Georgia Online Justice Community

Troutman Sanders, LLP is hosting a meeting with representatives from the Board and staff of Kids in Need of Defense, Inc. ("KIND") to discuss the critical legal services needs of unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in Atlanta and the surrounding region.

KIND is an innovative partnership among the Microsoft Corporation, Angelina Jolie and other interested philanthropists, law firms and corporate contributors which is dedicated to providing pro bono representation and to facilitating system changes in law and policy to benefit unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children.

In building its successful model, KIND relies on the legal skills and community spirit of the private bar. They have an infrastructure of pro bono coordinators that assign, monitor, mentor, train and coordinate legal representation provided by law firms and corporate legal departments in their targeted cities. KIND is also partnering with NGOs with expertise in working with unaccompanied children and KIND provides fellowships for attorneys and paralegals at NGOs to dedicate their time and talent to exclusively represent unaccompanied children.

KIND is considering expanding its operations beyond its current sites in Los Angeles, Houston, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Newark, New York and Boston. As Atlanta is a major receiving site for unaccompanied children, the organization is considering the establishment of a presence in Atlanta and would welcome the input of the Atlanta legal community on the efficacy of doing so.

Representatives of nonprofit advocacy programs in Georgia will join KIND representatives to discuss KIND's launch and goals in Atlanta and opportunity for partnerships. The meeting will be held on Friday, July 9th from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. at Troutman Sanders located 600 Peachtree St. NE, 52nd floor, Atlanta, GA 30303.

RSVP: Dorothy Jackson Stallworth at 404-885-3836 or dorothy.stallworth@troutmansanders.com.