Debbie Segal leads the firm's attorneys in providing pro bono legal services to low-income clients, community groups and nonprofit organizations. Ms. Segal joined the firm from the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, where, as executive director, she was responsible for the administration of the city's largest Pro Bono Program.
Ms. Segal is recognized as a 2008 Georgia "Super Lawyer" in Legal Aid/Legal Services by SuperLawyers magazine. She was named one of Atlanta's "Legal Elite" in the December 2005 issue of Georgia Trend magazine. She received the William Reece Smith Special Services to Pro Bono Award by the National Association of Pro Bono Professionals in 2005 and the Outstanding Leadership in the Public Interest Award from Emory University School of Law in 2003. She was recognized in Atlanta magazine feature "Women Making a Mark" in 2002. Ms. Segal also received the Families First Award, Atlanta Bar Association Family Law Section in 2000 as well as the State Bar of Georgia Family Law Section Professionalism Award in 1997. Ms. Segal also received the Community Service Award from Emory University School of Law School Legal Association of Women Studies in 1988. She is AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Professional & Community Activities
American Bar Association, Chair of the Commission on Domestic Violence and Past Chair of Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service
Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Advisory Board Member
Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, Advisory Board Member
Health Law Partnership, Advisory Board Member
North Carolina Bar Association, Public Service Advisory Committee Member and NC LEAP Board Member
Pro Bono Partnership Atlanta, Advisory Board Member
Vox Teen Communications, Member and Immediate Past President of Board of Directors
Industries
Non-profit & Trade Associations
Experience
Grandparent adoption, Represents caregivers seeking to adopt children. One of the firm's signature pro bono programs is the Grandparent Adoption Program. Dozens of lawyers have been trained to represent grandparents and other relative caregivers who step up to raise young children in their extended family when the children's parents are unable or unwilling to do so. Working in partnership with local legal aid programs, lawyers accept referrals of eligible families, and prepare and file the required documents to effect the adoption. Hundreds of children's lives have been stabilized as a result of the firm's involvement.
Guardian ad litem, Represent children and/or their best interests in a variety of settings and courts. Lawyers routinely serve as guardians ad litem, representing the best interests of children in a variety of contexts. In Atlanta and in Winston-Salem, lawyers have represented the best interests of hundreds of children whose parents are disputing their custody. The guardian ad litem is charged with getting to know the child, studying the circumstances of the child's life, interviewing witnesses, reviewing documents and ultimately, making an oral or written recommendation to the appointing court as to what is in the child's best interests.
Protective orders for domestic violence victims, Represents victims of domestic violence who are seeking protective orders for themselves and their children against batterers and stalkers.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Lawyers at Kilpatrick Stockton, in collaboration with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, wrote and published the definitive training manual to educate lawyers on how to represent left-behind parents whose children have been wrongfully removed or retained in the United States by the children's other parent or relative. The manual contains discussion of the legal issues, reports decisions by federal circuit, contains model pleadings and outlines the progression of a case from inception to conclusion, both legally and logistically. The manual is published on the website of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and contains hyperlinks to all cited cases and statutes. A supplement is in progress.
*Experience gained by attorney prior to joining Kilpatrick Townsend
News
31 October 2011, Atlanta Bar Association Recognizes Kilpatrick Townsend Attorneys and Staff for Extraordinary Pro Bono Representation and Service, News Releases
02 February 2011, Kilpatrick Townsend Pro Bono Partner Debbie Segal Discusses the Issue of Domestic Violence with The Daily Report, News Releases
01 February 2011, Kilpatrick Townsend Wins Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year and Jim Coil Named A Volunteer of the Year, News Releases
14 July 2010, Kilpatrick Stockton Ranked As One of the Nation's Top Pro Bono Providers, News Releases
14 July 2009, Kilpatrick Stockton's Debbie Segal Selected to Chair the ABA's Commission on Domestic Violence, News Releases