more than 111 countries around
the globe.
For almost a decade, GAIN ran
its operations from the law firm
of King & Spalding. But in May
2017, the organization began car-
rying out its mission from its new
office space in downtown Atlanta.
In its new home, the organization
furthered its impact by increas-
ing its capacity to serve a grow-
ing number of clients in need of
quality pro bono representation in
their immigration matters. With
an increasing caseload, GAIN has
been fortunate to grow its team
as well, and by the end of 2018,
will have nearly doubled its staff
to keep up with the demand for
its services.
While this growth is positive for
GAIN, it is a direct response to the
challenges facing our immigrant
communities here in Georgia.
GAIN’s services are needed now
more than ever, not just in metro
Atlanta, but also in rural areas of
Georgia where access to immigra-
tion legal services is often limited
or nonexistent. Through federal
funding and the coordination and
cooperation of legal service part-
ners, GAIN expanded its reach
and is now serving the needs of
vulnerable immigrants across the
entire State of Georgia.
At the heart of GAIN’s mission,
vision, and values are the coura-
geous, hardworking, and resilient
clients who are fleeing persecution
in their home countries or have
fallen victim to a crime here in
the United States. From the single
mother from Honduras trying to
escape an abusive marriage, to the
young physician who was deemed
a wanted man by the Syrian gov-
ernment simply for providing
medical care to civilians tortured
by Isis–these are the stories of the
lives impacted by GAIN’s work. To
date, GAIN has proudly assisted
thousands of such individuals es-
cape abusive situations and rebuild
their lives.
While changing immigration poli-
cies have led to widespread confu-
sion, fear, and an overall decrease
in the number of crime victims
coming forward to report their
dangers to law enforcement, GAIN
remains committed to serving the
needs of its clients and to being a
bridge to quality pro bono legal
representation.
GAIN’s work would not be pos-
sible without the generosity of the
Atlanta legal community and the
volunteer attorneys who repre-
sent cases through its Victims of
Violence and Asylum Programs.
On March 23, 2018, GAIN hosted
its fifth annual “Go Formal For
Freedom” Gala at the InterCon-
tinental Buckhead Atlanta where
400 guests came together to honor
the resilience of GAIN’s clients
and to celebrate the contributions
of our pro bono legal commu-
nity. That evening, GAIN awarded
the Honorable Beverly Baldwin
Martin with the Commitment to
Justice Award, Alexandra Holland,
of Ogletree, Deakins as the Volun-
teer Attorney of the Year for the
Victims of Violence Program, Joe
Reynolds and John Moye of Kil-
patrick, Townsend and Stockton as
Volunteer Attorneys of the Year for
the Asylum Program, Fragomen,
Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
as Volunteer Law Firm of the Year
and Crispin Ilombe Wilondja, as
the Client Inspiration Award hon-
oree. GAIN’s guests came together
for this tremendous occasion to
applaud the award winners and
support safety, opportunity and
freedom for GAIN clients and
immigrant victims of crime and
persecution.
To learn more about GAIN’s mis-
sion or to donate, please visit www.
georgiaasylum.org.
▪
Written by Monica Modi Khant (GAIN
Executive Director), Article contribu-
tion by Mikaela Houghton and Alpa
Amin.
Pictured from left to right: Karla Diaz
(Victims of Violence Attorney), Monica
Khant (Executive Director), Mikaela
Houghton (Office & Development
Coordinator), Amir Naim (Asylum
Attorney), Alpa Amin (Director of
Legal Services), William Hoffmann
(Senior Counsel)
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER
15