The Atlanta Lawyer October 2013 | Page 34

AVLF AVLF Award Recipients By Tamera Caldas AVLF [email protected] 2013 AVLF Volunteer of the Year Jane Warring Jane Warring, an active member of our hardworking Junior Board, is a great lawyer who gives every one of her AVLF clients the highest quality legal representation and personal dedication. J a n e Wa r r i n g h a s represented 20 AVLF clients, consistently volunteering over seven years for nearly every one of AVLF’s programs. Perhaps her most distinguishing service is that of honorary adopted granddaughter of her most recent AVLF client, Mr. S. AVLF secured on Mr. S’s behalf. Nearly all his possessions had to be thrown out). She stayed until it was all assembled and organized, including Mr. S’s beloved singing wall trout! For months, Jane even made sure he had enough to eat and helped him manage his diabetes, something with which he struggled with no family visiting him. When Mr. S came to our Saturday clinic, we knew that he was dealing with a severe bedbug problem that the landlord refused to address. We did not know how serious this was until Mr. S – almost 90-years old – sat in the waiting room with bugs literally crawling out of his shirt and neck. Needless to say, the situation was dire – and heartbreaking. It is not an overstatement to say that Mr. S may not have lived another year in that environment, both because the bugs were literally eating at him, but also because medical and other care providers now refused to visit or allow him in their offices due to a fear of infestation. He was wasting away. Myriad legal and logistical challenges made this a seemingly impossible case, but Jane readily accepted it along with another great volunteer, Dan Englander. She ended up being so much more than his attorney. 2013 AVLF Hero Award Liz Shepherd Jane got him out of the lease, advocated aggressively to secure the housing authority’s cooperation to protect his subsidy, and got several predatory creditors off Mr. S’s back. That was just the start. Jane regularly visited Mr. S at his apartment before the move – a place many people would not go. She took Mr. S on several outings to find a new place to live, met with and screened out prospective landlords – avoiding what could have been a few bad situations – and ultimately found the beautiful complex that Mr. S now calls home. Jane coordinated the move herself, Jane, Jane’s mother, and Dan physically moved both Mr. S as well as several rooms of new furnishings that Jane and 34 THE ATLANTA LAWYER October 2013 Just last month, Jane and Mr. S – along with the others that helped with his case and transition – celebrated Mr. S’s birthday at his favorite College Park eatery. At AVLF, we aspire to change lives. In the case of Mr. S, Jane literally saved a life – and gained a friend. We are in awe of all that Jane Warring does. Accordingly, AVLF thanks and congratulates Jane on receiving the 2013 AVLF Volunteer of the Year Award, and was proud to present this award to her at the Atlanta Bar Association’s Celebrating Service Award Luncheon. Rarely does a nonattorney so dramatically improve the prospects of a suit to the point of forcing a quick settlement when previously the defendant refused to even talk. Our 2013 Hero Award recipient, Liz Shepherd, does that on a regular basis. Liz is the founder and lead process server at Triple Threat Legal, a company she started after years as a process server for other firms. She is just as proud of her unofficial position as AVLF’s secret weapon. In the cases that we handle at AVLF, it is not uncommon that unscrupulous employers, slumlords, or abusers become quite skilled at evading service. Sheriff deputies often throw The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association