About Us
Hidden Story
Heirs property is the hidden story behind blight and generational poverty throughout rural and urban Georgia. Heirs property refers to a home or land that passes from generation to generation without a legally designated owner resulting in ownership divided among all living descendants in a family. This unstable form of ownership limits a family’s ability to build generational wealth and hampers the efforts of nonprofits and cities to revitalize neighborhoods.
The Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, Inc. was founded on the recognition of the need for prevention, education, and remediation of heirs property. The Center has served Georgia’s heirs property owners, nonprofits, and municipalities since 2015.
The Center is a not-for-profit law firm dedicated to increasing generational wealth, economic value, and community stability by securing and preserving property rights of low and moderate income Georgians. The Center helps heirs property owners, nonprofits, and municipalities remediate fractured title, increase equity, and transfer wealth to the next generation through title clearing, wills creation, estate planning, and facilitating access to government, private sector, and nonprofit land management/home improvement programs. Staff work throughout the state with targeted outreach in Atlanta and southwest Georgia.
Quick Facts
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Attorneys, Support Staff, a network of pro bono volunteers and grassroots organizational partners |
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Serve low income families with properties in 38 Georgia counties with a collective value of more than $10.4 million |
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Statewide work with geographic outreach in Atlanta and South Georgia |
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Offices in Atlanta, Athens, Fitzgerald, and Valdosta. |
GET IN TOUCH
Georgia Heirs Property Center helps heirs property owners with title clearing and estate planning services.
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In 2023, the Center, in partnership with the NASA Develop Program, used geospatial mapping to identify areas vulnerable because of heirs property in rural counties impacted by 2017 Hurricane Irma. When extrapolated to the state, heirs property represents $47 Billion in "Frozen Equity." Heirs Property undermines every aspect of Georgia's economy and communities.
A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO UNLOCKING GENERATIONAL WEALTH
With the Center’s overarching goal of growing Georgia’s economy, strategic partnerships are vital to the success of the Center. Addressing heirs property demands legal services and educational outreach that advance economic justice at the micro (individual) and macro (community) level. This complex challenge requires both a commitment to providing services that meet specific and individual client needs and result in a broad economic development impact for neighborhoods, cities, counties, and regions.
Through its legal support programs, land loss prevention, and asset education, the Center has built a strong foundation to continue partnering with clients, nonprofits, and public service leaders to address heirs property and rebuild a healthy economy for Georgia.
The Center identifies potential partners -- nonprofits and community-based organizations -- who are engaging directly with residents in target areas and who are willing/able/trusted to help residents engage in the Center’s processes.
Our Funders.
