the presentation, as well as the
contacts I made, to work on a case
here in New Jersey (I recently
moved from Georgia to New Jersey
for a few years). It was immensely
helpful, and I really appreciated the
benefits I received.”
Hon. Fatima Harris Felton, a Ju-
dicial Officer in Fulton County
Superior Court noted, “I attended
the domestic violence training and
learned about the financial, mental,
and societal challenges facing vic-
tims. It was a refresher on the laws
surrounding stalking and domestic
violence. I believe this new knowl-
edge will make me a better attorney
and judge.”
PBPA volunteer attorneys advise
nonprofit clients in the areas of
corporate, contracts, employment,
intellectual property, real estate,
and tax, but the most common
request is for employment help.
PBPA’s nonprofit clients typically
need advice on worker classifica-
tion, employee handbooks and
hiring/firing. The focus of the Pro
Bono March Madness session was
on providing guidance on general
employment laws affecting non-
profit organizations. The discus-
sion covered the creation and/or
review of employee and volunteer
handbooks, proper compensa-
tion of employees and volunteers
under the Fair Labor Standards
Act, and the use of other types of
workers in the nonprofit work en-
vironment, including independent
contractors, volunteers and interns.
The panel of expert employment
attorneys who presented at the
session included Ariel Fenster of
Seyfarth Shaw LLP; Abigail Larimer
of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP;
Robert Lewis, Regional Counsel
for ERISA and Employee Benefits
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April/May 2019
with the U.S. Department of Labor;
and myself, from the Employment
Counsel for Pro Bono Partnership
of Atlanta.
Maria Rodriguez of Kids in Need
of Defense (KIND) explained, “This
year, KIND and Catholic Charities
participated in Pro Bono March
Madness to train Atlanta attorneys
interested in seeking immigration
relief for immigrant children in the
state of Georgia. We look forward
to participating in Pro Bono Mad-
ness every year to continue training
future attorneys interested in doing
this rewarding work and to support
attorneys already helping immigrant
children across the state. KIND has
partnered with more than 600 law
firms, corporations, law schools,
and bar associations nationwide
to represent unaccompanied immi-
grant and refugee children in their
deportation proceedings. Together,
we can ensure that no child stands
in court alone.”
“I presented Atlanta Legal Aid’s
Wills and Advance Directives train-
ing, co-sponsored by Women in
the Profession Section, with Payal
Kapoor,” stated John Warchol of
Atlanta Legal Aid. “There was so
much interest in the topic that we
were moved to a larger conference
room to accommodate the 70+
registrants. The seminar went very
well. Payal and I have presented
this topic more than 20 times, in-
cluding at March Madness for the
past four years, but we both think
this year was the best yet! We fed
off the positive energy from the at-
tendees and their questions. Their
answers to our questions confirmed
they were there to learn rather than
just get a last-minute CLE.”
Murti Bhakta (left) and Leslie Lipson
(right)
On March 26th, Atlanta Legal Aid
Society, Inc. hosted a Continu-
ing Legal Education event about
Special Education services and
advocacy, to over 40 interested
attorneys as part of Pro Bono
March Madness. Disability Integra-
tion Project attorney, Murti Bhakta
and Leslie Lipson, with Lipson
Advocacy presented the training
to prepare attorneys to participate
in a Pro Bono Project designed to
support students with disabilities to
experience a quality education on
Georgia schools.
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER
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