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Nominated by Susan Coppedge

"Lisa Krisher’s lifelong commitment to public service and closing the justice gap is reflected in the many roles she has held at Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP), including public benefits specialist, senior staff attorney and, the position she has held since 1990, senior director of litigation and advocacy. Lisa is dedicated to representing those who would otherwise go unrepresented, and to creating institutional changes to address systemic barriers to the well-being of those she represents. She has spent her career advocating on behalf of those facing entrenched poverty and ongoing civil rights issues throughout rural areas of Georgia, tenants challenging illegal lease terms, domestic violence survivors seeking freedom and protection, mothers challenging the state’s unconstitutional taking of their children’s child support, parents facing termination of their parental rights, students facing disparate discipline, adults unable to speak English well enough to protect their legal rights and community-based organizations challenging local government’s racially discriminatory spending of federal funds. Lisa has been undaunted by the fact that her clients have been powerless and, often, unpopular; she has remained at the forefront of GLSP’s advocacy on behalf of underserved populations.

Lisa’s leadership and her emphasis on major impact litigation is illustrated by her co-founding the GLSP Food Stamp Action Team, which filed federal civil rights complaints after identifying almost insurmountable barriers faced by seniors and persons with disabilities applying or recertifying for benefits, as well as over-zealous practices by the state to investigate alleged food stamp fraud. Lisa enjoyed similar success leading GLSP’s Latinx advocacy group, addressing previously unmet legal needs by filing civil rights complaints that prompted the Georgia Department of Labor and Department of Community Health to provide services in Spanish; working to ensure courts and administrative hearing officers provided interpreters for hearings and encouraging hospitals to use culturally competent naming conventions on birth certificates. She has served as lead or co-counsel in over 25 lawsuits, including two jury trials in Federal Court. In the last 15 years, these litigation efforts resulted in financial compensation to GLSP clients, plus attorney’s fees and costs, totaling over $3.5 million. Through these efforts, Lisa empowered and supported staff taking on projects cases and causes that improve the lives of our clients and others in our communities.

While serving as GLSP’s senior director of advocacy and litigation, Lisa has trained the next generation of legal services attorneys in the most effective ways to advocate for individuals with low incomes. She has also shown commitment to addressing issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion among both the clients we serve and the staff we employ, including providing her time and thought leadership to the GLSP Race Equity Team."