Corporate Volunteers of the Year
Dara Redler, The Coca-Cola Company
Dara Redler has enthusiastically volunteered to assist four different Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta clients since January of 2007. First paired with Atlanta Community Enrichment (ACE), Dara helped this organization draft various agreements with providers of the after school enrichment programs that ACE is bringing to low-income schools. Dara also drafted various waivers and releases for two nonprofits that work with youth – Diamond in the Rough, which provides youth programs, group mentoring, life skills training, leadership development, and family enrichment to girls ages 10 to 18, and Inspiring Bodyworks, which cultivates strong, healthy and well-balanced kids through its fitness classes for low-income children. Finally, Dara provided legal advice and reviewed several documents for Senior Citizens Services’ HOMES program, which does home repairs for low-income elderly people.
Dara Redler is Senior Counsel at The Coca-Cola Company. She attended the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School, Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Duke University School of Law.
Matt Drain, Newell Recycling
Since taking on his first Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta matter in 2006, Matt Drain has represented four different nonprofit clients with a variety of legal needs. A soccer fan himself, Matt first provided corporate advice to Soccer in the Streets, a nonprofit that teaches less advantaged kids to make positive choices in life through soccer. Matt drafted several agreements for Soccer in the Streets in order to help the organization formalize its relationship with affiliates around the country. Matt then volunteered to help Georgia Youth Science and Technology Centers with a similar matter, drawn to the client because of his interest in science. Matt recently drafted an agreement for Omosaze Inc., a Saturday reading program for underperforming early elementary school students. In addition to his work representing nonprofit clients, Matt presented a workshop on Understanding Contracts to a group of low-income entrepreneurs enrolled in the Goodwill Industries BusinessNow program for which he received rave reviews from program participants.
A graduate of Case Western Reserve University (J.D.) and John Carroll University (B.S and M.S), Matt Drain is General Counsel of Newell Recycling.
Law Firm Volunteers of the Year
Rebecca Williams, Troutman Sanders
When Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta was seeking an attorney to present a workshop on “Legal Issues of Working with Volunteers”, Troutman Sanders Associate Rebecca Williams raised her hand. While this employment lawyer was much more familiar with the legal issues of working with employees than those involving volunteers, Rebecca thoroughly researched the topic and prepared a presentation geared towards nonprofits. The original workshop at the Atlanta Community Food Bank was so well-received that the United Way of Metro Atlanta requested that Rebecca give the presentation as well. Additionally, Troutman Sanders hosted another presentation of the workshop which was attended by about 20 nonprofit representatives.
Rebecca has encouraged others to become volunteers by asking attorneys and summer associates to join in her presentation. For example, she partnered with John Cooper of Turner Broadcasting in participating on a panel for Go Girl Go! related to volunteer legal issues. Rebecca has presented variations of the workshop on five different occasions for Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta in the past year.
A graduate of the University of Georgia (B.A. 1995) and Emory University (J.D. 1998), Rebecca practices employment law at Troutman Sanders.
Andrew Scott, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker
Paul Hastings Corporate Partner Andy Scott started volunteering with Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta in January 2007 when he drafted a participant agreement for Zion Hill Community Development Corporation’s transitional housing program. Zion Hill CDC provides housing and supportive services to two families of formerly homeless women and their children. They needed their participants to sign an agreement setting out the requirements of the program and Andy Scott quickly and carefully crafted a document that addressed all of their needs. Next, Andy volunteered to draft a resident manager agreement for Impact International, a nonprofit in Carrollton, Georgia that recently opened the only homeless shelter in West Georgia. The client called the agreement “perfect” and Andy has volunteered to review an additional contract for them. Most recently, Andy volunteered to assist Mothers Raising Sons, a nonprofit that seeks to educate and empower single mothers raising boys by providing support groups, activities and positive male role models. In addition to providing general corporate advice, Andy is advising Mothers Raising Sons on the best way to set up chapters in other locations.
Andy practices in the areas of commercial law, licensing, intellectual property, trade regulation and franchise law. He received his B.A. degree in 1970 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. degree in 1984 from the University of Southern California.
Special Appreciation Award
Charles Lester
Heavily involved with Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta since its beginning, Charlie Lester has served as the unofficial host of the organization at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, which has donated office space and major funding to the Partnership since its founding in 2005. Given his leadership in countless pro bono activities and legal organizations, it is no surprise that Charlie was asked to help Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta. It is surprising that has Charlie found the time to give so much to the organization in light of his other obligations. Taking advantage of his popularity in the legal community, Charlie has opened many doors for the very young organization. Charlie has also become the “go-to” person for legal matters that fall outside of the mission of Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, but are otherwise worthy of pro bono support, such as litigation matters. Under his leadership, over 40 Sutherland Asbill & Brennan attorneys have volunteered to assist Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta clients. Charlie will retire from Sutherland Asbill & Brennan at the end of 2007 and Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta joins countless others in wishing him well.
A graduate of Emory University (B.A. and J.D.), Charlie is a past president of the State Bar of Georgia and past president of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar. While holding these positions, he served on the Judicial Nominating Commission for three governors. He is also the recipient of the State Bar of Georgia Distinguished Service Award and Pro Bono Service Award. Charlie has served as Co-Chair of the Minority Counsel Program and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Georgia Bar Foundation. He is a former co-chair of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and a recipient of that Committee’s Whitney North Seymour Award.
Corporation of the Year
The Coca-Cola Company
Law Firm of the Year
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
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