On August 12, the ACC-GA monthly luncheon focused on "Pro Bono for the In-House Attorney".  Sponsored by Sutherland, the program began with a presentation by Rachel Epps Spears, Executive Director of Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta (PBPA).  The mission of PBPA is to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for in-house attorneys to do pro bono work.  Spears told the audience of in-house attorneys about the way that PBPA accomplishes this mission, namely by matching volunteer lawyers with nonprofits in need of free legal assistance.  Volunteer attorneys assist nonprofit clients with their business legal needs, such as drafting corporate policies, reviewing employee handbooks, registering trademarks and negotiating contracts.  PBPA works to address the challenges of in-house attorneys in doing pro bono by providing malpractice insurance, making available forms and resources, pairing them with co-counsel upon request and offering to take back pro bono matters if a volunteer gets too busy. 

 The PBPA presentation was followed by a panel of in-house attorneys discussing pro bono work.  Moderated by Mark Wasserman, Managing Partner of Sutherland, the panel included Tom Bishop of Southern Company, Frank Landgraff of GE Energy, Kari Moeller of Turner Broadcasting System and Elizabeth Finn Johnson of The Coca-Cola Company.  The panelists discussed the reasons why they do pro bono work, the challenges they face in doing it and how they address those challenges.  The panelists also discussed their company's involvement in pro bono and had tips for lawyers who wanted to start a pro bono program in their legal department.  The advice stressed the importance of gaining support from the General Counsel, tying into the overall volunteer efforts of the corporation, and finding ways to recognize pro bono involvement. 

Michelle McDonald of Primerica said of the event, "the panel helped me realize that pro bono was something that I could do, even as an in-house lawyer.  It also inspired me to get pro bono efforts started in my legal department."  McDonald did just that following the luncheon and three of her colleagues at Primerica have assisted PBPA clients.

A number of ACC-GA members have signed up for pro bono matters through PBPA since the August event.  UPS attorney Betsy Griswold advised the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy on various intellectual property issues; Facility Group General Counsel George Sewell assisted Home Repairs Ministry with various construction-related contracts and GE Energy attorney Suellen Bergman has advised five different PBPA clients on website and technology-related issues.  

Attorneys interested in receiving PBPA's monthly email with volunteer opportunities should email Spears at rachel.spears@pbpatl.org. 

Meet ACC-GA’s Minority Intern for 2009, Michael Urbino

By Matt Schwartz, VP of Outreach Initiatives

The Georgia Chapter of the ACC is pleased to announce that it is continuing its tradition of sponsoring and coordinating an in-house counsel summer internship for worthy first-year laws students with minority backgrounds.  This year, over 60 applications were submitted from Georgia law schools.  After careful review and deliberation, the chapter’s Outreach Initiatives Committee unanimously selected an extremely compelling candidate in Michael Urbina.  

Michael was born and raised in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. As a young boy, he became the Puerto Rican Equestrian sub-champion in the 6-9 year old division.  Michael developed a keen interest in the law from observing his grandfather who is a renowned lawyer, judge, senator, and legislator in Puerto Rico.  He moved to Georgia 10 years ago at the age of 13. At age 14, he helped his father start his own family business. In an effort to meet new people, Michael joined several service groups in the Hispanic community in Cartersville, Marietta, Norcross, and Atlanta. These groups were branches of the “Experiencia Cristo” project, which is designed to edify young adults by improving their communication skills, strengthen their character to avoid lives of vice, and encourage them to become leaders in their community. By the age of 15, Michael had become a director in several of these groups.

Michael resolved to create a program specifically tailored to Hispanic teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18. He proposed a workshop to Renovación Conyugal, Inc. that would build character and leadership skills for teens while promoting durable communication skills within their families. Michael then created several committees and organizational procedures that have rendered the project enormously successful. Since 2005, the program named “Renovación Juvenil” (“RJ”) has reached over 1,500 teenagers in Georgia and South Carolina while averaging 120 teenagers per workshop. As a result of this success, RJ is in high demand throughout the Southeastern region of the United States.

Michael attended Georgia State University where he graduated with a B.B.A. in Managerial Sciences. In 2008, Michael enrolled in the John Marshall Law School where he has recently finished his first year within the Top Ten percentile of his class.  Michael has also participated in numerous school events, and became the Service Committee Chair for the Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity.

Michael enjoys reading, movies, playing basketball, traveling, and learning about new concepts in the field of law, theology, history, politics, communications, and business. Michael hopes to improve his academic achievements, increase his involvement in school and fraternity functions, and continue to develop the RJ project in the future.  Michael would like to practice corporate law when he graduates from law school.

Michael will be participating in three different company rotations throughout this summer, which will be graciously hosted by our colleagues at Invesco, Crawford & Co. and Kemira Chemcicals, Inc.

Please join us in congratulating Michael Urbina on this special achievement and in wishing him the best as he acquires meaningful experience in diverse corporate practices. 

EPIC Recipient, Angela Oliver, Gains Far Reaching Public Interest Experiences This Summer

By Matt Schwartz, VP Outreach Initiatives

Angela Oliver, a rising third year student at Emory University School of Law, has the opportunity this summer to intern with the Region IV, Regional Counsel's Office for The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Atlanta, Georgia.  Angela was selected for this internship through a HUD Regional Counsel's Office interview, established through Carolyn Roan-King, Emory University School of Law's Assistant Director of Recruiting, as part of the school's on-campus interview program.  Angela is supported this summer by an Emory Public Interest Committee grant sponsored by the Association of Corporate Counsel – Georgia Chapter. 

 HUD's mission is to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination.  Attorneys with HUD handle a wide range of housing related matters, including issues and cases, to assist in HUD's mission.  Angela is interning this summer in the Fair Housing and Employment Law Division within the Regional Counsel's Office for HUD.  The Fair Housing and Employment Law Division's main focuses are civil rights enforcement and litigating cases of discrimination to ensure equal access to housing. 

Angela is working with the senior fair housing attorney in the division.  Angela's work has included assisting with counseling program clients on investigations, assisting in the preparation of civil rights investigations, and assisting with the analysis and review of case files.  Through this experience, she is enhancing her skills and abilities by writing legal memorandums and conducting research assignments.  She is also learning about various aspects of the litigation process, including legal document review, preparation of privilege logs (seeking to protect confidential information), and researching privilege issues.  Angela has had a wide range of experiences this summer including helping to file charges with Administrative Law Judges, participating in various housing, employment, and legal related trainings, assisting with document preparation, conferring with headquarters on novel and complex cases, conducting research, and strategizing with attorneys regarding cases.

Angela has the opportunity this summer to participate in public service first hand, by directly serving others.  Through these internship experiences, she is working to enforce civil rights statutes to protect individuals and others from unlawful discrimination.  Angela is an active member of the Emory Public Interest Committee and is committed to public service.  Throughout her first years in law school, Angela has been active in community service and participated in several pro bono opportunities.  Through her internship this summer, Angela is able to further her commitment to public service by working to enforce federal laws that prohibit discrimination and work towards providing equal access to housing. 

The Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) promotes and supports public interest opportunities at Emory and in the local and global community through educational, networking, and social events. Every year in February, EPIC hosts the Inspiration Awards. The Inspiration Awards event is an annual event which honors the efforts of local public interest law heroes in the Atlanta community. The event also raises money for summer grants for students taking otherwise unfunded public interest summer jobs. EPIC is grateful for the generosity of the ACC Georgia Chapter this year which made Angela's internship experience and public service possible.