Orange You Glad Its Fall?
October is Pro Bono Month
Legal Aid Launches its Volunteer Only Website: www.LegalAidProBono.org
This week marks the 10th Annual National Celebration of Pro Bono. To mark the occasion, Atlanta Legal Aid is launching a brand new pro bono website, www.legalaidprobono.org , making it easier than ever for volunteers to get involved.

“Legal Aid is excited to launch the website because its features make it dramatically easier to connect volunteers to meaningful pro bono opportunities. Users can quickly browse projects to find work that fits their needs, schedule, and interests while supporting critical legal needs of clients in Metro Atlanta and around the state,” says Director of Pro Bono Legal Services Laurie Rashidi. “This is an amazing tool that expands the scope of pro bono by matching client need with volunteer skill and in doing so helps us close the justice gap and provide equal access to all.”

Powered by Pro Bono Net, Atlanta Legal Aid’s new pro bono site offers enhanced search capabilities to make it simple for prospective volunteers to select a case from among 15 available projects. Volunteers can search by project or browse through open cases, narrowing down their search by subject area, location, required skill set, or even time commitment. The new site also features an extensive digital library with resources for volunteers and an online calendar listing upcoming pro bono events and training sessions.
Check out the Atlanta Legal Aid Society Pro Bono Facebook page or this link for the 2018 Pro Bono Breakfast Awards Photo Album
Follow us to stay up-to-date on Pro Bono at Atlanta Legal Aid!
Ready to join us? Check out our current volunteer o pportunities
We offer more than 15 pro bono projects program-wide. Here are some of our featured needs:
Fulton Residential Property Tax Appeal Project
  • Over the next several months, we need volunteers (lawyers and non-lawyers) to assist seniors with handling their tax appeals at hearings before the board of equalization or in Fulton County Superior Court. We will train volunteers on November 13th at 2:00 p.m. To attend or if you have experience, email Laurie Rashidi.
Domestic Relations Law Project
  • Help by volunteering at our Fulton Family Law Information Clinic one morning a month for our group clinic or at daily clinic shifts or by assisting pro se litigants in Clayton, Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett, or DeKalb. Contact Laurie Rashidi-Yazd to learn more about this limited time and scope project.
  • Volunteers to handle simple divorce cases in DeKalb, Cobb, and Fulton. We provide training and support. To learn more, contact Laurie Rashidi-Yazd.
Legal Clinics
Our county offices strive to provide service in the most convenient places for our clients, at local courthouses and libraries. Take a 2 or 3 hour shift and make a big impact for a pro se litigant.

  • Clayton County - join our housing and answer clinic. To learn more, contact Farley Ezekiel.
  • Cobb County - join either our probate or landlord/tenant. To learn more, contact Cathy Waddell.
  • DeKalb - join our landlord/tenant. To learn more, contact Sarah Austin.
  • Fulton - assist low income women in transition at our Action Ministries clinic at Grace United Methodist Church on Ponce. To learn more, contact Laurie Rashidi-Yazd. Volunteer at the family law information center. Contact Michelle Jordan to schedule your spot.
  • Gwinnett - join our probate, family, or consumer law clinic. To learn more, contact Rachel Lazarus.
To learn more about our other projects or to volunteer with us, visit our volunteer website !
2018 Pro Bono Breakfast Award Winners
Atlanta Legal Aid Commitment                           Cheryl Naja of 
to Pro Bono Services Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alston & Bird, LLP

Atlanta Legal Aid Commitment                          Mary Benton of 
to Pro Bono Services Award. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alston & Bird, LLP

Volunteer Impact Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melissa Fox

Volunteer Impact Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Naomi Day

Rockstar Rookie Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Georgia State University School of Law

Randall L. Hughes Lifetime 
Commitment to Legal Services Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlie Lester

William Stanhope Meritorious Service Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Holcomb

Dedication to Health         Ashley Lightsey & Tala Amirfazli on behalf of
Services Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the Burr Foreman Guardianship Project

Dedication to Health Services Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anjie Frias

The Honorable Judge G. Conley Ingram 
Commitment to Cobb Legal Service Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sarah Cipperly 

Debbie Ennis Pro Bono Service Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maria Babcock 
  
Catherine Vandenberg Advocate for
Victims of Domestic Violence Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Taylor, English & Duma, LLP

Judge Robert Castellani Commitment 
to DeKalb Legal Services Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. Patrick Powers

Clayton & South Fulton Volunteer
of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Terri B. O’Neil
2018 Volunteer of the Year Renae Wainwright with Merle Westbrook, Dionne Hines Morse, Tamara Caldas, and Laurie Rashidi
2018 Volunteer of the Year Melinda C. Pillow with Laurie Rashidi, Jennifer Giles, Rita Sheffey, Renae Wainwright, and Eileen Schuman
2018 Extraordinary Pro Bono Service Award winner Rita Sheffey pictured with Legal Aid staff.

Congrats to the 2018 Pro Bono Stars for donating 50 hours or taking 3 or more cases through a Legal Aid Pro Bono Project!
 Aamna Aziz
Aarti Sharma
Adriana de la Torriente
Alisha Brown
Amanda Moulthrop
Amanda R. Flora
Amanda Reidling
Anaid Reyes-Kipp
Andrea David-Vega
Angela Sansone
Anjanette Frias
Ashby Kent Fox
Ashley Lightsey
Audrey Bergeson
Bailey Edwards
Benjamin Persons
Bethaney Embry
Bettianne Hart
Brenda Holmes
Caitlyn Kerr
Cathy Ward
Charles Thimmesch
Charlotte Kenner
Christina Bortz
Christina Campbell
Christopher Beaudro
CJ Williams
Coby Nixon
Crystal Batson
Cynthia Tolbert
Darrell B. Reynolds
David Gann
Dawn Deans
Dawn Levine
Dawn Smith
Dean Russell
Debbie Kassler
Denise VanLanduyt
Diamond Etchison-Slaughter
Donald Boyle
Dorothy 'Dodie" Sachs
Douglas Hill
Elisa Kodish
Emily Prince
Erin King
Frank Virgin
Glenda Cucher
Gloria Smith-Grimes
Gracy M. Barksdale
Harriett Kelly
Hazel Langrin-Robertson
Hillary Li
Holly N. Stewart
Irma Grffith-Steele

J. Lindsay 'Lin' Stradley
J. Patrick Powers
Jacqueline Eisermann
Jamala McFadden
James 'Wick' Cauthorn
James Hogan
James McCarten
Jason Blackmon
Jay Fox
Jennifer Jack
Jennifer Whitton
Jessica Wood
Jody Miller
John Barrow
John Lamberski
John Miles
John Rezac
John Welsh
Jordan Hendrick
Jordan Whitaker
Joseph 'Lee' Snitzer
Josh Meyers
Joshua Combs
Joshua Jones
Joshua Lee
Joshua Norris
Judith Fuller
Julie McGowan
Kathleen 'Katy' Furr
Kathryn Hecker
Kathryn Lee
Katie Phillips
Kelsey Tavares
Kevin Moore
Kevin Moore
Kimberlynn Davis
Laura Sclafani
Leah Feinman
LeeAnn Jones
Leilani Healy
Loretta Smith
Lorette Mitchell
Luke Lantta
Madison Marcus
Margaret Quinlan
Mark Carter
Mark Windham
Mary Benton
Mary Grace Gallagher
Mary McCallum
Matthew Howell
Matthew Strumph
McKinley Anderson
Megan Eckel
Melanie Bracht
Melanie Fenwick Thompson
Melanie Williams
Melinda C. Pillow
Melissa Fox
Michael Arndt
Michael Kirkwood
Mike Dalton
Miranda Ayotte
Montoya Ho-Sang
Morgan Wood Bembry
Naomi Day
Nicholas Tsui
Pandora E. Palmer
Patricia Ammari
Patrick Flinn
Patsi Montineri
Philip Sandick
Phyllis Talley
Rachael Zichella
Randall Hughes
Randall Hughes
Randy Beebe
Renae Wainwright
Robert Hahn
Russell Korn
Samuel Bruner
Sarah Cipperly
Sarah Loya
Sarah Siedentopf
Sarah White
Scott Halperin
Shalamar J. Parham
Sharika Zutshi
Sherri Wilcox
Sherry Neal
Shonterria Martin Stokes
Stephanos Yiannas*
Susan Pendergrass
Suzanne Wakefield
Tala Amirfazli
Thomas Holcolmb
Timothy D. Lytton
Tracy S. Drake
Vanessa Kosky
Victoria Kealy
Vondella Smith
Walter Clarke
William Fields
William Layng
William Stanhope
Yendelela N Holston
Yesenia Muhammad
Zara Singh
*note that this list does not include all volunteers. A complete list of our volunteers can be found in the Annual Report.
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