Chelsea M. Freeman Dease | YLD Secretary

Candidate Statement

As a 2023 graduate of the YLD Leadership Academy, member of the YLD Board of Directors and now advisor to the YLD Law School Outreach Committee, I am actively engaged in the affairs of not only young lawyers, but soon-to-be lawyers. I am invested in Bar leadership and the promise of all that it can be. Put simply, I am invested, accountable and accessible. A vote for me is an endorsement of all things reliable, transparent and results driven.

Education

• University of South Carolina—Honors College (2014)
• Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (2017)
• Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, criminology articles editor (2015-16)
• Student Bar Association, treasurer (2015-16)

Personal/Family

• Native of southwest Atlanta, Georgia
• Married to high school sweetheart, Patrick J. Dease
• Mother of two boys, Presley and Princeton
• Bilingual: English and Spanish
• Religious affirmation: Christian (United Methodist)
• Hobbies/Interests: travel, fitness, reading, fashion, learning new languages

Professional Background, Bar Activities, Civic Activities

• Associate Municipal Court judge of Lake City, Georgia, and Union City, Georgia (January 2024–present)
• Johnson & Freeman, LLC, litigation partner (May 2022–present)
• Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP, level II litigation associate (August 2021–March 2022)
• Greenberg Traurig, LLP, products liability, pharmaceuticals, mass torts and medical malpractice associate (September 2017–July 2021)
• Bar Engagement
  • State Bar of Georgia
    • YLD Board of Directors (2024–present)
    • YLD Law School Outreach Committee, co-chair (2024–25)
    • YLD Leadership Academy (2023)
  • Gate City Bar Association
    • Inaugural L.E.A.D. class (2021)
  • Lawyers Club of Atlanta
  • Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys
  • American Bar Association
    • Young Lawyers Division
  • Atlanta Bar Association, judicial member
    • Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers
    • Litigation Section
    • Women in the Profession Section
• Civic Engagement
  • Pi Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated, member
  • Ivy & Roses Community Fund, Inc., president (2026–present)
  • Ivy & Roses Community Fund, Inc., immediate past vice president (2025-26)
  • Ivy & Roses Community Fund, Inc., past programs chair (2023-25)
  • Ladies Athletic Club of Atlanta, member
  • Atlanta Women's Foundation, Inspire Atlanta Cohort (2023)
  • Ronald J. Freeman Sr. Chapter of the Black Law Students Association of Georgia State University College of Law Scholarship Board, board member
• Professional Accolades
  • National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 (2024, 2025)
  • Best Lawyers: One to Watch® (2025)
  • Super Lawyers, Georgia Rising Stars (2025, 2026)
  • 2015 Donald Lee Hollowell Civil Rights Legacy Award from the DeKalb Lawyers Association
• Publications
  • “Staying the Course,” The YLD Review (Vol. 66, Issue 3, 2025)
  • “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Law Firms and Corporate Legal Departments,” Diversity Insider (2021)
  • “Litigation 2021 Practice Guide: Law and Practice USA,” Chambers and Partners (2020)
  • “Litigation 2019 Second Addition: Law and Practice USA,” Chambers and Partners (2019)
  • “The Global Courtroom: Discovery of Foreign Documents in U.S. Products Liability Litigation,” American Bar Association’s Women in Litigation Joint Conference (2017)
  • “Ain’t I A Woman,” senior thesis (2014)

Main Issues Facing the State Bar/Position

The prime issues facing the Bar are mentorship and engagement. While the Bar mandates the Transition into Law Practice Program (TILPP), which focuses primarily on inside-mentoring during the first year of practice, there is no programming designed to optimize a young lawyer’s continued engagement with the Bar. That said, the Bar would benefit from the development of an Emerging Leader Mentorship Program, which would serve as a specially designed advanced mentorship program, matching young lawyers with more senior members of the Bar. Eligibility would commence after a young lawyer’s successful completion of TILPP. The overall mission of the Emerging Leader Mentorship Program would be to nurture emerging leaders by fostering continued Bar service from matriculation until retirement.