Martin L. Ellin
Dean and Professor of Law
mellin@johnmarshall.eduEducation
B.A., Duke University
J.D., University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Career Highlights
With nearly five decades of leadership in legal advocacy and nonprofit management, Marty Ellin has directed transformative change across Georgia’s justice landscape. As Executive Director of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (2001–2020), he expanded the organization’s budget sixteenfold, grew the staff from 6 to 50, and increased pro bono legal services to over 5,000 clients annually. He subsequently served as Interim Executive Director of both the Georgia Innocence Project and the Zaban Paradies Center, where he stabilized operations during leadership transitions and remained at the request of new directors to lead fundraising and development efforts. Earlier in his career, Marty litigated education and disability rights cases across multiple federal and state courts and served at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. He has contributed to legal education as an adjunct professor and board chair, and has been honored with numerous awards from the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association, and the Anti-Defamation League.