Profile
Tom Rawlings brings 30 years of legal experience in juvenile justice, child protection, and capacity-building to Taylor English. As a member of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department, Mr. Rawlings concentrates his practice on advising and defending youth-serving organizations. He has spent more than 20 years representing and serving institutional clients with a focus on vulnerable populations, including children and families, juveniles, and individuals living with poverty, food insecurity, and medical disabilities.
Prior to joining Taylor English, Mr. Rawlings served as the director of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. He was previously the director of the Office of the Child Advocate. Mr. Rawlings was the first full-time juvenile court judge in the Middle Judicial Circuit and oversaw juvenile justice cases in five counties.
In addition to his work in the US, Mr. Rawlings has also served as the Guatemala country director for International Justice Mission, where he built and led a team of Guatemalan professionals who worked with government prosecutors and courts to protect and treat child sexual abuse victims, prosecute offenders, and train child abuse professionals. He has trained child welfare, justice, and human rights professionals across the US as well as in Armenia, Romania, and Thailand.
Mr. Rawlings earned a Masters’ degree in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University (UK), and is certified by the National Association of Counsel for Children as Child Welfare Law Specialist.
Community Involvement
Connections Homes, National Advisory Board, 2021-present
Kids Alive International, Board of Directors, Lead Director on Safeguarding Committee, 2020-present
Wellroot Family Services, Board of Directors, 2021-present.
Washington County (Georgia) Board of Education, Chairman, January 2015-December 2018
Foreign Languages
- Spanish
Newsroom
Speaking Engagements
- "Advancing Human Rights for All in Armenia,” American Bar Association Rule of Law InitiativeApril 2018
- “Trabajando con La Niñez Victimas de Abusos Graves,” Conference on Child-Friendly Justice TechniquesOctober 2016
Education
University of Georgia School of Law, JD, 1992
University of Oxford, MSt, 2017
Duke University, BA, 1989
Bar Admissions
Georgia
Accolades
Fulbright Senior Specialist in Law, 2005-2010
Harold K. Ables Award, Georgia Juvenile Services Association, August 2013