Phyllis A. Kravitch became the third woman circuit court judge in the US in 1979 and served her home state of Georgia for decades. The daughter of an attorney, Kravitch attended her father’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and after graduating in 1943 joined him in a law practice that focused on defending the rights of poor people and minorities in Savannah, Georgia. One of the first female trial lawyers in the South, Kravitch became the first woman president of the Savannah Bar Association in 1973 and went on to serve as the first woman superior court judge in Georgia. Once appointed to the circuit court, she established a rape crisis center and a family shelter for battered women, and helped the Georgia legislature revise its child abuse and family laws. She also served on the Chatham County Board of Education from 1949–1955, ensuring equal salaries for teachers regardless of race or gender. Active in many aspects of law, Kravitch has served on the boards of various universities and organizations, including the standing committee on the rules of practice and procedure of the Judicial Conference of the United States in 1995. As of 2013, she still serves on the bench.