I work with Equip for Equality on the treatment of people with disabilities in prison.  My project aims to reform the mental and physical health care provided in the Illinois prison system.  More than half of the prisoners in state institutions suffer from mental illness, and the care is severely deficient.  

My project focuses on the “U visa,” a form of immigration relief for victims of serious crimes.  The Tahirih Justice Center only represents women and girls, so my clients are survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence who have worked with police to bring the perpetrators to justice.  I also conduct education and outreach programs in local immigrant communities and for law enforcement - with specific focus on the growing gang epidemic.  

Raj Nayak is a fellow with the Housing Unit at the National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago.  He works to protect the relocation rights of Chicago public housing residents subject to the Chicago Housing Authority's citywide redevelopment plan.  Raj's project has two main goals: first, to preserve the relocation rights of families who are becoming lost in the larger relocation process; and second, to help secure support and resources for families who will ultimately remain in non-redeveloped public housing.  

I work in the area of foreclosures and predatory mortgage lending.  I defend low-income homeowners from foreclosure and bring affirmative cases based on illegal lending practices.  .  

My project focuses on the areas of foreclosures and predatory mortgage lending.  I defend low-income homeowners from foreclosure and bring affirmative cases based on illegal lending practices.  I also help educate homeowners to help them avoid foreclosure or, if they are already in foreclosure, find the assistance that they need.  

Brent Newell represented San Joaquin Valley client-communities opposed to “mega-dairies,” large, industrial-style dairy operations.  Brent lived and worked in rural Kern County, California.  San Joaquin Valley communities faced an environmental health crisis brought on by a combination of pollution, poverty and a general lack of access to health care.  

Jessica Neyman helped children with disabilities gain access to a free appropriate public education in State College, Pennsylvania.  Jessica assisted many children in small, rural school districts that do not have easy access to many of the special education services available to children in urban communities.  Jessica provided legal advocacy on behalf of exceptional children, including children who are gifted, or are physically, mentally or emotionally impaired.  

The Legal Aid Society is a nonprofit civil legal assistance program in Washington, D.  C.  , providing legal representation on a range of issues including consumer, housing, public benefits, domestic violence and family law.  

As coordinator of the Local Law Student Pro Bono Project at PIC, I match law students with short-term and long-term legal volunteer projects in a variety of organizations, including legal aid agencies, court-based programs, social service providers, and other legal service providers.  I also help organize legal clinics with partner organizations on issues effecting low-income communities, including an immigration clinic with Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach and a Landlord-Tenant Intake Clinic with Legal Services of Northern California.  .  

The Asian Immigrant Youth Assistance Project aims to provide immigration legal assistance, advocacy and outreach to Asian immigrant youth and their families in the D.  C.  area through a T, U, and SIJS visa initiative.  

My project will address the ongoing issue of exploitation in the workforce of Vietnamese immigrants in the Greater Boston area.  These immigrants lack significant formal education, job skills and proficiency in English and they compete for a limited number of low-skilled jobs.  In collaboration with Greater Boston Legal Services and Vietnamese organizations, I will connect with community leaders to provide worker workshops and representation where necessary, and also with the Attorney General and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  

Mondana Nikoukari returned to her host organization as an Equal Justice Works Fellow to develop the Family Stabilization Project (FSP).  The project aimed to alleviate and change the conditions that hamper effective child support delivery to families in Western Massachusetts.  In its first year FSP provided legal representation and advice to families suffering from insufficient child support, and also provided legal advocacy for custodial parents having trouble accessing child support services from the state child support enforcement agency.  

When victims of domestic violence make the decision to leave their batterer, they often find themselves in the position of representing themselves in divorce proceedings.  Unfortunately, these victims are usually the least able to represent themselves.  My project seeks to increase the pool of pro bono attorneys willing to directly represent these victims - through networking, community outreach and attorney training.