About the Foundation

The Lawyers Foundation was founded in 1978 as the Public Service Foundation. It was established as a strictly voluntary organization and remains so to this day. When IOLTA was established in 1985, and the funds from that source became available to the Georgia Bar Foundation, the Public Service Foundation remained active only through its support of the HSMT program, the Marshall Fund for LRE, the Pro Bono Project and a few other projects. The Georgia Bar Foundation, funded by mandatory IOLTA funds, was in a position to fund many projects around the state, with a primary focus on legal services and indigent defense.

In the 1990s, as legal communities around the country became alarmed at the negative and often prejudicial attitudes toward attorneys, they responded by establishing voluntary foundations committed to improving the administration of justice, increasing public awareness and knowledge of the law, and fostering the principles of duty and service to the public. In 1996, the Board of Directors of the Public Service Foundation realized that there was a strong need for a strictly voluntary nonprofit organization that would enable all members of the State Bar of Georgia to contribute toward those efforts - something by and for the lawyers of Georgia. In 1998, the name of the Public Service Foundation was changed to the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia, and the Foundation began once again to establish its presence in the legal community. The Fellows Program became the membership body of the Foundation, the Foundation began funding a variety of projects as funds became available, and various events were held to encourage the participation of the Fellows as well as other members of the bar.

The Younger Lawyers Division, the YLD, has a service project every year, and the funds raised by the YLD are held by the LFG. These funds are used within a short time of receipt by the Foundation. For the last three years, the service project has been to treat underprivileged children to a day at the Atlanta Zoo.

In 1999, the LFG contributed to the Client Care Kit, an information packet that was distributed to all active members of the Bar. The grant was in the amount of approximately $8500.

For the last 4 years, LFG worked with Hands On Atlanta and several Atlanta area law firms and put together Service Juris, a service day for Atlanta Area Lawyers - about 530 attorneys participated this year, and the program will be repeated next year. The LFG has donated $1500 each year to the project. The program will be repeated this year.

Beginning in 2000, the Foundation has awarded challenge grants to a variety of local and voluntary bars and sections of the State Bar of Georgia, as well as other law related organizations. The projects funded by these grants include: Western Circuit Bar Association Literacy Program, Georgia Legal Services Program Public Awareness Campaign, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys Civil Pro Bono Project, High School Mock Trial Training Video, Cobb County Legal Aid, Augusta Conference of African American Attorneys Scholarship Program, A Business Commitment Pro Bono Project, and many others. To date, 15 grants have been awarded, totaling more than $90,000. The Challenge Grants will once again be awarded this year.

The Lawyers Foundation of Georgia has become an important and vital part of the legal community in Georgia. Although its grants to date have been small for the most part, it has begun to complement the efforts of the other law related organizations and charities around the state. As it increases its endowment and the grants it awards become larger and more widespread, the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia will fulfill its mission of enhancing the system of justice, supporting the lawyers who serve it and assisting the community served by it.

For more information, contact
Lauren Larmer Barrett at
lfg_lauren@bellsouth.net
(404) 659-6867

104 Marietta St. NW
Suite 630
Atlanta, GA 30303

"The Charity of Choice for Georgia Lawyers."