who we are
History
Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP) arose as a solution to the “disproportion between the need for legal services by those who cannot afford them and the present supply of legal services available to them.”
In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Georgia’s total population was 4,587,930, and that 40% of Georgians resided in rural areas. The following year, the Younger Lawyers Section incorporated the Georgia Legal Services Program “to provide legal services to indigent persons to the fullest extent possible.”
Since then, GLSP has offered free civil legal services to Georgians with low incomes who reside outside metro Atlanta in 154 of the state’s 159 counties. Our mission is to provide civil legal services for persons with low incomes, creating equal access to justice and opportunities out of poverty.
In the picture, Offices of Georgia Indigents Legal Services, Inc. meeting with Family and Children Services Director Kim Parham and Deputy Director Herschel Saucier, in the GILS office in Atlanta. Pictured left to right are John Myer (staff), John Cromartie (staff), Phil Heiner, Nancy Cheves, Jim Parharm, Bill Ide, Betsey Neely, Herschel Saucier, Bettye Kehrer (staff), Jim Elliott and Ben Shapiro (with back to the camera).
We believe everyone has a right to high-quality legal services regardless of income, age, race, or other demographic factors. Our nonprofit law firm exists to ensure qualifying Georgians have access to free legal assistance and/or representation from our experienced staff and trusted partners.
Throughout our 10 regional offices, we provide free legal services on a wide range of civil matters, including family law, housing, access to public benefits, eviction prevention, farmworkers rights, and access to education. Our team works to give our clients the means to escape abuse, feed their families, maintain their homes, and improve their quality of life.
Statewide Operations
We believe all Georgians have a right to high quality legal services.
We are an emboldened group of attorneys, paralegals, and advocates dedicated to providing access to justice and opportunities out of poverty.
Did you know...
Number of GLSP
Attorneys Per County
Board of Directors
Past President
Tennell Lockett
President
Seth Bruckner
Vice President
Sam G. Nicholson
Sam G. Nicholson
Treasurer
Danielle Mull
Secretary
Nyonnohweah S. Seekie
Member-at-Large
Venzella Stowers
Member-at-Large
Matthew W. Howell
Marquetta J. Bryan
George P. (“Pete”) Donaldson, III
Carla N. Gervin
Keishan J. Davis
Terry Leighton Miller
NaTasha Gray
Rev. Ezekiel Holley
Georgia Clients Council
Gregory L. Williams, Jr.
William “Bert” Gregory
Laverne L. Gaskins
Ursula Becker
Client Representative
Julia H. Sullivan
Suzanne Werner
Shawanda Johnson
Client Representative
Hashondra J. Smith
Client Representative
Elizabeth Grant
Team
Our Team of Advocates
Executive Leadership Team
Susan Coppedge
Executive Director
Ira Foster
General Counsel
Tomieka R. Daniel
Deputy Director
Lisa Krisher
Senior Director of Litigation and Advocacy
Tamila Parker
Senior Director of Finance and Administration
Mitzy Sharp Futro, CFRE
Director of Development and Communications
Senior Leadership Team
Lester Andrews
Director of Information Technology
Jane Bonner
Director of Human Resources
Adrianne C. Freeman
Deputy Director for Litigation and Advocacy
Vicky Kimbrell
Director of Family Law Unit
Solimar Mercado-Spencer
Director of the Farmworker Rights Division
Mike Monahan
Director of the Pro Bono Unit
Susan Reif
Director of Housing Law Unit
Cynthia Gibson
Director of the Health Law Unit
Robert Bush
Director of Elder Law Unit
Managing Attorneys
Carl Schluter
Augusta Regional Office
Laura Weinstein Shiver
Brunswick Regional Office
Sally Haskins
Columbus Regional Office
Cynthia Gibson
Dalton Regional Office
Wendy Glasbrenner
Gainesville Regional Office
A. Elizabeth Waller
Macon Regional Office
Selinda Hansford
Piedmont Regional Office
Shaina Copeland
Savannah Regional Office
Cheryl Griffin
Albany Regional Office
