Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) joins the White House and Department of Justice in honoring 2L, Rhea Frison, for her volunteer work with the Georgia Legal Services Program’s (GLSP) Rent Assistance Program, addressing the housing and eviction crisis exasperated by COVID-19 in our communities.
On Friday, January 28, 2022, the White House and Department of Justice hosted a virtual event celebrating the work of the legal community and law students in response to the Attorney General’s Call to Action to the Legal Profession, issued on August 30, 2021, to address the housing and eviction crisis. The Call to Action asked lawyers and law students to take immediate action to help their communities through Emergency Rental Assistance application support, volunteering with legal aid providers, helping courts implement eviction diversion programs, among other initiatives aimed at increasing housing stability and access to justice.
Of the 2,100+ law students that dedicated over 81,000 hours serving over 10,000 households, AJMLS 2L Rhea Frison was one of only three students asked to present her volunteer experience at the event. Senior officials in attendance were Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Vanita Gupta (Associate Attorney General of the United States), Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, and Gene Sperling (Senior Advisor to the President, American Rescue Plan Coordinator).
Ms. Frison answered the AJMLS “call for pro bono heroes” during October’s Pro Bono Month where she first volunteered at the Georgia Free Legal Answers Help-A-Thon event assisting the attorneys research and answer inquiries. Through that experience she was introduced to the Rental Assistance Program that GLSP was working on and expressed to leadership that she was ready for more work. She then began serving as a student volunteer at the Rental Assistance Program in October 2021 where she interviewed rental assistance applicants to help complete applications for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, aided high risk evictions in receiving legal help and preventing evictions or utility disconnections, and informed applicants on program incentives and necessary documents to complete applications. Working alongside other Atlanta-area law students, the student volunteers assisted over 350 tenants and obtained more than $2.5 million for clients in need across 100 cities in Georgia.
When asked of her plans for the future, Ms. Frison noted,
“My plans were to go into trans-national or international business law, however, it seems I keep being redirected to public service.” Immediately following her volunteer work she accepted an internship to work with the Council of Superior Court Judges this legislative session, tracking and summarizing bills. “It seems here is where my career is headed towards, but we will see what the future brings.”
The Law School is proud of Ms. Frison’s initiative in answering the Attorney General’s Call to Action and of how she is continuing to serve her community. We look forward to following her journey as she completes her study at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
AJMLS students seeking pro bono opportunities should connect with the Office of Experiential Learning and Pro Bono Programs for additional information.