Release date: Jan. 10, 2003
Contact: Elaine Justice, Associate Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-727-0643 or ejustic@emory.edu

Law School's EPIC Awards to Feature Mayor Franklin

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin will be the presenter for Emory University School of Law’s seventh annual Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) Inspiration Awards. The ceremony and reception will be held 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28 in the law school’s Tull Auditorium.

Each year, EPIC honors three outstanding attorneys who have demonstrated a strong commitment to public interest law. This year’s recipients are: Emmet J. Bondurant of the Atlanta firm Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore, LLP; Debbie Segal, pro bono partner at Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP; and Karen E. Brown, staff attorney for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society Inc. Home Defense Program.

EPIC is a student organization that promotes law in the public interest at Emory Law School, encourages and helps law students get jobs in public interest law practice, administers and supports public interest programs at the law school, and promotes the professional responsibility of lawyers and law students to make legal services more accessible.

The awards ceremony is the major fund-raiser for EPIC. Donations are used to provide stipends for law students who pursue summer internships with public interest agencies. Donations are accepted at various levels with a minimum of $25 requested. Inquiries about contributions and reservations should be directed to Sue McAvoy, Emory’s public interest adviser, at 404-727-5503 or smcavoy@law.emory.edu.

Last year, EPIC raised more than $50,000, which provided 11 grants. Students worked at agencies such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, Children's Rights of New York City, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, based in Belgrade, Serbia.

Bondurant, who will receive the Lifetime Commitment to Public Service Award, currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of both the Georgia Resource Center and Common Cause. He helped found the law firm Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore, LLP more than 25 years ago, and his career has included a strong commitment to community service and pro bono litigation, including death penalty cases. He has spent decades in various positions with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, beginning as director in 1968, vice-president of the organization in 1971 and president in 1972. He also served as chairman of the fund-raising campaign in 1997.

During his career, Bondurant has served other organizations including the Atlanta Commission on Crime & Juvenile Delinquency and the Governor’s Atlanta-Fulton County Study Commission. Among his honors are the Good Government Award from the League of Women Voters of Atlanta-Fulton County, the Georgia Indigent Defense Council's Harold G. Clarke Equal Justice Award and the Anti-Defamation League's Elbert P. Tuttle Jurisprudence Award. In July 2001, the National Law Journal recognized Bondurant as one of the top 10 trial lawyers in the United States.

Bondurant graduated magna cum laude with an LL.B. degree from the University of Georgia Law School. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he also received an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.

Segal, who will receive the Outstanding Leadership in the Public Interest Award, has devoted her career as an attorney to helping indigents and others who may not have access to justice. Currently, she is the pro bono partner for Kilpatrick Stockton, the first Georgia law firm to create such a position. Segal leads the firm's attorneys in providing pro bono services to low-income clients and community groups. As former executive director for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, she was responsible for administration of the city’s largest pro bono program. During her tenure at the foundation, Segal created and directed a guardian ad litem program for children in contested custody cases, a third-year law student clinical program, and projects for victims of domestic violence, disabled children and battered immigrant women, among others.

Segal, who began her career as a staff attorney with Atlanta Legal Aid, has received numerous awards throughout her career. Her dedication was recognized in Atlanta Magazine's "Women Making a Mark" 2002 issue. She also has received the Families First Award from the Atlanta Bar Association Family Law Section, the Professionalism Award from the State Bar of Georgia Family Law Section, and the Community Service Award from Emory Law School Legal Association for Women Students. She currently serves as chairwoman of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service.

Segal received her J.D. degree from Emory Law School, and a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University.

Brown, staff attorney for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Home Defense Fund, will receive the Unsung Devotion to Those Most in Need Award. In her position, Brown represents and provides referrals for elderly, low- and moderate-income homeowners and homebuyers. Cases involve foreclosure assistance, fraud, home purchase and predatory mortgage lending schemes. Brown also trains lawyers, housing counselors and homeowners on home equity, home purchase scams and remedies under federal and state consumer protection laws. Brown has worked in other capacities at Atlanta Legal Aid, including representing the elderly on access to income, medical care and affordable housing.

Brown has successfully litigated or settled numerous cases involving predatory mortgage lending. One case involved a mentally disabled homeowner who was targeted by a home repair company--which provided shoddy, but expensive work--and a sub prime lender, which provided the loan at almost 20 percent. The case was settled without litigation. In addition, Brown provides advocacy work for the National Association of Consumer Advocates and the National Consumer Law Center.

A Phi Beta Kappa, Brown received a J.D. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law, and an A.B. degree from Smith College.

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