The Atlanta Lawyer June/July 2020 Vol. 19, No. 1 | Page 31

grown exponentially as they have suffered higher rates of job loss, housing and food insecurity, and more. As an attorney, you can help our clients gain stability in these uncertain times by volunteering for a pro bono case in our Asylum or Victims of Violence programs or by supporting our work with a financial contribution. We welcome you to learn more about our work and how you can get involved, by visiting georgiaasylum.org or contacting Alpa Amin, Director of Legal Services ([email protected]). Atlanta Legal Aid Society Atlanta Legal Aid Society was born out of the civil rights movement. We make a systemic difference by fighting poverty and oppression and pushing for racial justice. Many of our clients are victims of housing and job discrimination because of their race. We see firsthand that many of our Black clients are afraid to trust law enforcement when facing domestic violence. Through this important time in our history, we continue to fight for our clients against injustice and discrimination every day. By law, Atlanta Legal Aid can only provide information about people's rights during a protest (rather than give legal advice or tell anyone to protest); we continue to provide public resources and information at GeorgiaLegalAid.org. Join us as a volunteer for Atlanta Legal Aid and use your legal skills to join this fight. Right now, the key civil legal issues we see clients face involve those most basic of needs: safety, support, and somewhere to come home to. By advocating for a client in a Temporary Protective Order hearing, you can help ensure a client is safe. In our Public Benefits Project, you can reach out to clients and assist them with accessing public benefits, including special COVID-19 resources. In volunteering for housing cases, you are the difference between homelessness and a client having a safe place to call home. Volunteers can connect with these projects and others on our website at legalaidprobono.org or by emailing the Pro Bono Director, Cari Hipp, at chipp@ atlantalegalaid.org. Information about contributing to our work in other ways can be found at https://atlantalegalaid.org/waysto-give/. Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation As Atlanta’s largest provider of pro bono legal services, Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation’s mission is to create safe and stable homes and families by inspiring the fight for equal justice. Our advocacy focuses on two main issues: landlord/tenant disputes and intimate partner abuse – both of which have significant intersections with systemic racism in Georgia. COMMUNITY • Studies have shown that women, girls, and non-binary people of color are hyper-vulnerable to abuse and often are apprehensive about calling the police on their abusers out of fear of being arrested themselves. Our Standing with Survivors program is a great example of how developing relationships with law enforcement and educating and training police officers can help survivors of color. • Housing inequality is not raceneutral and disproportionately harms communities of color. Our Eviction Defense program, emergency financial assistance program, and tenant advocacy work combat the effects of systemic racism in Atlanta by allocating legal and financial resources to tenants in crisis. You can help by volunteering. We need both remote volunteers and front line volunteers who are willing to stand with our clients in court. We need all hands on deck: attorneys, paralegals, law students, and anyone else who is committed to the fight for equal justice. Learn more about our volunteer opportunities at avlf.org/volunteer. You can also help by donating. With your support, we can continue to stand with our Black and Brown clients against racial injustice in our community. Visit avlf.org/ donate to change a life today. Connecting Lawyers with Offices and Offices with Lawyers. LawSpaceMatch.com: Working from home not cutting it? Find sanitized law offices with empty LawSpace for lease. www.LawSpacematch.com is exclusively for lawyers sharing LawSpace. Search for LawSpace by zip code and let us do the work. Sign up and save your search. Receive email notifications when LawSpace becomes available in your desired area. www.atlantabar.org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 31