More than 1,000 lawyers and friends attended the AVLF wine-tasting event in 2016. (Photo: John Disney/ ALM)

It's the spooks that come out at night for Halloween, but Thursday evening it will be a crowd of supporters from Atlanta's legal community who turn out for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation's popular annual Winetasting at the Biltmore Ballroom.

The wine-tasting event has traditionally been AVLF's main money-raiser for unrestricted funds to support its operations, but this year the group launched its first-ever annual campaign to raise money instead—and so far Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough is dominating the effort.

The Winetasting is now a thank-you party for those who donate more than $350 to the annual campaign. AVLF is expecting a crowd of 1,100 supporters and wine connoisseurs at this year's sold-out event.

Marty Ellin, AVLF.

Atlanta lawyers have stepped up to the plate for the new annual campaign, said AVLF's executive director, Marty Ellin. About 270 lawyers from dozens of firms have volunteered as campaign hosts, he said, which means they donate at least $350 apiece and ask others at their firms to do the same.

“Stunningly,” Ellin said, 72 of the hosts are from Nelson Mullins—more than three times the number of individual contributors from any other law firm in town.

“Watching the numbers come in over the course of the last few months has been like watching the Major League home run chase years ago,” Ellin said. “The firm passed 20, then 40, then Babe Ruth's 60, then Sammy Sosa's 66 and are this close to the mythical Barry Bonds' 73. Knowing this firm, they will get there!!”

Nelson Mullins' campaign is led by Jennifer Malinovsky, an AVLF board member; Mark VanderBroek, a former AVLF board president; Andrew Rosenzweig, an AVLF junior board member and member of the annual campaign's steering committee; Atlanta managing partner Michael Hollingsworth and the “irrepressible” Wade Malone, Ellin said.

Why an Annual Campaign?

AVLF made the switch from the Winetasting as its major fundraiser—bringing in almost $600,000 each year—to an annual campaign, because it needed more unrestricted funds to support its pro bono operations, Ellin said.

Most of the group's $3 million annual budget is from grants made specifically for individual pro bono programs, such as its Safe Families Office to help victims of domestic violence, its Eviction Defense Program or its new Standing With Our Neighbors project to help students and their families with landlord-tenant problems that affect their health, school performance and dropout rates.

The group serves more than 5,000 clients each year with major assistance from about 600 volunteer lawyers and law students.

AVLF has won new grants recently, but each was restricted, Ellin said. “It was clear that we needed more operational funding to support them,” he said, so the group launched its first annual campaign this year, with a goal of raising $850,000.

As of this week, Ellin said, contributions have topped $935,000. “This is an incredibly generous legal community!” he said.

The deadline to participate in this year's campaign is Dec. 31. Contact Ellin for more information at [email protected] or 678-682-6002.