Atlanta Firms Start Pro Bono Clinic to Aid Small Businesses With COVID-19 Problems

Several major Atlanta law firms are offering free legal advice to small businesses on pressing coronavirus-related concerns, such as federal relief programs and employment matters, through a new pro bono legal clinic.

Five firms—Alston & Bird; Eversheds Sutherland; Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; King & Spalding; and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough—launched the pro bono clinic, which is a partnership with the State Bar of Georgia’s Pro Bono Resource Center, Lawyers for Equal Justice in Atlanta and national nonprofit Lawyers for Good Government Foundation.

“An extraordinary number of small businesses and nonprofits are suddenly fighting for survival,” said Evershed Sutherland’s pro bono partner, John Fleming. “We are hoping many people can be helped by getting a 45-minute to one-hour consultation with an attorney trained on these issues, because they are facing some amazing challenges right now.” 

The pro bono clinic is open to businesses with 25 or fewer employees and nonprofits. Advice-seekers complete an intake form with a brief description of their concern and then are matched with subject-expert lawyers for a free phone or video consultation of 45 minutes to one hour.

Fleming said common concerns are navigating the CARES Act and Paycheck Protection Program, as well as force majeure questions around contracts and leases, and employment, insolvency and insurance questions. 

“These are things our firms are already advising our clients on, such as the CARES Act and other federal assistance available,” he said. The programs can be confusing, with fast-changing guidelines. Fleming noted that the federal government just Wednesday issued new guidance on PPP loans.

If advice-seekers have multiple concerns, they can request several consultations with lawyers in different areas. “The idea is to get them to the lawyer with the right expertise,” Fleming said.

For problems that are too complex for a single phone call, the business or nonprofit will be referred to Lawyers for Equal Justice attorneys, who do low bono work. “The attorneys in our network strive to serve Georgians who do not qualify for free legal services but may not be able to afford traditional representation,” said the group’s executive director, JoAnna Smith, in a statement.

The pro bono legal clinic meets an unmet need, because Georgia doesn’t have any legal aid groups that cover small business issues, said Aileen Bleach, Eversheds Sutherland’s pro bono and corporate responsibility manager.

Organizations such as food banks and nonprofit daycare centers “don’t have the resources to pay for a lawyer, and they don’t have anywhere to turn to,” she said. “They may have done the research on their own, but they’re scared because it hasn’t been reviewed by a lawyer, so they’re stuck hoping it’s right.”

The Lawyers for Good Government Foundation initiated the idea for the small business legal clinic, which has been rolled out in five cities so far, Fleming said. A core group of big Atlanta firms that work on pro bono issues heard about it and took it from there locally. 

Since the initiative launched late last week, it has attracted 25 or 30 clients just through word-of-mouth, Fleming said. “Lawyers want to help with this crisis—and it’s a way to use the skills that we have.” 

The organizers are getting the word out statewide about the new legal resource through local newspapers and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits.

The Atlanta organizers are seeking volunteer lawyers from Georgia firms of all sizes, Bleach said, and are procuring malpractice insurance for the pro bono clinic so that in-house legal departments can participate.

The Lawyers for Good Government Foundation will vet the firms referred by the Atlanta organizers, Bleach added, to make sure prospective volunteers are qualified to advise in their specified subject areas and that they understand pro bono.

For firms and in-house law departments interested in volunteering, contact Bleach at [email protected].

Small businesses and nonprofits seeking legal advice should consult the State Bar of Georgia’s website homepage under “Recent News From the Bar” for a link to the intake form.