Atlanta has been affectionately nicknamed a “city in a forest” for the amazing tree canopy that surrounds it. Recognizing the importance of this greenspace, Marcia Bansley, in partnership with other community groups and concerned citizens, founded Trees Atlanta in 1985 as a way to preserve and protect Atlanta’s urban forest. Since the first 46 trees were planted on Carnegie Way in 1986, Trees Atlanta has planted 170,000 trees and expanded into a widely recognized organization dedicated to the preservation of our urban environment.
Trees Atlanta participated in a Legal Check Up (LCU) with Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta earlier this year. Business Development Director Mike Vinciquerra said the LCU was a “great launching point” for helping Trees Atlanta identify potential legal challenges. “It’s time intensive but necessary, and [PBPA] made it much easier on us than we anticipated to identify areas we needed to address.”
Trees Atlanta is a multifaceted nonprofit with various programs, including tree planting and care, forest restoration, adult and youth education and camps, and advocacy. Atlanta citizens have ample opportunities to learn and volunteer and may be surprised by the many benefits trees offer their communities. Besides bringing beauty, shade, and higher property values, trees can also help keep temperatures down, reduce stormwater runoff, improve air quality, and even lower traffic speeds in neighborhood areas.
According to Vinciquerra, Trees Atlanta has expanded and grown much more complex in the past ten years. He’s grateful for PBPA’s assistance in highlighting the legal risks associated with a larger organization and helping Trees Atlanta confront them. PBPA Senior Corporate Counsel Justine Cowan has been their main point of contact as they tackled issues such as updating their articles and bylaws and strengthening their liability waivers and contract agreements. Vinciquerra was impressed by the quick responsiveness Trees Atlanta received from Cowan and the volunteer attorneys who have helped them on these matters.
“The fact that we now have someone we can turn to for some quick advice … has been highly valuable and a pleasant surprise,” said Vinciquerra.
PBPA has assisted Trees Atlanta on over 15 projects, with more to come. Vinciquerra remarked that he feels “very confident” in trusting PBPA to help them tackle any legal issues that crop up in the future.
Volunteer attorneys who have worked with Trees Atlanta include: Richard Maddox (Cox Enterprises), Mark Littmann (Chick-fil-A), Juan Bernal (Alston & Bird), J. Matt Maguire (Parks, Chesin, Walbert), and Christina Wood and Steve Cave (King & Spalding).