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Woman of the Year Nominee: Elizabeth J. Appley, Esq.
Crusading attorney for children with disabilities, health and social services, women and their families, and economic justice issues.
by Echo Montgomery Garrett
January 1, 2005
E
xamine some of the most important cases regarding access to education for handicapped
children, government abuse of power, employment discrimination based on age, disability, race or
gender, or reproductive freedom in the state of Georgia, and one name will likely come up over and
over again: Elizabeth J. Appley, Esq. Since 1994, she has divided her practice between civil
litigation and representing primarily non-profit organizations before the Georgia General Assembly.
Over her past 26 years of practicing law, Appley, past president of the Georgia Association for
Women Lawyers, has built her career on speaking for those who can't speak for themselves.
What do you count as victories?
I've been successful helping to expand funding for health care, disability services,
micro-enterprise, teen pregnancy prevention, and domestic violence shelters. I helped to pass a law
that a judge could issue a temporary protection order valid for three years instead of one year.
Passing an amendment to the unemployment insurance law that allowed 10,000 families a year who had
previously been denied to receive unemployment insurance.
Your career reflects a particular passion for women's health issues.
I was involved in passing a law prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating against
victims of domestic violence. They were raising their rates, equating these victims with engaging
in risky behaviors like parachute jumpers or racecar drivers. We passed some measures that put a
minimum obligation on insurance companies to cover preventive healthcare for women and a law on the
state level to end "drivethrough" [baby] deliveries before it passed on the Federal level. We also
passed a law requiring insurance coverage for testing for chlamydia, which is asymptomatic in
women, has a high prevalence among women under age 30 and impairs future fertility if left
untreated. We were the second state in the country to pass the lawrequiring insurance companies
that cover Viagra for men to cover prescribed contraceptives for women. For decades insurers had
refused contraceptive coverage.
Why is the battle so tough?
Women's health needs were systematically ignored, because we were not at the table with the
Fortune 500 and the large insurance companies when the terms of these policies were being
negotiated. That's why we've had to work so hard through legislation at the state level.
What started you on this path?
My mother and her family had to flee from the Holocaust. After the war the Jews had no place
to go home to. In 1948 my mother helped found a kibbutz in the newly formed state of Israel. My
father fought in WWII in the Merchant Marines. After the war, he sailed on ships that smuggled Jews
into Palestine.
My parents fell in love, married and lived in Israel for a few years. As a child I would
hear about the Holocaust. At some point people around the world knew what was happening to the Jews
and others but just went on with their daily lives. My parents' willingness to set their lives
aside and commit themselves to a larger purpose to help create a Jewish homeland was a powerful
example. From that I integrated a sense of personal responsibility to right the wrongs that I saw.
It's not okay to go about your daily life and turn a blind eye to the suffering around you.
How did you wind up focusing so much of your law practice on representing
non-profits?
I went to law school at Columbia University without a lot of knowledge of what practicing
law would mean. One professor made it clear to us that while so many were choosing to go to big
firms or work on Wall Street, everyone has aright to representation. We as individuals could choose
to lend our time and careers to advocacy for issues we believed in. I took that to heart.
What's your passion?
Helping others who might not otherwise have a strong advocate - especially senior citizens,
people with disabilities, workers and low-income families.
What's your greatest honor?
Being recognized by my peers at the Atlanta Bar Association as the 2004 Woman of Achievement
in our profession.
What's your favorite quote?
Martin Luther King, Jr.: "The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice."
Do you achieve balance?
I sure try, but it seems like mere milliseconds in life when I don't feel like I am supposed
to be somewhere else. That's the challenge of being a working mother. I tend to be a perfectionist.
It's hard for me to say: "That's good enough."
Elizabeth J. Appley
Attorney at Law
Age: 50
Birthplace: Queens, New York
Family: Husband Sandy Epstein and sons Joseph, 16, and Benjamin, 11
Must Reads: The Hours, Tale of Two Cities, Finding a Spiritual Home and The Source Hobbies:
Reading, travel and hiking
