The COVID-19 pandemic could not stop the Atlanta office’s clinic with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF) Saturday Lawyer Program.
On March 21, 2020, McGuireWoods Atlanta partner Art Gambill and associates Laura Bentley and Michael Tydir conducted their one-hour sessions via videoconference instead of at AVLF’s downtown Atlanta location, as was originally planned.
Each pro bono client was paired with an attorney and/or paralegal for assistance with housing issues ranging from repair problems to wrongfully withheld security deposits.
The ALVF is the largest provider of pro bono legal services in Atlanta, primarily in the areas of landlord/tenant disputes, wage claims and family law/domestic abuse. For more than 40 years, AVLF has sponsored a Saturday Lawyer Program clinic, where pro bono clients meet with volunteer lawyers and paralegals to discuss housing disputes and wage issues. Volunteer lawyers and paralegals conduct intake interviews with the clients and then determine with AVLF staff whether pro bono assistance can be provided.