Jacki Payne
Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Marietta, GA USA
"What good have I done today? Always think positively about your life and how you can help."
Career Roadmap
Jacki's work combines: Law, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
My dad would often question my choice to stay in nonprofit legal work. He'd try to send me clients and I'd have to decline. He'd ask when I was going to venture out. The thought that I could make more money if I go into private practice was always in the back of my mind. I just stayed strong in my foundation, knowing that I wanted to help people who wouldn't otherwise receive it. I did actually do a brief stint in private practice but I didn't feel fulfilled, so I returned to nonprofit work.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Sociology
Spelman College
Doctorate
Law
University of Georgia
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Managing Attorney:
Bachelor's Degree: English
Doctorate: Law
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Grandparental relationships have always been very near and dear to my heart—my parents were very young, so my great-grandmother lived with us and helped raise my siblings and I.
2.
I graduated from Spelman College with a degree in sociology and then went on to earn my law degree from the University of Georgia.
3.
During my second year of law school, I interned with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and decided that I’d like to build my career around helping the community through free legal services.
4.
After my internship, I applied for a position with Atlanta Legal Aid and received a fellowship to work with senior citizens—I spent a few years doing that and then branched out into other services.
5.
I eventually left the firm because I was now a single parent with young kids and knew I could make more money in private practice.
6.
During that two-year break, my former executive director at Legal Aid would check in to see if I wanted to return—I eventually took him up on the offer because I wasn’t fulfilled in private practice.
7.
I rejoined Atlanta Legal Aid in their family law unit—I ended up really loving it and eventually became the managing attorney for the unit.
8.
I now work as the managing director of our kinship care unit, where I'm focused on helping relatives raise children in the place of deceased or absent parents.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Parents:
When are you going to start taking on paying clients? You can make more money doing private practice.
How I responded:
My dad would often question my choice to stay in nonprofit legal work. He'd try to send me clients and I'd have to decline. He'd ask when I was going to venture out. The thought that I could make more money if I go into private practice was always in the back of my mind. I just stayed strong in my foundation, knowing that I wanted to help people who wouldn't otherwise receive it. I did actually do a brief stint in private practice but I didn't feel fulfilled, so I returned to nonprofit work.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. It was out of the blue—I didn't have family history of breast cancer. I call myself a thriver rather than a survivor. I also try to emphasize the importance of medical screenings to others.