A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER...
I was lucky to find myself working with Adair Boroughs while clerking for the Federal District Court of South Carolina several years ago, and over time, it became clear that she would be an important part of my future in South Carolina - and the future of CLA.
Adair is extraordinarily hard working, has a sharp and uncompromising eye for litigation strategy, and can drill down to the heart of an issue in a flash. She was the first person I turned to when I began building the concept of South Carolina's first nonprofit firm designed to serve the working class. Like me, she didn't grow up with money, but went on to attend a top tier law school and excelled in highly prestigious positions throughout her career. Like me, she was interested in putting her skills to work tackling a failure of the legal market: the nonexistence of a firm dedicated exclusively to affordable legal representation in our state for everyone who is not indigent and therefore can't qualify for traditional legal aid, but cannot afford to pay hundreds of dollars an hour for a lawyer.
I had a strong vision for this organization, but that vision wouldn't have gone far if it weren't for Adair. Since the beginning, she has been brainstorming, researching, hosting meetings, writing grants, creating budgets, and generally putting in the work that will take CLA from being a scrappy startup to a highly organized and effective resource, here to fight for our clients' rights for years to come. I'm very pleased to make our partnership official, as she takes over CLA's organizational management as our new Executive Director. We are starting 2017 with more capacity, resources, skills, and energy than ever before. Welcome, Adair! Thank you for choosing CLA. We are thrilled to have your leadership. And I am so happy to again be working with you every day.