ATLANTA (May 14, 2012) – Atlanta Legal Aid Society will use a grant awarded by law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough to fund an internship for Samuel Park, a rising third year law student at Georgia State University College of Law, to assist low-income children and their families with legal needs. Sam will work with children receiving care at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and their families through the Health Law Partnership (HeLP), a medical-legal partnership among Legal Aid, Children’s, and the College of Law.

Nelson Mullins maintains a donor directed foundation fund to provide yearly assistance to organizations that serve the legal needs of low-income children. Nelson Mullins has provided Atlanta Legal Aid Fellowship grants in the past to support attorneys working on children's issues. The Fellowship this year is named the 2012 Kenneth Millwood Memorial Fellowship for Children's Law in honor of the late managing partner who was a strong supporter of ALAS and the law firm's commitment to represent individuals in need and was particularly focused on supporting child advocacy and education-related projects.

"We are grateful for the assistance Nelson Mullins is providing to allow us to increase the numbers of children we can serve," said Steve Gottlieb, executive director of Legal Aid. "Children are among the most underrepresented in the legal system, and the addition of summer law clerks can help us reach more of those in need."   In addition, the law students gain valuable legal experience developing lawyering skills and their professional identity.

Atlanta Legal Aid Society has represented Atlanta's poor in civil legal cases since 1924. Their work helps clients deal with some of life's most basic needs -- a safe home, enough food to eat, a decent education, protection against fraud, and personal safety. The Health Law Partnership (HeLP) is an interdisciplinary community collaboration among Legal Aid, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Georgia State University’s  College of Law to improve the health and well-being of low-income children and their families by addressing the multiple determinants affecting children’s health. HeLP is also an educational partnership to promote the public’s health through interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Learn more at www.atlantelegalaid.org or at http://healthlawpartnership.org/.

Established in 1897, Nelson Mullins has more than 430 attorneys and government relations professionals with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Nashville, Tallahassee, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and throughout the Carolinas. For more information on the Firm, go to www.nelsonmullins.com, or call 803.255.9794.