Legal Services Alabama welcomed Rural Economic Improvement Project (REIP) Staff Attorney Donavon McGuire to its Selma office on Oct. 21. A native of Selma, AL, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, McGuire stated he is excited to come back to his hometown and serve his community.

When the Selma Office had an opening, McGuire jumped at the opportunity to apply.

“My goal was to come back to Selma and support and serve my community,” McGuire said. “[LSA] gives me both components of being an attorney and serving my community, here in Selma.”

Holding a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in legal studies from Auburn University Montgomery (2013) and a law degree from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law (2019), being an attorney has always been an ultimate goal for McGuire.

“I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer,” McGuire said. “It’s been the only career path that I’ve wanted to pursue. My passion is wanting to serve the public. Public service is befitting for me and still allows me to fulfill my dream of being a lawyer.”

Having worked for the Mid-Alabama Coalition for the Homeless and as a group home and substance abuse manager for the Cahaba Center for Mental Health, McGuire is passionate about community service.

McGuire’s current practice areas include wage garnishment, SSI Cessation, domestic violence and evictions. While at LSA, McGuire hopes to expand his legal proficiency.

“I want to be more knowledgeable,” McGuire said. “My Managing Attorney has done very well in training me and showing me the ropes. She has guided and advised me – going over my cases with me … I appreciate it.”

As REIP’s new Staff Attorney, McGuire hopes to build on the “solid foundation” already established by the program. He hopes to institute more creative ways to assist in advocacy and help the underserved navigate the legal system.

“I want to take what we have here and build on it – take it to the next level,” McGuire said. “[As far as] LSA, I want to bring compassion and continue to let the community know we are here to help them in their time of need.”

As the second to youngest of eight children, McGuire stated his mother has been his biggest inspiration in his career.

“Just to see my mother battle adversity – growing up, she inspired me,” McGuire said. “She always had the motto of, ‘pursuing education.’ My mother has always supported me in that. My mother knew I wanted to be a lawyer at a young age, so she always supported me – pushing me in that direction.”

When not practicing, McGuire is very involved in community service through his fraternity, the Delta Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and 100 Black Men of Selma.

“Seated in Selma, we serve the Black Belt through community engagement,” McGuire said. “Whether it’s mentoring or giving out food to the community – that’s my hobby outside of work. I live by the credo: ‘Service is the price you pay for the space you occupy.’”

For more information about McGuire or our advocates, visit: www.legalservicesalabama.org.