Advisory Board Member Spotlight: Kip Kirkpatrick

Our volunteers go above and beyond to assist our clients in their immigration matters; in no volunteer is this tendency more evident than in Kip Kirkpatrick. Kip Kirkpatrick is a retired partner from Alston & Bird, a member of GAIN’s Advisory Board, and a volunteer attorney who was introduced to GAIN by his son Byron at Troutman Sanders, a former Co-Chair of GAIN’s Board. He accepted his first GAIN case in 2014 which involved a young lady from Mexico who was victimized by an abusive spouse. As is the case with many of our clients, Kip’s client faced many cultural, financial, and linguistic barriers that prevented her from being able to navigate the complex immigration legal system and access certain benefits to which she was entitled.  Having been a victim of several years of physical and mental abuse, the client was also traumatized and in need of legal representation that took into account her particular sensitivities. Kip readily accepted these challenges and made every effort to accommodate the client, to explain the nuances of the immigration relief for which they were applying, and most importantly, to treat the client with the compassion and respect she deserved.

Since that time, Kip has accepted two more cases from GAIN, and in doing so, has enlisted the help of other associates at Alston & Bird who equally share in his passion to help those less fortunate while doing so in the most responsible, professional, and culturally appropriate manner. We are delighted to work alongside Kip as he exemplifies the quality, compassion, and commitment that GAIN strives to offer our clients. The work of GAIN is made possible by incredible volunteers and the generous Atlanta pro bono community, and we are grateful to have this extraordinary support.