About Ela Orenstein Basto, Esq. 

Pamela (Ela) Orenstein Basto has been a litigator for over fifteen years in Georgia State and Administrative Courts. The majority of her practice has been spent as a successful claimant's attorney in the Georgia Workers' Compensation System.  

Ela has been very active in the Workers' Compensation Bar, serving on the Advisory Council to the Chairman of the State Board of Workers' Compensation; the Board of Directors of the Georgia Legal Foundation; and the Board of Directors of the Workers' Compensation Claimants Lawyers (WCCL) section of the Georgia Trial Lawyers’ Association. Ela is also a graduate of the GTLA LEAD program and has been a frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education seminars regarding Georgia's Workers' Compensation Act. Ela is a licensed Mediator and Registered Neutral with the Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution.  

Ela received her law degree from the University of Oregon in 2006 and earned her undergraduate degree from Georgia State University, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelors of science in Psychology. 

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS and ACTIVITIES

- Ethics Day at State Board of Workers Compensation Annual Education Seminar, Steering Committee (2019 - present) 

- State Board of Workers Compensation Chairman’s Advisory Council, Rules Committee   (2017 - 2020)

- State Board of Workers Compensation Chairman’s Advisory Council, Public Education Committee   (2014 - 2017)
-   Georgia Legal Foundation, Board of Directors  (2012 - 2017)
-   GTLA Workers’ Compensation Claimants' Lawyers, Board of Directors    (2016 - 2020)
-   Georgia Trial Lawyers Association  (2012-present)
-   GTLA LEAD Program  (2014)

PRESENTATIONS, PUBLICATIONS, and AWARDS

-  Award: The Daily Report, One of thirty attorneys under age forty recognized as "On The Rise"  (March 31, 2017) 

- Speaker: Functional Rehabilitation Programs & Workers’ Compensation, State Board of Workers’ Compensation Annual Education Seminar, Atlanta  (August 27, 2019)

-   Speaker: State Board of Workers’ Compensation Regional Seminars  (2015, 2016, 2017)

-   Speaker: Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Workers’ Compensation Arena, The Affordable Care Act in 2017, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta  (January 19, 2017)

-   Speaker / Author: Georgia Legal Foundation Seminar, Litigating Workers’ Compensation Death Claims  (August 17, 2016)

-   Speaker: Advanced Workers Compensation, Recent Developments in Workers’ Compensation Law, Atlanta Bar Association  (February 26, 2016)

-   Speaker: Workers’ Compensation Law Institute, Appellate Division Updates, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Sea Palms Resort, St. Simon's Island  (October 22-24, 2015)

-   Speaker / Author: Workers’ Compensation for the General Practitioner, Basic Elements of a Workers’ Compensation Case, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta  (March 19, 2015)

-   Speaker: Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Workers’ Compensation Arena, The Affordable Act and Settling Workers Compensation Claims, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Atlanta  (January 22, 2015)

-   Award: 2014 LEAD Program, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association

-   Author: Workers’ Compensation Updates, The Verdict Magazine, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association  (Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Spring 2014)

-   Author: Fictional New Accident vs. Change in Condition – is the Debate Really Over Yet? Published in the State Bar of Georgia Workers’ Compensation Law Section Newsletter  (Summer, 2012)

-   Award: Trail Blazer Award for Environmental Law presented by the Newtown Florist Club  (October 10, 2009)

-   Speaker: Closing the Gap on Health Disparities Forum, Hosted by the Hispanic Health Coalition  (August 28, 2009)

-   Speaker: Continuing Legal Education Lecture, Environmental Justice, Georgia Bar Building  (March 11, 2009)

-   Contributing Author: Georgia Conservation Briefing Book(2009/2010)

-   Contributing Author: Putting the Law to Work in Our Communities: A Citizen’s Guide to Environmental Protection and Justice in Georgia  (2007)

-   Contributing Author: EarthJustice 2006 Environmental Rights Report, Developments in North America, Submitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights

-   Guest Lecturer at University of Georgia School of Law, Georgia State University Law School, Spelman College, and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health  (2007-2010)

-   Speaker: Working in the Public Interest Law Conference, University of Georgia School of Law  (2008)

-   Speaker / Organizer: Oregon Students of Color Coalition Conference, “Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice”  (2006)