Supreme Cork
Thursday, October 22, 6pm
5 Seasons Westside
24th Annual Winetasting
Thursday, November 5, 6pm
Georgia State University College of Law
avlfwinetasting.org
PurSHOEing Justice
Wednesday, February 10
King & Spalding
Check our website for details and additional events.
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An Atlanta judge convicted real estate developer Rick Warren on two counts of housing code violations in Atlanta Municipal Court on September 22. See Michael Lucas interviewed by WSB here.
AVLF volunteer attorney Mark S. VanderBroek wrote an article, Why Pro Bono Makes a Difference: A Real-Life Eviction Defense Case, for the Daily Report. Read it on our website, or check out the original post.
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On Friday, October 16, AVLF will honor the following 2014 award winners at the Atlanta Bar Association's Celebrating Service Luncheon. Congratulations, all!
Phillip S. Heiner Award: Taylor English Duma LLP
Safe Families Office Firm of the Year: Jones Day
Guardian ad Litem of the Year: Esther Vayman, Vayman & Teitelbaum, P.C.
Saturday Lawyer of the Year: Adam Masarek
AVLF Hero Award: Ricardo Corporán, Alston & Bird LLP
AVLF Difference Maker Award: Craig Brazeman, Profiles Investigations
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Nikita, a single mom, rented an apartment from a Fulton County landlord. Within a month, she started feeling tired and suffering headaches. She told her landlord she thought there was mold in the home, but he told her he couldn't do anything about it. She called Code Enforcement, which cited the landlord for the mold - but he still did nothing! The mold spread to Nikita's clothing, shoes, and furniture. Fed up, she filed a lawsuit - but she needed help to win her case. Volunteer attorney Herrittaccei Shabazz stepped in. With the help of Nikita's photographs of the damage, Herrittaccei was able to negotiate a settlement for nearly $8,000 - enough to replace everything Nikita lost.
What would you do if your living room flooded every time it rained? Ms. Michaels' landlord made half-hearted attempts to fix the cracked foundation with concrete and tar. Meanwhile, the moisture and mold made Ms. Michaels' four year old asthmatic daughter so sick that Ms. Michaels sent her to live with her grandmother for safety. Ms. Michaels stayed in a hotel at times, and fell behind in rent. Instead of making repairs, the landlord filed an eviction. Jared Miller of Parker Hudson stepped in, and negotiated a lease termination and forgiveness of past-due rent. With Jared's help, Ms. Michaels was able to move into a new apartment and reunite with her daughter!
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Preparations for this year's Winetasting are in full swing at ALVF's headquarters, and we couldn't be more excited. Some things never change: this year's event will still feature excellent wine and food. But we are pleased to announce that we are working with local retailers to assist Winetasting attendees in expediting orders of the wines tasted at the event - as well as any wine and spirits needs for the upcoming holiday season. Additional information will be available closer to the event, so stay tuned.
In addition, we are excited to share that Michael A. Venezia, Corporate Director of Education, United Distributors, Inc., has committed to personally provide educational assistance at this year's Winetasting event to attendees wishing to further explore wine and spirits pairings as you consider your purchases and upcoming holiday plans.
For details about the event, including how to register, please visit http://avlfwinetasting.org/. Hope to see you on November 5!
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On Monday, September 21, AVLF hosted the second installment of AVLF at the Movies and featured the groundbreaking HBO Documentary Film Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert. Over 200 friends of AVLF attended the powerful documentary chronicling the daily struggle of a working mother of three, Katrina Gilbert (pictured bottom left with her mother, Theresa Leonard). After the movie, Katrina headlined a panel of speakers and fielded questions about poverty and her struggle. Joining Katrina were Kelly Dolan, Executive Director of Atlanta Women's Foundation; Melissa Johnson, Policy Analyst, Georgia Budget & Policy Institute; and Cole Thaler, AVLF's Director of Safe & Stable Homes Project. The panel discussed issues related to poverty in Georgia and inspired the crowd to work in the Atlanta community to help those caught in the poverty trap. We are grateful for the generosity of Taylor English and the Daily Report, who made the evening possible. To read more about the event, visit our website. See you next year!
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by Lilli Crowe, AVLF StafferAVLF does amazing work with the people most often taken advantage of in Atlanta: the low-income. In this group, Spanish-speakers are often disproportionately affected by slumlords and unscrupulous employers. I came into this job last year having spoken a little Spanish, but not nearly enough to properly assist these vulnerable clients. I had the opportunity last month to spend two weeks intensively studying Spanish in Monterrico, Guatemala, to help me better support the Spanish-speakers who call our office. READ MORE
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by Ken Franklin, AVLF Junior Board Member and SFO Volunteer
Over the past few years, I have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement with AVLF's Safe Families Office. Safe Families pairs volunteer attorneys with clients to represent the clients at hearings for 12-month protective orders. The objective of Safe Families is to safeguard clients from future domestic violence. Not only does the Safe Families Office give me a great opportunity to get out of my office and into the courtroom, but it also allows me to use my legal education to make a genuine difference in someone else's life. READ MORE
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 Mark your calendars! Members of the Family Law Committee of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia are hosting the 10th Annual Supreme Cork wine tasting and silent auction at 5 Seasons Westside on Thursday, October 22.
Once again this year, the Supreme Cork fundraiser will benefit AVLF's Guardian ad Litem Program and the Safe Families Office. Check our website for details. |
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AVLF thanks the following volunteers for their service during the month of August:
Saturday Lawyer Program
Jonathan Smith, Miller & Martin PLLC; Shelly Anderson, Hunton & Williams; Brittany Cambre, Sutherland; Rachel Weitz, Delta; Jared Miller, Parker Hudson; Sherida Mabon, City of Atlanta; Avital Stadler, Esquire Deposition Solutions; Anastasios Manettas, Attorney at Law; Raquel Hoover, King & Spalding; Jason Marett, King & Spalding; Latoya Brisbane, Holland & Knight; Mellori Lumpkin, Holland & Knight; Teresa Yancey, Attorney at Law; Dennis Kurz, Attorney at Law; Emlyn Lucas, Attorney at Law; Sarah Babcock, Alston & Bird; Mackenzie Heller, Alston & Bird; Eric Mattingly, Alston & Bird; Germaine Austin, Attorney at Law; Rho Thomas, Kilpatrick Townsend; Noelle Abastillas, Kilpatrick Townsend; Hayley Ambler, Kilpatrick Townsend; Neel Gupta, Baker Donelson; Tamorra Buchanon, Attorney at Law; Taylor Owens, Attorney at Law
Eviction Defense Program
Brian Watt, Troutman Sanders; Brian Mink, Troutman Sanders; Jason Edgecombe, Baker Donelson
Saturday Paralegal Program
Marie Kinch; Courtney Sanders; Susana Duran; Chicary Smith; Joshua Braswell; Arvetta Diggs; Elizabeth Overby; Cecile Barnhill; Kenya Carson; LaChunna Bryant; LaKesiya Cofield; Cheryl Ware
Domestic Violence Program
Will Fagan, Duane Morris; Kristy Seidenberg, Law Office of Kristyne L. Seidenberg; Steven Cayton, Cayton Legal; Contessua Walker, King & Spalding LLP; Rachel Hoover, King & Spalding LLP; Jeff Nix, Troutman Sanders LLP; Robert McKemie, Troutman Sanders LLP; Jenn Deal, Kilpatrick Townsend, LLP; Debbie Segal, Kilpatrick Townsend, LLP; Ronald Coleman, Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs, LLP; Andrew Rosenzweig, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarbrough, LLP; Jim Gober, Arnall Golden Gregory, LLP; Jessica Casey, Jones Day; Meredith Kincaid, Jones Day; Danielle Barav-Johnson, Jones Day; Laura Gura, Jones Day; Anatasios Manettas; Alex Wendling; Pilar Whitaker; Abby Herrmann, Georgia State College of Law; Katie Ehrlich, Georgia State College of Law; Charlie Deal, Georgia State College of Law; Marisa Beller, Georgia State College of Law; Candice Bryant
Guardian ad Litem Program
Audrey Beregson, Smith & Lake LLC
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