Georgia State University College of Law and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, to celebrate the new FHLBank Atlanta Heirs’ Property Law Clinic.
Many distinguished guests and speakers attended the event including Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05), Georgia State University President Brian Blake, FHLBank Atlanta President and CEO Reggie O’Shields and Georgia State University Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicolle Parsons-Pollard.
The new clinic, housed at Georgia State Law will provide free legal services for low- to moderate-income property owners and give law students hands-on experience helping families preserve generational wealth through legacy planning and clarified ownership of family property.
“At Georgia State, it’s not simply about getting students to a degree, it’s about teaching them the types of things that might make a true difference in the world,” said Georgia State University President Brian M. Blake, while addressing attendees at the event “That’s when Georgia State is at its best.”
Executives from FHLBank Atlanta joined Georgia State University leadership and College of Law faculty to celebrate this critical partnership and its potential to expand access to heirs’ property legal services for communities in the state of Georgia.
“We know that addressing heirs’ property issues takes more than awareness. It takes access to expertise, trusted partners and practical legal solutions, all of which will be provided at no cost to qualifying homeowners here at the clinic,” said Reggie O’Shields, president and CEO of FHLBank Atlanta.
The FHLBank Atlanta Heirs' Property Law Clinic will give law students hands-on experience helping families preserve generational wealth through legacy planning and clarified ownership of family property.
Heirs’ property issues can arise when property passes from one generation to another without a will, trust or other estate plan establishing clear ownership, leaving families with limited access to legal services vulnerable to costly legal complications and the loss of generational assets. With more than 40,000 heirs’ properties in Georgia, with Fulton and Dekalb counties having the highest total value of heirs’ property in the state, the need for legal services is significant.
Sarah Stein, director of the clinic and assistant clinical professor at Georgia State Law, will lead the clinic’s work as it develops legal services and trains future attorneys in this specialized area of practice. Professor Stein brings more than a decade of experience in heirs’ property law. She previously served as a senior advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, where she specialized in affordable housing and neighborhood stabilization and practiced law with Atlanta Legal Aid, representing seniors and low-income Atlantans in housing matters.
"The FHLBank Atlanta Heirs' Property Law Clinic is a commitment to a family across town who inherited a house with 20 years of confusion along with it, to the widow seeking help to fix the roof on a home where she and her husband raised a family, and to the first-time homeowner, who dreams of making their home a legacy that will benefit their family and anchor their community,” Stein said. “Our students will sit across the table from these families to help them protect the legacies they inherited.”
The clinic will spend the fall semester building strong systems and partnerships to provide excellent client care and will accept estate planning clients through referral networks beginning in early 2027. As the clinic becomes fully operational, it will expand its services to include help resolving tangled property titles and probate assistance.
"We’re strengthening our legal capacity to protect generational wealth across Atlanta and throughout Georgia for years to come,” said Mayor Dickens. “That’s a win for Georgia State Law students, a win for our families, a win for Atlanta, and a win for Georgia.”
Representatives from Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Atlanta present the FHLBank Atlanta Heirs' Property Law Clinic with a gift in support of the clinic's work.
The partnership reflects an initial $500,000 investment from FHLBank Atlanta and an anticipated $1.5 million over three years to help Georgia State Law expand the clinic. The law school also received a donation from Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Atlanta for $8,750 to support the clinic.
To make a gift to the clinic, please reach out to Angie Tacker at [email protected].