Meet 11 ABA members who inspired us in 2024
Our Members Who Inspire series features outstanding ABA members who brighten the world around them. They are changing the legal profession and their communities through their good works. This year, we highlighted 11 members doing work such as advocating for workers’ rights, protecting military sexual assault survivors and improving death penalty education.
Living through Hurricane Katrina inspired Alessandra Jerolleman’s disaster justice advocacy
Alessandra Jerolleman lost her home, her car and much of her community to Hurricane Katrina’s powerful surge and flood waters. But Jerolleman found the storm also changed her life in another profound way. She began focusing on how to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, and over the course of her career, she worked in Louisiana and other states to support disaster justice, equitable recovery and just climate adaptation.
GC Fatheree III uses real estate law skills for history-making pro bono cases
GC Fatheree III was a BigLaw partner in Los Angeles in 2020, when he began what became his most notable pro bono case. He represented members of a Black family in their quest to secure “Bruce’s Beach,” a stretch of oceanfront property that was taken from their ancestors by officials in Los Angeles County who cited eminent domain. It was unprecedented because, according to Fatheree, stolen property had never been returned to a Black family or community in the United States.
Nina Olson has devoted her career to protecting taxpayer rights
Nina Olson has been a staunch advocate for taxpayers for more than 30 years. In her latest of several significant endeavors, she founded and serves as executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights in Washington, D.C. As part of her work with the nonprofit corporation, she promotes pro bono representation for low-income taxpayers who are involved in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service.
Labor attorney uses art and law to draw attention to workers’ rights
Mark Gaston Pearce, a former member of the National Labor Relations Board, serves as executive director of the Georgetown University Law Center’s Workers’ Rights Institute. He works with students and community advocates to enhance the labor rights of traditionally underserved low-income workers through education, policy reform and public discourse. He is also a painter and highlights the lives of workers through art.
Coast Guard veteran speaks out for military sexual assault survivors
Melissa McCafferty was sexually assaulted by male cadets while at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in the late 2000s. She chose not to report the incidents at the time, fearing that no one would care or that she would face discipline. McCafferty, a 2023 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, has since become an advocate for military sexual assault survivors and testified about her experience at a U.S. Senate hearing in December.
ABA Medal recipient puts democratic principles and indigent defense at center of long career
Emmet Bondurant, a founder of Atlanta-based litigation firm Bondurant, Mixson and Elmore and an ABA member for nearly 60 years, received the ABA Medal in August for his longtime dedication to righting wrongs in the legal system. Throughout his career, he has been a steadfast advocate for clients in consequential civil rights and constitutional cases involving voting rights, equal representation, habeas corpus and the death penalty.
Seattle attorney Mason Ji supports immigrants and cultural awareness
Mason Ji, an associate in the Seattle office of Perkins Coie, is keenly focused on community. While his legal practice involves complex litigation, international sanctions and international trade, Ji’s spare time is spent helping Asian immigrants struggling to succeed. Since 2020, he has hosted a monthly radio show, where he explains in Mandarin certain aspects of the legal system, such as landlord-tenant law and voting rights.
Judge’s advocacy for domestic violence survivors changed Arizona laws
Judge Elizabeth “Ellie” Finn served in courts in Arizona for more than 42 years before retiring in 2021. A longtime advocate for domestic violence survivors, she was involved in writing many of the state’s domestic violence laws. As that legislation started passing, Finn also realized that there wasn’t a benchbook for domestic violence. She helped write one, and it was later adopted by the Arizona Supreme Court.
Melanie Kalmanson dedicates pro bono work to death penalty education
Melanie Kalmanson, an associate in Quarles & Brady’s Tampa, Florida, office, educates the legal profession and the public on the death penalty. She writes law review articles and op-eds on constitutional issues involved in the capital sentencing process and teaches a course on Florida capital punishment to law students at Florida State University. She also works to improve legal representation for defendants facing the death penalty.
Michelle Rozovics’ love of learning and teaching takes her around the world
Michelle Rozovics, the managing attorney of the Rozovics Law Firm in McHenry, Illinois, says curiosity led her to the legal profession. It inspired her to pursue international and business law and to work with clients, law students and judges around the world, including in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Rozovics, who has epilepsy and mobility issues, has also become a tireless advocate for lawyers and litigants with disabilities.
Kalpana Kotagal’s inclusion riders promote equality in the entertainment industry
Kalpana Kotagal, a member of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, has dedicated her career to supporting workers and championing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. This includes assisting with the creation and implementation of the inclusion rider, which was famously mentioned by actress Frances McDormand during the 2018 Academy Awards.
Do you know an ABA member you’d like to see profiled in Members Who Inspire in 2025? If so, nominate them for this series by emailing [email protected].
