When the Atlanta Legal Aid Society announced in March that Rita Sheffey would replace the retiring Steve Gottlieb as its new executive director, she was a natural fit.

After all, since 1991, when Sheffey was a private-practice attorney, she has been a pro bono adviser for the nonprofit that has provided free civil legal aid for low-income metro Atlanta residents since 1924. Sheffey, who spent the past eight years as the Emory University School of Law’s assistant dean for public service, accepted the job for two reasons.