Millard Farmer oral history interview, July 13, 2012

Interviewed by Diane Fowlkes. Farmer explains how unexpected events often changed the Team Defense strategy. He describes growing up in a segregated and sexist society. He recounts hiring Amanda Potterfield as an intern and being impressed by her interpersonal skills in dealing with all types of people. He notes how a judge could better understand a female lawyer’s explanation of the rights of women and children. He describes conducting seminars on how to file motions outside the normal boundaries to raise social issues and was sometimes met with hostile reactions by lawyers. He describes in more detail his decision to join Georgia Criminal Justice Council and he and Kehrer soon realized funding would cease if they continued to engage in social change. He expounds about of the founding of Team Defense and the intent to change the system. He describes Mullen recruiting Bob Altman who was involved in the Native American movement in South Dakota. He recounts the early history female lawyers in Atlanta. He notes that an unintended consequence of Team Defense was integration of women into the courtroom and how it benefitted from the innovative thinking and leadership displayed by female interns. Farmer’s law partner, Kimellen Tunkle, describes starting as an intern and the profound influence Courtney Mullin had in instilling confidence in others. Tunkle recounts gathering information for the Alday case by pretending to be a college researcher and being discovered and threatened. She shares stories about a few of the amazing talents of other interns. Farmer notes the failures of Team Defense were the inability raise sufficient operating funds and not retaining some of those talented people.