The Superior Court Judges of the Western Circuit, in partnership with the University of Georgia School of Law and the Western Circuit Bar Association, announce the next fall pop-up clinic for 2019 in the Access to Justice Initiative on Saturday, November 16 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at the Snipes Water Resources Center. The mission of the Access to Justice Initiative is to provide access to legal services and information for individuals in need of legal assistance who live in the community.

In recognition of the Pop-Up Clinic's upcoming second anniversary, Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Carla Wong McMillian will make a special visit to the clinic. McMillian is the Vice-Chief and Presiding Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals. She was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Georgia by Governor Nathan Deal, taking office on January 24, 2013. Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, she is the first Asian Pacific American state appellate judge ever to be appointed in the Southeast. Upon her election in 2014, Judge McMillian became the first Asian American to be elected to a statewide office in Georgia.

Prior to joining the Court of Appeals, Judge McMillian served as the State Court Judge for Fayette County, a position to which she was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue in 2010. In 2012, Fayette County voters elected her to a full term. Before her appointment to the bench, Judge McMillian was a partner in the litigation group of the national law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. Before joining Sutherland, Judge McMillian began her legal career as a federal law clerk for the Honorable William C. O’Kelley of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Judge McMillian's visit is a return to Athens where she attended law school as a Woodruff Scholar at the University of Georgia School of Law.

The November Access to Justice Pop-Up Clinic will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at the Snipes Water Resources Center at 780 Barber St., Athens, GA 30601. Judges from various courts, staff from the Probate Court and Georgia Legal Services, and faculty and students from the UGA School of Law will also be in attendance. Attendees are encouraged to bring any relevant important papers with them.

Attorneys provide brief individual consultations on topics including family law such as divorce and child support, adoption law, immigration law, expungement/record restriction, probate law, disability law, employment law, criminal law, small claims, landlord/tenant law, personal injury, and general civil law at the pop-up clinics. A list of legal service/attorney resources will be provided for individuals who may wish to seek further assistance beyond the pop-up clinic. Spanish translation services are also expected to be available.

Lawyers, legal educators, and staff attorneys from the local courts have committed to volunteering their time for the Access to Justice Initiative. The initiative is an opportunity to help those in need in the community and help provide access to competent legal representation. Since the program started in December 2017, attorneys have donated over $50,000 of their time and talents at 18 free legal clinics, which have served 780 constituents.

The Access to Justice program was awarded the prestigious William B. Spann, Jr. Award from the State Bar of Georgia in 2018 for its work with underserved segments of the population. It also received the Law School Excellence in Access to Justice Group Activity Award in 2018 from the State Bar of Georgia.