Drew Findling (Photo: John Disney/ ALM)

Atlanta criminal defense lawyer Drew Findling is to give a keynote speech Saturday at an entrepreneurial workshop designed to help former offenders earn a living after prison by starting businesses.

“I am honored to be speaking at this important event Saturday about a cause that is so near and dear to my heart—that of second chances,” said Findling, who is also president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. The group announced Tuesday that Findling would speak at the event, sponsored by the Brian Hamilton Foundation and Inmates to Entrepreneurs.

Hamilton is an entrepreneur from Bridgeport, Connecticut, who has launched a series of businesses, starting with landscape services. His foundation is dedicated to helping those “with the odds stacked against them.”

“It is so inspiring that Brian Hamilton has taken on this critical cause and is so generously helping people secure the second chance that everyone deserves,” Findling said in the defense lawyers' news release. “NACDL has long been focused on the importance of removing the barriers to re-entry after an individual has served their time, and it is programs like this one that provide individuals with the tools they need to do so.”

Findling has represented a string of celebrities, many of whom are stars of Atlanta's growing hip hop industry. Last year he won acquittal for rapper Juaquin Malphurs—better known by his stage name Waka Flocka Flame—on felony weapons charges at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Findling's successful defense was that the law has to allow for a mistake. His client accidentally picked up the bag belonging to his wife and “Love & Hip Hop” reality show co-star, and she had a gun. The Georgia Court of Appeals didn't buy it, but a Clayton County Superior Court jury did.

The conference is called “Second Chances Atlanta: How to Start Your Own Business.” It will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first floor of the Loudermilk Conference Center, 40 Courtland St., N.E., Atlanta.

The event is free but requires registration at Eventbrite.com, “Second Chances, How to Start Your Own Business.”