Middle Georgia Justice

2020 has been an amazing year for Justice here in Middle Georgia! This year we: assisted over 1,000 members of our community with their legal issues; opened our new Family Law Self -Help Center; hired a new Staff Attorney to focus on heirs property and family law; partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help clear up deed problems in low-income neighborhoods; and helped people improve their employment prospects by clearing up criminal record issues We couldn't have done this without the support of this community! Please consider a tax-deductible donation today, so we can make 2021 an even better year for justice in Middle Georgia! https://middlegeorgiajustice.networkforgood.com//89617-gen

Our Mayor Elect, Lester Miller for Mayor, is going to make fighting blight a priority. In this article he notes something very important - blight starts when you have deed problems on properties. That is exactly why we have partnered with Macon Area Habitat for Humanity on a grant to try and fix deeds on properties before they become blight. https://41nbc.com//mayor-elect-administration-taking-step/

Yesterday was a HUGE day in the history of Middle Georgia Justice. It was the first day of work for our first-ever Staff Attorney, Karin Vinson! Join me in welcoming her to Middle Georgia Justice - she is going to be a gamechanger for us as we seek to help the members of this community!

Our Executive Director and our Board President had fun yesterday finishing some of the last bits for our virtual "A Taste for Justice" event. It's taken a while for it all to come together, but we hope the result will be something worth watching. Amyre Makupson and the folks at WMUB have been an absolute godsend in helping us put this together.

A special edition of our newsletter is out, announcing our 2nd annual "A Taste for Justice," and the creation of our new Staff Attorney position. Fingers crossed, we hope to be able to announce a hire soon! https://www.mgajustice.org//2020/10/October-2020-newslette

Announcing the Platinum and Gold sponsors for our Second Annual "A Taste For Justice." This year's event is virtual, and will contain information about us, our community partners, and entertainment from our community. Stay tuned for more info!

Congratulations to our Board member, Tomieka Daniel, who is the inaugural recipient of the Mercer Black Law Students Association Alumni of the Year Award! We are so proud of Attorney Daniel, and fourtunate to have her on our board. https://youtu.be/WvRBYoiHRpg

Indigent people can request a waiver of the service lid waste fee.

Position Overview: The Staff Attorney will be available to represent clients in a variety of civil matters, including property, probate, divorce, child support, legitimation, child custody, landlord/tenant disputes, and other legal matters that affect low income members of the Middle Georgia community . The Staff Attorney will also assist patrons in our Self-Help Center. Essential Job Functions:... Meet with clients to discuss pending case and to devise strategies Travel, when necessary, within our seven county service area (Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, and Twiggs Counties) to meet with clients Represent clients in court proceedings in Superior Court and Probate Court Assist clients with clearing and correcting titles to deeds on their homes to reflect current ownership of property Research cases by interviewing witnesses, reading depositions, reviewing evidence, and speaking with the client to determine the best strategy for case Attend court proceedings on behalf of clients and advise clients following each proceeding about the best strategies Provide legal guidance and support Maintains a good relationship with local court personnel, including judges, in order to maintain a reputation of efficiency, professionalism, and reliability for Middle Georgia Justice Maintain detailed client files to ensure effective representation. Adhere at all times to the highest professional standards for the practice of law Requirements of Position Applicants: Must be a member in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia Experience preferred, especially in property and/or family law Willingness to meet personally with all clients Reliable transportation Possess an understanding of the needs of low income members of our community Ability to work independently Ability to pass a criminal background check Willingness to understand and adhere to the confidentiality requirements of the organization

So happy for our superstar Board member, Connie Williford!

We just received a very significant donation. We are not authorized yet to disclose the donor or the amount, but their note struck us: "Truly I say unto you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40 Wow, the blessings just keep coming!

We are excited to report that we have received a large grant for a game-changing, collaborative project with Macon Area Habitat for Humanity! This grant will fund a staff attorney position for the purpose of clearing up deeds in low income neighborhoods in Macon. It will also fund stipends for law students at Mercer Law School to assist with this work! Macon has a very large issue with folks living in houses that belonged to their parents/other family members, where the prope...rty deed still shows the deceased family member as the owner. This causes problems for people when they go to apply for a loan, when they seek assistance from Habitat for Humanity and other resource providers, or even when they have a property insurance claim. It is one of the most frequent issues we see here at Middle Georgia Justice. This grant will enable us to really attack this need in a way that will be transformative to these neighborhoods, and thus the entire city of Macon! The grant is paid for out of Bank of America settlement funds set aside for the State of Georgia, and our grant was reviewed and approved by the Georgia Bar Foundation, who is administering these funds! We are so thankful to the Georgia Bar Foundation and Macon Area Habitat for Humanity in making this grant possible!

This has been an incredible week for justice in Middle Georgia! We received word we were awarded not 1, not 2, not 3 but FOUR separate grants! I will describe three of them here, but only tease the fourth because it deserves its own post: 1. We were awarded an IOLTA grant from the Georgia Bar Foundation in the amount of $15,000, which is payable in four quarterly installments, and is significantly more than our grant from them last year; 2. We were awarded a Fellows Grant fro...m the Georgia Bar Foundation in the amount of $10,000, which is double what we received from them last year; 3. We received a grant from the Bank of America Foundation in the amount of $7,500. Phew!