poor work ethic, that hard work always leads to success, and that the safety net catches those who need it. There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz This is the moving and powerful account of two remarkable boys struggling to survive in Chicago’s Henry Horner Homes, a public housing complex disfigured by crime and neglect. The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler Although “working poor” should be an oxymoron, far too man…

Courage for My Twin Boys

…been able to not only survive, but begin to recover, heal and thrive. The Safe Families Office staff helped me so much through the TPO process. Erika Voreh was so instrumental in getting the TPO granted. She was so sweet, even though I was still crying through my answers to her questions. At least there’s not this black cloud of dread and doom anymore. When my abuser was finally served at the house, it was very nerve-wracking. It took about a we…

John Brumfield

…ior volunteer experience during his time in law school, including with the Safe Families Office, the Georgia Law Center for the Homeless, AVLF’s Saturday Lawyer Program, and as a volunteer with Gideon’s Promise. John is described by his peers and colleagues as a fierce litigator who provides passionate advocacy, exemplifying honesty and empathy, in a tireless pursuit of justice for those he represents. John has long been called to the service of t…

June 2018 Volunteers

…& Bird LLP Kenneth Franklin, Duane Morris LLP Kristen Rajagopal, Kristen Rajagopal LLC Anastasios Manettas, Manettas Law Courtney Dixon, Atlanta Legal Aid Society Yvonne Williams-Wass, Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP David Cheng, Dickason Law Group Gabriella Medina Nunez, AVLF Safe Families Office Intern, Georgia State University School of Law Taylor Lyn Williams, Smith & Lake LLC Intern, Georgia State University School of Law Guardian Ad Litem Nath…

From Hostage to Survivor

…d hostage by her child’s father for hours, Ms. Malone came directly to the Safe Families Office to file for legal protection against him. The SFO team sprang to action and wasted no time placing her case. Audrey Bergeson from Smith & Lake (and AVLF’s Junior Board) volunteered to represent Ms. Malone. Audrey didn’t take any shortcuts: she expertly presented over 20 exhibits to the judge, including photos and voicemails that left no question about w…

Lunch & Learns: How Our Family Law Program is Bringing Free Resources to Local Lawyers

…ogram serves survivors of domestic violence, who have been assisted by the Safe Families Office, with their long-term family law legal needs. As the Family Law Program Staff Attorney, Audrey manages the program, provides direct client representation, and pairs clients with experienced family law attorney volunteers. Prior to joining AVLF, Audrey practiced family law as an associate with Smith & Lake, LLC. Before practicing with Smith & Lake, Audre…

Letter From Leadership: Why We Must Always Take Sides

…er, based in part on the addition of a Staff Attorney and Navigator to the Safe Families Office, and a contemplated expansion of the SWON Program. Achieving these outcomes required the AVLF staff to create meaningful pro bono opportunities for Atlanta’s lawyers, to recruit and when necessary to train those attorneys in the relevant substantive area, to respond to thousands of phone calls from would-be clients hoping to secure the services of the p…

AVLF Development Staffers Talk Giving, Impact, and Atlanta

…nteer Lawyers Foundation. We hired new staff to increase the impact of the Safe Families Office and the Saturday Lawyer program, AVLF’s flagship program. We expanded to six new schools for the second year of Standing with Our Neighbors – and needed a few people to help out with that. It’s easy to feel like our staff has doubled in the last six months. But what you haven’t read about is how our development team has been working around the clock to…

Safety Across State Lanes

When JoAnn came into the Safe Families Office, she was exhausted from trying to co-parent with her child’s father, who often turned to violence when they disagreed about parenting or finances. She had been strangled and slammed into the walls of her home before she came in, and she was scared and didn’t know where to turn. After obtaining an ex parte Temporary Protective Order, JoAnn and her children moved out of state to protect themselves, but…

Board Member Spotlight: Sarah Zampell

…LF? I first volunteered with Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation in their Safe Families Office during law school as part of a public interest course. After that I was hooked and have volunteered ever since in a number of programs including in their One Child One Lawyer Program representing children in DFCS custody and in their Saturday Lawyers Program. Give us your best elevator pitch – what does AVLF mean to you? I firmly believe that we, as att…