Uchenna Mary-Anne Uzoka is originally from Nigeria. Prior to relocating to the United
States, Mary-Anne worked in Nigeria as an attorney in the financial industry.
She attended law school in the US at night while working full time and raising two
children. She earned a JD at John Marshall Law School and was admitted to the Georgia
State Bar in 2015.
Mary-Anne has worked in United States in various capacities with law firms and the
public sector. She currently works as an Assistant Chief Counsel with the Department of
Homeland Security.
Mary-Anne loves to give back to the community. She has given countless hours of
volunteer services, working on different projects through several organizations such as
GABWA, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Alumni as well as her church.
Mary-Anne has earned several accolades for her community service including Chief
Justice Leah Sears Pro bono Award, Public Interest Law Student Award, and AmeriCorps
Equal Justice Works Education Award.
She lives in Kennesaw with her husband and two adult children.

Tyrra Walker is an associate in the Atlanta office of Chartwell Law. She handles matters related to premises liability and trucking and transportation law, including ride-share liability litigation throughout Georgia.

Tyrra is proud alumna of Spelman College where she received her B.A. in Psychology. Immediately after graduating college, Tyrra matriculated into law school and enrolled in the dual-degree J.D./M.B.A. program. While in law school, she was a member of the Black Law Students Association and the Georgia State University Moot Court Board. She successfully earned First Place awards and individual recognition in two Moot Court competitions. In 2021, Tyrra graduated cum laude from Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business and was one of eight students in her graduating class inducted into the Order of Barristers at Georgia State University College of Law. 

Most notably, Tyrra was a GABWA Foundation Scholarship recipient in 2019 and 2020. She is eager to continue serving GABWA as this organization and its members helped lay the foundation for the start of her legal career. 

Mystical Studaway has been a proud member GABWA since 2006. She has served in various
capacities over the years including Financial Secretary (2015), Strategic Planning Committee
Member (2015), Membership Committee Chair (2014), Community Service Co-Chair (2010),
Student Programs Committee Co-Chair (2009), and as Student Member-at-Large (2007 & 2008).
She is also a two-time recipient of the GABWA Foundation Scholarship (2006 & 2007).
In addition to serving as the GABWA Community Service Chair, Mystical also serves on the
Georgia Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL) Foundation Board of Directors on the
Community Service Committee and as the Secretary of the Build the Life You Want Foundation.
Additionally, she is member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association Paralegal Section. Her
previous memberships include the Georgia Association of Paralegals, Gate City Bar Association
Paralegal Section, New Rock Legal Society, DeKalb Lawyers Association, and the American Bar
Association.

Mystical is a litigation paralegal at Jensen Law, LLC. Her current practice area is personal injury
and premise liability, but her skills and specialties have also included workers’ compensation,
criminal law, and bankruptcy law.

Mystical obtained her B.S. in Criminal Justice and her A.A. in Spanish from Georgia State
University. She also received a certification in paralegal studies from Clayton State University.
Additionally, she attended John Marshall Law School where she served as Secretary of the Black
Law Students Association (BLSA) and as a Student Bar Association Representative. While in law
school, she received her certification in General Civil Mediation. She also received certifications
after volunteering with the Fulton County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and the
Truancy Intervention Project (TIP).

Mystical is originally from Jackson, MS and grew up in Marietta, GA. She loves animals, children
and the elderly. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, writing poetry and
attending poetry readings, concerts, and plays.

A member of GABWA since 2014, Mrs. Marcee L. Campbell has been a consistent presence on GABWA’s Board of Directors and several committees. She currently serves as the Elections Committee Chair and Judicial Review Committee Co-Chair. She has also served as a Sister2Sister Mentor since 2015. Marcee is a proud graduate of Albany State University and Howard University School of Law, and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Upon graduating from law school, she commenced a career in education that led to her becoming an Assistant Legal Officer in Legal Affairs and Charter School Coordinator for the DeKalb County School District. Since 2016, Marcee has served as Senior Staff Attorney to the Honorable Courtney L. Johnson in the Superior Court of DeKalb County.  Her experience includes a solid foundation of knowledge in civil and domestic law, legal research and analysis, and policy development and implementation. She has also attained experience in employee relations and conducting internal investigations. Marcee enjoys serving her community, visiting beaches, and spending time with her family and college sweetheart (husband), Elam.

Kimberly is an experienced trial attorney who specializes in matters involving high stakes investigations, complex criminal defense, elder protection, and general civil disputes.  Her diverse range of legal experience includes defending medical malpractice claims, prosecuting serious felonies in various metro-Atlanta district attorney’s offices, representing both individuals and entities in business and appellate litigation, and handling non-complex family and probate legal matters.  She is known for her ability to provide her clients trusted advice and “common-sense” solutions.  

Recognized as one who is “On the Rise” by the Fulton Daily Report and “40 under 40” by the National Bar Association, Kimberly has expertise in Georgia’s business crimes, fraud, and financial investigations, and elder protection law.  She is an adjunct professor of Trial Practice at the University of Georgia School of Law, and she currently serves on the Consumer Advisory Board for the Attorney General’s Office in Georgia.  

Kimberly began her legal career in public service as a prosecutor, and previously worked at the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Department of Justice, as well as several non-profit policy organizations in Washington, DC before attending law school.  In 2020, Kimberly served as the 39th President of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, and she has held other leadership roles for various organizations, including: the Atlanta Bar Association, the Gate City Bar Association, the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta, and ChildrenConnect of Newnan.  She is a member of Leadership Coweta, Leadership Georgia, LEAD Atlanta, the State Bar of Georgia’s Leadership Academy, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.  

Although born and raised in the military and Korean communities of Seoul, S. Korea during her early formative years, Kimberly proudly calls Georgia home.  She is a graduate of Howard University and the University of Georgia School of Law.  Kimberly is a long-time supporter and volunteer for high school, college, and law school mock trial programs, and she enjoys playing tennis, the culinary arts, and serving in her local community.

Victoria Hicks serves as an Assistant District Attorney for the Rockdale Judicial Circuit. Victoria is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law and was admitted to the Georgia Bar in November 2021. While in law school, Victoria served as the Student Member-At-Large for the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, Vice-President of the Davenport-Benham Black Law Student Association, Executive Vice Chair of the Georgia Law Mock Trial Board, and Executive Editor of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. Victoria is a native of Stone Mountain, Georgia, and a graduate of Spelman College.

Gillian S. Crowl is a Senior Litigation Associate with Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers, LLP. She focuses her practice primarily in the areas of commercial litigation, trucking litigation, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, insurance coverage, premises liability, bad faith litigation, construction defect, ERISA and other life, health and disability matters. Gillian represents clients throughout Georgia and North Carolina. She also serves on the firm’s community service committee and oversees the firm’s annual food drive for the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Gillian is very active within the legal community. In addition to her roles with the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), she serves as the Chair of the Nominating Committee for the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division (WLD), and previously served as the Deputy Director of Region XI of the National Bar Association. She also co-chairs the trucking section of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association. She is a member of the Lawyer’s Club of Atlanta, American Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, and North Carolina State Bar Association. She also participates regularly in the community service and social justice ministries at Cascade United Methodist Church.

A transplant to Atlanta, Gillian was born in Jamaica and raised in The Bronx, New York. Gillian earned her undergraduate degree and Master of Public Administration from Cornell University and her law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Mercedes G. Ball, Esq. is an Assistant General Counsel and the Director of the Client Assistance
Program at the State Bar of Georgia. In this capacity, she leads the resolution of all informal
complaints and certain formal grievances lodged against Georgia attorneys.
Prior to her time with the State Bar, Mercedes served as a Child Advocate Attorney at
the DeKalb County Child Advocacy Center where she holistically represented the
interests of dependent children in civil court proceedings, mediations, and panels.
Before her work with DeKalb, she was a Lead Trial Attorney at a Metro-Atlanta law firm
where she represented individuals in every phase of criminal proceedings.

Mercedes is driven by a commitment to improve and empower her community through
service. From 2013-2020, she volunteered as the Executive Director of the Georgia Association
of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA) Foundation’s Sister2Sister Mentoring Program®, a juvenile
court diversion program for court involved teen girls. In this capacity, she increased the
program’s volunteer base and expanded the program’s reach by creating a DeKalb County
chapter. Under Mercedes’ leadership, the program served more than 200 metro-Atlanta teen
girls. Additionally, Mercedes also served as the founding Director of the GABWA Foundation’s
Women’s Health Initiative, an effort to bring needed medical services and health education to
underserved communities. During Mercedes’ tenure, the GABWA Foundation’s Women’s
Health Initiative served more than 1,000 individuals.

Mercedes is also an active member of the Junior League of DeKalb County where she served as
the 2017-2018 Chair of the Community Projects Committee, the Vice President of the 2018-
2019 Community Council, the 2020-2021 President-Elect, and the 2021-2022 President. In
2018, Mercedes created the DeKalb Saturday Scholars Initiative (DSSI), a literacy focused
Saturday school, through a partnership with the Junior League of DeKalb and Oak View
Elementary. To date, DSSI has served approximately 100 children and received grant awards
from Macy’s, Inc. Corporate Giving and the Forever Pink Foundation.
Mercedes is a member of the DeKalb County Department of Family and Children Services
Advisory Board and a proud member of the Decatur Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Incorporated. She is a 2017 graduate of Emerging Leaders of DeKalb and a 2018 New
Leaders Council Atlanta Fellow. She is the recipient of the 2019 University of Georgia School of
Law’s Young Alumna of Excellence Award, the 2019 Junior League of DeKalb County
President’s Award, the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys’ 2020 Bensonetta
Tipton Lane Award for Commitment to the Family, and a 2022 Outstanding Atlanta Honoree.
Mercedes earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science, cum laude, from Spelman
College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law. She resides in
Decatur where, in her spare time, you can find her baking, reading, and spending time
with loved ones.

Tori M. Silas is Senior Counsel with Cox Enterprises, Inc., a leading communications, media and automotive services company.   Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Cox Enterprises is the parent company to Cox Communications, Inc., Cox Automotive, Inc. and Cox Media Group, LLC.   Since joining Cox Enterprises in 2012, Ms. Silas has held roles of increasing responsibility supporting business clients on a variety of transactional matters, including corporate transactions and new media matters.   Most recently, as Cox Enterprises’ Privacy Officer she established and managed the company’s privacy and data security   program.  Currently, she is one of Cox Legal’s inaugural participants in Functional Organization Rotational Growth Experience (FORGE), a highly selective, rotational leadership program that provides participants exposure to executive and senior business leaders, together with substantive experience across a broad range of legal issues faced by the Company’s diverse businesses.

Prior to joining Cox Enterprises, Tori was Corporate Counsel with Harland Clarke Corp.  At Harland Clarke, she managed Harland Clarke’s regional legal department and was responsible for corporate transactions, intellectual property matters, privacy and data security compliance and corporate governance and subsidiary management.

Tori began her legal career in private practice, working in several large law firms in Texas and Georgia.   Prior to attending law school, Tori worked as a consultant in the financial services industry.  In 2013, she was named to the Fulton County Daily Report’s “40 Under 40 On the Rise” list, recognizing top attorneys in the State of Georgia under 40 years of age.   She was recently honored in Who’s Who in Black Atlanta and the Atlanta Business League’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence. 

In 2017, Tori served as President of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), a voluntary bar association serving over 600 members throughout the State of Georgia and the community at large.  Tori is most passionate about the work she does to mentor young women in high school, college and law school and young attorneys, as well as the work she does as domestic violence advocate through the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  Tori serves on the Board of Directors of the DeKalb Volunteer Lawyers Foundation and is a Trustee of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church.  She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.  Tori was awarded athletic and academic scholarships to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology where she was a member of the varsity track and field team where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management.  She also holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law.   

In the words of Dr. Mae Jemison, “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations” has always been the driving force for Elicia Hargrove’s drive and ambition to be successful and help others. Ms. Hargrove is a native of Milledgeville, Georgia and she was a zealous advocate and criminal defense attorney with the Georgia Public Defender’s Council for many years. Ms. Hargrove is currently an Assistant District Attorney with Henry County’s District Attorney Office located in the Flint Judicial Circuit. 

Elicia Hargrove graduated from Albany State University with Honors in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She later received her J.D. degree from the Sheppard Broad School of Law at Nova Southeastern University in 2007 and completed her L.L.M in Federal Criminal Practice and Procedure from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in 2014. Ms. Hargrove is a member of the Florida Bar and an active member of the Georgia Bar. Along with Ms. Hargrove’s license to practice law in both Georgia and Florida, she is also a certified Neutral for the State of Georgia. 

As a graduate of the State Bar of Georgia’s Leadership Academy in 2014, she was elected by her peers and served on the Executive Council with the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division from 2013-2015. In 2017, she was also selected to participate in the 2017 National Juvenile Training Immersion Program Summer Academy that was held in Washington, DC at Georgetown University. Additionally, she has honed her litigation skills by completing the Bill Daniels Trial Advocacy program. Ms. Hargrove also continues to serve on the Board of two non-profit organizations, Straight Street Ministries and M.I.A Inc., in Milledgeville, GA that provide much needed resources to people within the community. 

In 2019, Ms. Hargrove was given the honor of being nominated for “40 under 40” with the Albany Chamber of Commerce and the Rural Leader Magazine. In 2021, Attorney Hargrove was also the recipient of the “I’m Every Woman” Award by Woman 9to5. Inc. She is involved in several outreach organizations that provided COVID-19 relief to the community and she has organized youth development programs. Additionally, she advocates for voter rights and stands up against voter intimidation.  Ms. Hargrove continues to pour back into her community that has given so much to her because she agrees wholeheartedly with the words of Shirley Chisholm who often said that service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth. 

Shalamar J. Parham is an award-winning attorney providing government relations services. Shalamar obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and Criminal Justice bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University.  Shalamar currently serves as a lobbyist at GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group. Prior to joining GeorgiaLink, Shalamar worked in the Office of the House Minority Leader James Beverly as Policy Manager and legal counsel where she was responsible for leading the policy team and her work helped to advance the legislative priorities of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus. Shalamar’s career in state politics also includes working as Policy Analyst for the Georgia House Democratic Caucus and Chief of Staff to Representative Erick Allen. 

Prior to working at the state capitol, Shalamar was the founding member of Parham Law Firm, where she passionately served the community and provided pro bono legal services to marginalized communities and survivors of domestic violence. Shalamar was selected for Super Lawyers Georgia Rising Star in 2013-2020 in recognition for her work. Shalamar has also served the community through a range of board appointments, committee leadership roles and grassroots advocacy. 

Shalamar is a member of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), Gate City Bar Association, and the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association (GAPABA). Currently, Shalamar serves on the board of Leadership DeKalb. Formerly, Shalamar served as board president of Georgia Legal Services Program, as board member for League of Women Voters Atlanta-Fulton, as board member for the Arc of Justice Institute, as Director of Special Interests on the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division board, and as a board member of Cherokee County Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children.  Shalamar is an alumna of the 2018 Leadership DeKalb class and the 2012 Young Lawyers Division Leadership Academy class. In her free time, Shalamar enjoys traveling and volunteering in the community.

Evita L. Gaillard is Associate Attorney at Brown, Geiger & Associates specializing in Family Law cases consisting of Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Legitimation, Alimony, and Property Settlements. She also serves as an Associate Special Assistant Attorney General representing the Fulton County’s Division of Family and Children Services (in cases involving Child Dependency),  the Office of Inspector General’s Electronic Benefits Transfer Unit (in cases involving EBT fraud), and DHS TANF appeals. She is also a Georgia Court Registered Mediator with certifications in Civil, Domestic Relations, and Domestic Violence mediation.

Evita earned her B.A. from Howard University in Washington, DC and Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

Evita has been a member of GABWA since 2015 and has served on the leadership team in various roles.  She served as Chair of Historian, Awards and Sponsorship, Newsletter, and Sections. This year she will serve as Chair of Sections.

Shatorree Bates is the founder and managing attorney at Bates Law Firm, LLC in Atlanta where she primarily represents families in family law cases involving divorce, custody, visitation, property division and financial support. She has ten (10) years of litigation experience and has managed 1,000’s of cases, including in her firm, during her tenure as a Staff Attorney at Fulton County Superior Court and while working in a large law firm in Atlanta. 

Shatorree has over twenty (20) years of broad experience which includes her service as a Guardian ad Litem, representing individual and business creditors and debtors in the Atlanta Division of the Northern District of Georgia Federal Court, managing businesses, counseling clients on family, financial and personal matters and teaching college courses.  Prior to obtaining her juris doctorate (JD) degree and being admitted to the State Bar of Georgia, Shatorree worked as a law clerk for a judge and interned in the district attorney’s office, in juvenile court, and at a transactional law firm.  In addition to her JD, Shatorree has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, an Associate of Arts degree and is a Registered Neutral (Mediator) in Georgia.

Since being admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2008, Shatorree has published many articles, chaired and presented continuing legal education seminars and is a frequent speaker on successfully launching law firms, sound financial management and substantive family law topics.   Shatorree founded and chaired GABWA’s Woman-to-Woman attorney mentoring program and founded the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyer’s Division Solo/Small Firm Committee. Shatorree has received numerous awards for her service to the bar and to the community. Currently, Shatorree proudly serves as GABWA’s Parliamentarian and has also serves on the executive boards of the Multi-Bar Leadership Council and Gate City Bar Association.  When she is not working, she enjoys traveling, partaking in the arts, volunteering, visiting new restaurants, playing volleyball and spending time with loved ones.  

Simone N. Hylton is a Deputy District Attorney with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office under the leadership of District Attorney Fani T. Willis. Ms. Hylton heads the Brenda Baham Domestic Violence Unit. This unit is responsible for the prosecution of intimate partner cases to include battery, aggravated assaults and homicides. Prior to her position in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, she served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney’s Office in the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office in the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault unit and the Sexual Exploitation and Crimes Against Children Unit.  

Ms. Hylton has handled cases ranging from drug offenses to homicide cases.   Ms.  Hylton started her prosecution career in 2010 at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. While at the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, Ms. Hylton received several awards to include the Major Case Rookie of the Year award, the Trial Unit Attorney of the Year award and was selected as a Rising Star in the Fulton County District Attorney’s office in 2012. 

Originally born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Ms. Hylton made Georgia her home after graduating law school. Ms. Hylton received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Legal Communications from Howard University in 2004. She received her Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2008. Currently, Ms. Hylton serves as the Vice President of Programs for the National Black Prosecutors Association; Past President of the Greater Atlanta Black Prosecutors Association; Vice President of Programs for the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys; and Secretary of the DeKalb Lawyers Association.  Ms. Hylton is an Adjunct Professor at Emory University School of Law where she teaches trial techniques. Ms. Hylton is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc and serves her sorority through the Atlanta Suburban Alumnae Chapter. Ms. Hylton is a member of Cascade United Methodist Church in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia. 

Jahnisa has been a GABWA member since 2009. She has served multiple GABWA presidents and looks forward to serving as Chair of the Political Action Committee under President Miracle J. Rankin.

Jahnisa is a senior attorney in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group at Alston & Bird LLP. Her practice is diverse, focusing on government investigations, privacy and data security, insurance defense litigation, and general civil litigation. Jahnisa served as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. She attended the University of Georgia School of Law and Clark Atlanta University.

Bernie M. Lawrence is a seasoned principal attorney at the law firm of B. Lawrence Watkins & Associates, P.C.,
concentrating in the areas of Entertainment, Technology, Licensing, Copyright, Trademark, Business Transactions,
and Corporate Formations. Her clients include Grammy® Award winning music producers, artists and songwriters,
some of who have reached diamond status in sales. She also represents major label record executives, Deejays,
independent record labels, managers, music and film/television production companies, screenplay writers, and
clothing designers. Ms. Lawrence has over twenty years of experience in drafting and negotiating complex
agreements ranging from licensing, employment, corporate transactions, to product endorsement and influencer
deals on behalf of entertainment and corporate brands. Ms. Lawrence’s sharp negotiating skills have earned her
clients over millions of dollars in revenue. She periodically appears as a guest lecturer and panelist at colleges, law
schools and conferences nationally and internationally.
Ms. Lawrence began her legal career as a paralegal in 1996 at the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton
LLP formerly known as Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP, and later worked as a contract attorney in the litigation
department. In 1999, she left the large firm environment to work for the City of Atlanta as the Legal Specialist in the
Office of Contract Compliance, while maintaining her legal practice on the side. In late 2002, Ms. Lawrence left the
City of Atlanta to operate her law firm full time. She served as a federal lobbyist for a period of 8 years representing
the City of Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, as she built a niche law practice representing
platinum-selling music producers and songwriters.
Moreover, Ms. Lawrence is a community activist. In addition to being co-founder of several community based
organizations, in 2007 she co-founded Gather For Good, an annual networking and fundraising event seeking to
raise funds for local nonprofit organizations. From 2009 to 2013, she served as a volunteer lecturer for Literacy
Action, a United Way Organization, and taught grooming and interviewing techniques to adults seeking to re-enter
the workforce. In 2012, she became a STEM community partner/volunteer to TAG-Ed. In 2015, her firm partnered
with the Atlanta John Marshall Law School, and in 2019 partnered with Georgia State University College of Law
and currently provides externship opportunities to law students seeking to learn the practice of Intellectual Property
and Entertainment Law.
In 2007, Ms. Lawrence received the Metro Atlanta Community Champion Award from MADD and was honored by
Rolling Out Magazine as one of Atlanta’s 25 Most Influential Women. In 2009, the Supreme Court of Georgia
appointed her as a Mentor in the Transition into Law Practice Program to assist newly admitted lawyers to the State
Bar of Georgia, and she currently participates as a mentor. During that same year, she also received The Token of
Appreciation Award from Music in the Metro, a non-profit organization located in Des Moines, Iowa for bringing
youth and the music industry together. In 2012, she was presented the Entertainment Lawyer of the Year Award by
Women of Wealth Magazine and was honored by ASCAP as one of The Women Behind the Music. In 2014, Ms.
Lawrence received the Chairman’s Award from the Entertainment, Sports & Art Law Section of the National Bar
Association. In 2015, she was honored with an Icon Award by Writing Sessions America – Atlanta, and Rolling Out
Magazine honored her as one of the Top 25 Women of Atlanta for the second time. In 2017, she was featured in
Attorney at Law Magazine as one of the attorneys to watch. In 2018, She received the Rising In Community
Excellence (R.I.C.E.) Award. In 2019, Ms. Lawrence was honored by Women of Wealth Magazine with the Women

In Music and Entertainment Award and received the inaugural Justice for All Award in Entertainment Law by
Rolling Out Magazine. Throughout the years 2006 through 2018, Ms. Lawrence has appeared in Who’s Who in
Black Atlanta.
Ms. Lawrence’s past Board affiliations include the United Way-African American Partnership, Smyrna Basketball
Association, Inc., The Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill, and the Black Entertainment Sports Lawyers Association
(BESLA) (2010 through 2017). During the years 2007 to 2011, Ms. Lawrence also served as a local advisory board
member to Branch, Banking and Trust (BB&T). She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Georgia Music
Partners (GMP), the Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully (C.H.O.I.C.E.S.), and Sickle Cell Disease
Association of America (SCDAA). Throughout the years, she has served as a member of various organizations,
including, but not limited to Atlanta Business League, the National Association of Recording Arts & Sciences,
Women in Film and Television Atlanta (WIFTA), the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, Pi Alpha
Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., American Bar Association, National Bar Association and the
Federal Bar Association.
Ms. Lawrence received her Degree of Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing from Howard University
and Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in Georgia in all
lower courts, State and Superior Courts, the United Stated District Court of the Northern District of Georgia,
Georgia Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Georgia. Ms. Lawrence is the mother of two sons, who are also
Howard Bison.

Olivia is a Georgia native and a graduate of Spelman College class of 2004 where she received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science. She is also a 2007 graduate of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Olivia has been practicing law for 13 years starting out in criminal law but transitioning into estate planning and elder law as the result of a personal family experience. She is the owner and partner of SR Law Group, a boutique law firm that focuses on Estate Planning and Elder Law in the black community. She is also the co-host of Black Parents Aging, a podcast that helps children of aging parents navigate the changing landscape.

Olivia is very active and engaged in her church and community from volunteering and assisting candidates running for office to mentoring young girls and women. Olivia enjoys reading, hiking and visiting State Parks, and traveling but the role that she cherishes most of all is auntie. She is on the board of Renewed Beginnings, a non-profit maternity home for teenage girls and is a member of Junior League of Douglas County.

Ms. Willis serves as Corporate Counsel at Carter’s, Inc., the largest branded retailer of children’s clothing in North America. She provides legal support across all distribution centers and retail locations in the United States and also oversees compliance in the areas of privacy and cybersecurity.

Prior to joining Carter’s legal department, Ms. Willis spent close to 10 years as an employment defense litigator, garnering distinction on the National Black Lawer’s Top 100 list, and Super Lawyer’s “Rising Star” list for the past 6 consecutive years.

Ms. Willis obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Princeton University and her juris doctorate from Emory University School of Law.  She is a native of Toronto, Canada. Outside of the legal arena, Ms. Willis enjoys sports, volunteering time at a local animal rescue, and serves on the board of Soccer in the Streets (a non-profit geared towards supporting disadvantaged youth in the metro Atlanta area).

Tyrra Walker is an associate in the Atlanta office of Chartwell Law. She handles matters related to premises liability and trucking and transportation law, including ride-share liability litigation throughout Georgia.

Tyrra is proud alumna of Spelman College where she received her B.A. in Psychology. Immediately after graduating college, Tyrra matriculated into law school and enrolled in the dual-degree J.D./M.B.A. program. While in law school, she was a member of the Black Law Students Association and the Georgia State University Moot Court Board. She successfully earned First Place awards and individual recognition in two Moot Court competitions. In 2021, Tyrra graduated cum laude from Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business and was one of eight students in her graduating class inducted into the Order of Barristers at Georgia State University College of Law. 

Most notably, Tyrra was a GABWA Foundation Scholarship recipient in 2019 and 2020. She is eager to continue serving GABWA as this organization and its members helped lay the foundation for the start of her legal career.