Equal Justice Works Adds Two New Board Members: Abid R. Qureshi and Dean Risa Goluboff

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 9, 2023—Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, today announced that Abid R. Qureshi and Dean Risa Goluboff have been named to the organization’s board of directors.

“We are pleased to welcome Abid and Dean Golubofff to the Equal Justice Works Board of Directors,” said Verna Williams, Equal Justice Works CEO. “These highly respected leaders embody our organization’s core values and share our passion and commitment to ensure equal justice is truly for all. We look forward to leveraging their thoughts, perspectives, and experiences to support the growth and success of the organization.”

Abid R. Qureshi is a partner at Latham & Watkins, where he represents clients in government investigations, regulatory proceedings, and complex commercial litigation. He is also the Global Chair of Latham’s Recruiting Committee. Abid has established an impressive track record of fostering a culture of pro bono at the firm, and previously served as Global Chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. Under his leadership in that role, Latham substantially increased its efforts to provide free legal services in jurisdictions around the globe. An outstanding leader in the legal community, Mr. Qureshi has a long history of providing pro bono legal advice to prisoners, civil rights advocates, and immigrants’ rights groups. In 2022, he received the Community Leader Award from the South Asian Bar Association of DC.  In 2018, he received the Servant of Justice Award from the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia and the Impact Award from the Capital Area Muslim Bar Association.

“As the justice gap continues to widen, it is important to mobilize passionate public service leaders to stand up for fairness, equity, and the rule of law in important ways that impact communities and empower those most in need,” said Abid R. Qureshi, global chair of Latham’s recruiting committee. “I feel passionate about the incredible service and network Equal Justice Works provides, helping to empower lawyers and future lawyers to serve in the public interest.”

Dean Goluboff is the first woman dean of the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Law and a nationally renowned legal historian who focuses on American constitutional and civil rights law. During Dean Goluboff’s tenure, Virginia Law has significantly expanded its clinical offerings; its financial support for students pursuing public service careers; and its loan forgiveness program for alumni working in public service. Dean Goluboff serves as the Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law, a professor of history, an affiliated scholar at the Miller Center, and a faculty affiliate at the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies. She is the author of two award-winning books and many shorter works, and a recipient of UVA’s All-University Teaching Award. Before joining UVA, Dean Goluboff clerked for Judge Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

“I am thrilled to join the Equal Justice Works board of directors. EJW’s mission—to bring lasting change to underserved communities by facilitating public service opportunities for lawyers and law students—dovetails beautifully with our mission at Virginia Law, which has been preparing lawyers and leaders for lives of service to our nation and its people for two hundred years. In both roles—as dean here at Virginia and as an EJW board member—I am delighted to continue my commitment to fostering public service within the legal profession and access to justice for all.”

In addition to these new members, Equal Justice Works announced that Kathryn J. Fritz, partner in the Litigation and Intellectual Property Groups of Fenwick & West LLP, has been elected board chair. Ms. Fritz will succeed Ivan K. Fong, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary at Medtronic. Frank R. Jimenez, group vice president and general counsel of GE Healthcare, has been named board vice chair.

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The full list of Equal Justice Board of Directors members can be found here.

About Equal Justice Works

Equal Justice Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for lawyers to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. As the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, Equal Justice Works brings together an extensive network of law students, lawyers, nonprofit legal aid organizations, and supporters to promote public service and inspire a lifelong commitment to equal justice.

Contact

Heena Patel

Marketing and Communications Director

Email: [email protected]

Accomplished public interest leader and Equal Justice Works Fellow Alumni from Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, Inc. joins the Equal Justice Works Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 31, 2023—Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, is proud to announce that 2017 Rural Summer Legal Corps Student Fellow and 2018 Equal Justice Works Fellow Kace Rodwell was selected to join the organization’s board of directors. Kace is currently a staff attorney at Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, Inc. (OILS), an organization that provides services to low-income Native Americans in Oklahoma.

“Equal Justice Works alumni have a deep commitment to equal justice and public service, and it is a bond that connects our community as we work toward fulfilling our nation’s promise of equal justice for all,” said Verna Williams, Equal Justice Works CEO. “We are honored to welcome Kace to the Board. She is an accomplished leader who embraces our values of service and equal access to justice. Her experience in our Fellowship programs and insights working in rural communities will be a great asset to Equal Justice Works and its continued success.”

In 2017, Kace was competitively selected as a Student Fellow in the Rural Summer Legal Corps at OILS, where she worked on estate planning and helped members of the Five Tribes with land status laws. She leveraged this experience to design a project in collaboration with OILS that focused on reducing the number of unrepresented Native American parents in Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) cases in rural Oklahoma counties and supporting tribal courts’ efforts to place Native children with tribal families. Kace’s project, sponsored by DLA Piper LLP and an anonymous co-sponsor, was the first Equal Justice Works Fellowship hosted by OILS, one of the few stand-alone programs dedicated to Indian law in the nation.

Following her Equal Justice Works Fellowship, OILS hired Kace as a staff attorney, where she continues her work to ensure ICWA compliance and that Tribal parents and Indian custodians receive all rights under the law to protect families and cultural ties.

“My law career is founded on a commitment to serve my community and communities like mine that often face obstacles in obtaining legal assistance,” said Kace Rodwell. “Equal Justice Works provided me the avenue to address the legal needs of Tribal Members across Indian Country in Oklahoma as a Rural Summer Legal Corp Fellow and as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. I’m thrilled to now serve on the Board of Directors for Equal Justice Works, to give back to the organization that supports my passion for public interest work and continue our shared mission to ensure justice for all.”

Kace is deeply committed to serving members of her community and ensuring access to equal justice in rural areas, much of which comprises her home state of Oklahoma. Kace is an active member of the Oklahoma Indian Bar Association and the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Rural Task Force. She is also a frequent panelist with the task force, and most recently shared her advice and experiences at the LSC Access to Justice Forum for Legal Aid in Rural America. Kace earned her B.A. from Northeastern State University, and her J.D. from the Oklahoma City University School of Law.

The Equal Justice Works Board of Directors is comprised of national leaders from every corner of the legal profession including judges, corporate counsel, law firm partners, law students, Fellow Alumni, academics, and public interest law leaders and advocates. Nominations for the Fellow Alumni board member are accepted from the Equal Justice Works community before being presented to the board of directors for final selection.

A full list of Equal Justice Works Board of Directors can be found here.

About Equal Justice Works

Equal Justice Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for lawyers to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. As the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, Equal Justice Works brings together an extensive network of law students, lawyers, advocates, legal services organizations, and supporters to build a community committed to fulfilling our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.

Contact

Heena Patel
Communications and Marketing Director
Email: [email protected]

Equal Justice Works, American Bar Association, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Disaster Legal Services, and Stetson University College of Law bring together disaster law experts and advocates for two-day Disaster Resilience Symposium in March 2023

Washington, D.C., January 19, 2023—Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, announced today that it will host the Disaster Resilience Symposium: Building Community Resilience through Advocacy and Systemic Change on March 15-16, 2023, in collaboration with the American Bar Association, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Disaster Legal Services, and Stetson University College of Law.

“This conference brings together leading advocates and thinkers to share best practices and resources for increasing and improving community response and resilience to all types of disasters,” said Equal Justice Works CEO Verna Williams, “Lawyers play a critical role in disaster preparedness and recovery, and to build disaster resilience in communities, we know having a sustained presence of lawyers on the ground is crucial. We’re thrilled to work in partnership with groups that are on the frontlines of this important issue.”

Stetson University College of Law will be the site of the Disaster Resilience Symposium, convening legal, academic, and community voices instrumental in disaster law and the resilience movement for keynote presentations on current and emerging issues in disaster response and preparedness.

“We are excited to host the symposium this year and bring together so many practitioners working in the trench who respond to disasters,” said Christine E. Cerniglia, associate professor of law and director of clinical and experiential education at Stetson University College of Law. “As we see on the news, disasters are occurring at an alarming rate across the globe. How communities prepare to become more resilient will define our future; Most importantly, how communities respond to ensure ALL members in the community are resilient will further define us. This symposium hopes to provide a space to think about how to bolster preparedness for all including the most vulnerable in order to create equality in disaster response.”

Participants will explore the latest developments in disaster law, systemic issues, and the future of disaster response and preparedness, highlighting tools and resources that can be used by advocates to build resiliency in the communities they serve. Additionally, Fellows in the Equal Justice Works Disaster Resilience Program will lead sessions where they will share their expertise and delivery strategies for advocating on behalf of people who need help recovering from the legal effects of disasters. Substantive sessions include perspectives on climate and environmental justice, community organizing, meaningful access and inclusive disaster planning, the impact of disasters on immigrants, and how to build a career in disaster law. Participants will also be immersed in interactive disaster and poverty workshop exercises addressing the role of legal services, pro bono, courts, and public services in low-income communities after a disaster.

“This symposium is a valuable networking and collaboration opportunity for local community stakeholders as well as national players to help advance the field of disaster law,” said Linda Anderson Stanley, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Disaster Response and Preparedness and senior manager of disaster programming at Equal Justice Works. “We’re excited to bring together these organizations and other thought partners in the disaster resilience movement.”

To register for the Disaster Resilience Symposium, visit here.

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About Equal Justice Works

Equal Justice Works is the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law. We bring together an extensive network of law students, lawyers, legal services organizations, and supporters to promote a lifelong commitment to public service and equal justice. Following their Fellowships, more than 85% of our Fellows remain in public service positions, continuing to pursue equal justice for underserved communities across the country.

Media Contact

Heena Patel
Marketing and Communications Director
Email: [email protected]

Grant Will Support Organization’s Work to Mobilize Lawyers to Provide Legal Aid to Victims of Crime in Underserved Communities.

Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, today announced that it has been awarded a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, to launch the Crime Victims Advocacy Program (CVAP), a two-year legal Fellowship program.

In 2020, almost 17 million Americans were victims of crime, including more than 4.5 million violent crimes and more than 12 million property crimes. Additionally, crime victimization disproportionately impacts racial minority groups. Crime survivors often face complex legal issues, which can be overwhelming to navigate without legal representation. Victimization can create a myriad of civil legal problems and intensify pre-existing challenges faced by victims and their families. Studies uniformly show that individuals represented by lawyers receive better outcomes than unrepresented or self-represented individuals.

The Crime Victims Advocacy Program at Equal Justice Works will place 21 attorney Fellows at legal services organizations across the country to provide civil legal services for victims of crime in underserved communities, specifically communities of color, and to enforce their rights. In addition to mobilizing attorney Fellows, CVAP will also include a cohort of 21 summer law student Fellows who will support the work of attorney Fellows and help build a pipeline of victims’ rights attorneys who have sustained careers in this field.

“It is essential for crime victims to have access to legal aid to enforce their rights and address many legal issues they may face after the victimization,” noted Verna Williams, CEO at Equal Justice Works. “We are incredibly grateful to the Office of Victims of Crime’s support of this program to provide critical legal services and strengthen community responses for crime victims in underserved areas.”

Fellows in the Crime Victims Advocacy Program will represent crime victims to enforce their rights and pursue available legal remedies for their clients. They will also engage with the community at large through outreach, community education, and partnership-building activities to increase underserved communities’ capacity to effectively support victims.

The Crime Victims Advocacy Program will be implemented in collaboration with the training and technical assistance (TTA) provider, the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI). As the national expert on victim law and legal training, NCVLI will provide intensive and multi-faceted TTA to the Fellows throughout the program to develop their knowledge and skills on relevant legal issues and best practices and to create opportunities for peer learning.

Equal Justice Works plans to start the host organization selection process and open applications to become a CVAP Fellow in the winter of 2022/2023, and Fellows are expected to begin work during the summer of 2023.

For more information about the Crime Victims Advocacy Program, please contact [email protected].

This program is supported by an award under 15POVC-22-GK-01116-NONF, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Equal Justice Works is proud to introduce the 2022 class of Housing Justice Program Fellows. Thirty-one Fellows will be hosted at eighteen legal aid and grassroots organizations in areas where evictions and housing instability have reached epidemic proportions. The program has expanded from Richmond to Northern and Eastern Virginia, and into South Carolina and Maryland.

The Equal Justice Works Housing Justice Program uniquely combines the efforts of lawyers and community organizers, working collaboratively as Fellows, to advocate for low-income and under-resourced communities.

Evictions have a disproportionate effect on communities of color, women, and children. Without access to safe and stable housing, individuals and families can face a variety of negative outcomes, including economic hardships and health problems.

Meet some of our Housing Justice Program Fellows and learn more about how they will be building collaborative partnerships among tenant groups and community members and engaging in activities to effect systemic change.

Equal Justice Works Fellows in the Housing Justice Program’s 2022 class have created projects to address a wide range of housing-related legal issues. Examples of these projects include:

Benjamin Apt, Legal Aid Justice Center

Benjamin’s Fellowship aims to foster the growth of affordable housing programs for low-income residents in Northern Virginia through research, representation, and advocacy. He has partnered with the Legal Aid Justice Center to raise awareness of the economic vulnerabilities that very low-income tenants, many of whom are immigrants, face.

DeAnna B. Smith, Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia

At the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia, DeAnna will work with the Attorney Fellows to connect tenants with the legal assistance and knowledge they need to address the systemic problems plaguing local housing markets. DeAnna will also support tenants in low-income public and subsidized housing, conduct outreach, organize education sessions, and build partnerships with community organizations to provide a network of support in addition to legal services.

Emily Blackshire, South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center

Emily’s project focuses on expanding tenants’ rights in counties across South Carolina. Throughout the Fellowship, Emily will partner with various actors and organizers in the community to create infrastructure for a housing court system that provides access to counsel for all tenants at risk of eviction.

Anne Boyle, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland

Anne will participate in her host organization’s rent clinic, where she will provide day-of-court, limited-scope representation to tenants in district courts for Baltimore City and County. She will also take on an in-house, landlord-tenant caseload and help the Pro Bono Resource Center to recruit, mentor, and support volunteer attorneys.

Warren Buff, Community Legal Services of Prince Georges County, Inc.

At his host organization, Warren will address housing insecurity by focusing on eviction defense in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He will also train local attorney volunteers to assist in tenant defense during eviction proceedings and will participate in education and outreach programs to help local tenants avoid eviction proceedings before they begin.

Jamesa D. Parker, Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia

Jamesa will connect tenants with the legal assistance and knowledge they need to address the systemic problems plaguing local housing markets in Virginia. This Fellowship will also connect with community allies to identify and provide direct and targeted legal services to the community.

Marianela Funes, Tenants and Workers United

As a Fellow, Marianela will engage in community outreach, relationship building, leadership development, and community organizing to build power and advance changes in local housing policies that preserve and expand deeply affordable housing for households at the lowest income levels.

Jake Kmiech, CASA, Inc.

In response to housing instability in Maryland, Jake is partnering with CASA, Inc. to represent immigrant communities facing housing instability throughout Maryland, ensuring they have access to safe housing and justice.

Brandon L. Ballard, Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia

Brandon will collaborate with activists and organizations in the community to tackle systemic barriers to housing by providing direct, targeted legal services to a subsidized—or otherwise low-income—multifamily complex. Brandon plans to empower the community by way of a tenant advocacy group, workshops, and door-to-door outreach.

Rebecca Leussing, Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Inc.

At Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Inc., Rebecca will provide legal representation to low-income clients facing eviction and exploitation by their landlords. She will work to build the network of organizations and community leaders who serve low-income individuals facing housing instability. She also aims to create accessible legal materials to arm people with knowledge of their rights and resources.

Malique Parker, Baltimore Renters United

Malique will work to increase tenant engagement by organizing in Baltimore City, where he will facilitate tenant-led organizing. He will develop a plan for Baltimore Renters United to conduct outreach in community spaces, implement bi-monthly city-wide tenant organizing meetings, offer trainings, and recruit tenant leaders to participate in national training with other tenant-led organizing groups.

DiNesha Rucker, Homeless Persons Representation Project, Inc.

DiNesha’s Fellowship will focus on eviction defense and increasing access to permanent housing for youth and young adults in Baltimore City, Maryland. By providing legal and educational assistance specifically for youths under 25 years old, DiNesha will seek to increase youth and young adults access to permanent housing.

Taylor Rumble, Charleston Legal Access

As a Fellow, Taylor will collaborate with local organizations to defeat barriers to legal representation in eviction hearings. By establishing Housing Court in at least two additional South Carolina counties, she will support tenants facing housing instability through the legal process.

Denise Thomas-Brown, Virginia Poverty Law Center

Denise will identify and support grass roots tenant organizations and groups throughout the state to help coordinate and guide them on policy advocacy. She will accomplish this by providing education and training, collaborating with tenant organizations, and conducting advocacy trainings.

Sloan Wilson, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center

In response to rising rent prices and a rental home shortage, Sloan will provide resources and support for tenant-led advocacy groups in low-income housing complexes though community organization partnerships, distributed organizing outreach, educational sessions, and legal aid.

Charlie Zenker, Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Inc.

Charlie’s Fellowship will provide community outreach and legal services to promote housing justice in Northern Virginia. This project will partner with the community in know-your-rights trainings, outreach events, and direct legal services to make legal information and resources more accessible.

The Housing Justice Program is made possible thanks to the generosity of The JPB Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Abell Foundation, and Maryland Legal Services Corporation. Learn more about the program here.

WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPTEMBER 14, 2022— Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, today announced the newest members of the Equal Justice Works Alumni Advisory Council.

The Alumni Advisory Council (AAC) is a non-fiduciary advisory board comprised of a diverse group of 15 Equal Justice Works alumni who provide advice and counsel in support of the organization’s alumni engagement initiatives. AAC members work in partnership with the director of alumni relations to build lifelong relationships between Equal Justice Works, its Fellowship alumni, and current Fellows through programming, communication, and volunteerism. The AAC works to advance and promote the mission of Equal Justice Works and our programs while representing the interests and concerns of alumni to Equal Justice Works, and the interests of Equal Justice Works to its alumni.

AAC members are appointed to serve three-year staggered terms and may be reappointed for one additional consecutive three-year term. Members are reflective of the diverse strengths, Fellowship programs, geographic distribution, professional accomplishments, and public interest disciplines of the Equal Justice Works alumni community. Recently, the AAC welcomed five new members.

“We are thrilled to welcome the newest members to our Alumni Advisory Council and are looking forward to having each one of them contribute their diverse expertise, viewpoints, and experiences,” said Lynbea Toombs, the Director of Alumni Relations at Equal Justice Works. “The work of our Council members is immensely important to furthering our alumni engagement program and our organization’s mission; the commitment of our newest members to the communities they serve and to Equal Justice Works will continue to enhance the Council’s value.”

The new members of the Alumni Advisory Council include:

Sarah E. Belton, 2010 Fellow

Sarah’s Fellowship at Legal Services for Children addressed the unmet educational needs of youth pushed out from public schools due to school discipline, attendance, special education, and other issues. After her Fellowship, Sarah was a Supervising Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice, where she led the Bureau of Children’s Justice within the Civil Rights Enforcement Section. She also worked as the first Cartwright-Baron Attorney at the Oakland office of Public Justice. Sarah now works as a Clinical Supervising Attorney and Lecturer in Law at the Mills Legal Clinic at Stanford Law School. There, she leads the Racial Justice Pilot Project, which is focused on combatting systemic racism and addressing harm to communities of color.

Esha Bhandari, 2011 Fellow

During her Fellowship at the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, Esha worked to secure greater procedural protections for immigration detainees with mental disabilities in removal proceedings. Esha now serves as the Deputy Director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, where she uses litigation and advocacy to protect freedom of expression and privacy rights in the digital age. She also focuses on the impact of big data and artificial intelligence on civil liberties. She has litigated cases including Sandvig v. Barr, a First Amendment challenge to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act on behalf of researchers who test for housing and employment discrimination online, and Alasaad v. Wolf, a challenge to suspicionless electronic device searches at the U.S. border.

Oscar Fernandez, 2016 and 2017 Fellow

Oscar’s Fellowship afforded representation to unaccompanied children in removal proceedings before the immigration court, in asylum proceedings, and in other adjudicative bodies. After his Fellowship, Oscar became a staff attorney with his host organization, the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, where he continued working predominantly with unaccompanied minors and expanded his reach as an advocate to also represent adults with lower incomes who were seeking immigration assistance. Oscar is currently a Research Attorney and Practice Area Consultant at LexisNexis, where he works closely with law schools and firms in south Florida. He volunteers his free time through the company to further the LexisNexis Cares initiative of advancing the rule of law and caring for communities.

Jilisa Milton, 2019 Fellow

During her Fellowship, Jilisa worked at the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program’s Black Belt Disability Justice Project (BBDJP) to protect the rights of children with disabilities. After her Equal Justice Works Fellowship, Jilisa became a State Policy Fellow through the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. She currently works at Alabama Arise, a statewide, member-led organization advancing public policies to improve the lives of Alabamians who are marginalized by poverty and racial injustice, where she is a policy analyst and lobbyist on state budget and tax policy (economic policy) and racial justice.

Claire Johnson Raba, 2010 Fellow

Claire’s Fellowship at Bay Area Legal Aid provided a fresh start for people who suffered from coerced debt, identity theft, and consumer and tax debts incurred due to abusive relationships. After her Fellowship, Claire served as the Consumer Rights unit team lead at Bay Area Legal Aid for nine years, and taught Consumer Law for two years as an Adjunct Professor of Law at UC Hastings, College of the Law. Claire joined the UC Irvine School of Law Consumer Law Clinic as a Clinical Teaching Fellow in 2019, where she supervised students representing clients in complex predatory lending matters and affirmative policy litigation to halt unconstitutional government-imposed debt. Currently, as an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, Claire teaches Civil Procedure and Consumer Law and conducts empirical research on issues of access to justice, civil court modernization, legal technology, and consumer debt.

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To learn more about the Alumni Advisory Council, visit here.

Verna comes to Equal Justice Works from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where she currently serves as the dean, and brings decades of experience both practicing and teaching law, specializing in constitutional law, critical race theory, race and the law, family law, and feminist legal theory. In her role as CEO, Verna will build on the 36-year history of Equal Justice Works, an organization founded by law students, which currently has more than 200 Fellows and 2,300 alumni, 85% of whom remain in public service positions following their Fellowship.

“The mission of Equal Justice Works to create opportunities for leaders to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service is an admirable one that means so much to me personally. Throughout my career, while I was at the Department of Justice, the National Women’s Law Center, and the University of Cincinnati College of Law, public interest law has truly been at the heart of my work, especially with a focus on civil rights and women’s rights. At this time, when economic security remains out of reach for too many and long-standing legal protections are in jeopardy, the mission of Equal Justice Works and the work of the Fellows is more important than ever. It’s an honor to join this organization,” said Verna Williams, incoming CEO of Equal Justice Works.

“Verna has an impressive background and experience practicing law, driving educational opportunities in public interest law, and leading a law school — all of which relates to the work and community of Equal Justice Works. She has a clear vision for the future of the organization; a strong record of championing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; and she has a demonstrated ability to lead and build connections across groups within the community. Given her experience, vision, and personal qualities, I am thrilled and enthusiastic about welcoming Verna to the leadership of Equal Justice Works,” said Ivan Fong, Chair of the Equal Justice Works Board of Directors.

“Verna is an outstanding choice to be the next leader of Equal Justice Works,” said David Stern, Executive Director of Equal Justice Works. “For 30 years, I have been inspired by the students, Fellows, and alumni who are on the front lines challenging systemic injustice and making a lasting impact in the communities where they serve. At a time when injustices proliferate, there is an unprecedented appetite among law students and lawyers to devote themselves to public service. Equal Justice Works is poised to respond, and Verna is the right choice to be the next leader of this organization.”

Verna most recently served as the Dean of the College of Law at the University of Cincinnati, where she began working as a member of the faculty in 2001 teaching areas of family law, gender discrimination, and constitutional law. She also founded and co-directed the College’s Judge Nathaniel Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice. Prior to her roles at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, Verna was the Vice President and Director of Educational Opportunities at the National Women’s Law Center, focusing on gender equity in education. Additionally, Verna clerked for the Honorable David S. Nelson, U.S. District Judge for the District of Massachusetts, and, following her clerkship, she practiced law at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, DC, and at the U.S. Department of Justice. Verna graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and Georgetown University.

Verna Williams will join Equal Justice Works as CEO on September 19. Learn more about Verna here.

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About Equal Justice Works

Equal Justice Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for lawyers to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. As the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, Equal Justice Works brings together an extensive network of law students, lawyers, advocates, legal services organizations, and supporters to build a community committed to fulfilling our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.

Contact
Sarah Lackritz
Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Email: [email protected]

Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, today announced the newest members of its National Advisory Committee.

Formed in 2003, the National Advisory Committee (NAC) is a diverse group of  law students and  law school professionals who serve as Equal Justice Works ambassadors within the law school and legal services communities. NAC members extend the reach of Equal Justice Works initiatives by providing leadership, feedback, and outreach assistance to support the organization’s mission to create opportunities for lawyers to transform their passion for public service into a lifelong commitment to equal justice.

“We are excited to welcome these new members to the National Advisory Committee,” said Aoife Delargy Lowe, vice president of law school engagement & advocacy at Equal Justice Works. “These new NAC members will identify opportunities and provide guidance for how Equal Justice Works can best serve the law student community and law students more broadly.”

NAC members serve two-year staggered terms, and each year we welcome new members to replace those who have completed their terms of service. This year, the Committee welcomes four law students and three law school professionals. The newest members of the 2022-2024 National Advisory Committee include:

Law Students:

• Bruce Leal, American University Washington College of Law
• Nicole Jansma, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law
• Leslie Espiricueta, St. Mary’s University School of Law

Law School Professionals:

• Marni Lennon, University of Miami School of Law
• Miguel Willis, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
• Huy Nguyen, University of Washington School of Law

 “I am looking forward to serving on the committee because I will have the opportunity to increase the knowledge law students have about public interest work,” said new NAC member Leslie Espiricueta. “Serving underprivileged communities when one has the privilege of a law school education is a very meaningful way to give back and I am hoping to inform law students on how this career field can look.”

The NAC will host its annual meeting virtually on Wednesday, August 10. At the meeting, members will brainstorm how to best expand access and knowledge of public interest law in their respective regions.

For more information about the National Advisory Committee members and to see a current list of members visit here.

Forty law students will spend their summer helping improve access to justice for people living in rural communities.

WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 25, 2022—Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, and the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the nation’s single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans, today announced the selection of 40 law students for the Rural Summer Legal Corps (RSLC).

“It is inspiring to see the number of law students who wish to make a meaningful difference in rural communities where civil legal aid is difficult to find,” said David Stern, executive director at Equal Justice Works. “We look forward to seeing the collective impact this talented group of students will have during their summer of service.”

RSLC is a partnership between Equal Justice Works and LSC that supports law students serving rural communities each summer. Program participants, called Student Fellows, spend eight to ten weeks hosted by LSC-funded civil legal aid organizations, where they help address challenges facing rural communities.

The 2022 class of Rural Summer Legal Corps Fellows includes 40 students from 36 law schools who will work at 37 LSC-funded civil legal aid organizations across the United States and its territories, providing critical legal assistance to people in rural areas. Through the program, Student Fellows have the opportunity to provide direct legal services, engage in community outreach and education, and build capacity at the organizations where they are hosted.

“The Rural Summer Legal Corps offers law students direct exposure to a potential career and supports civil legal aid organizations working tirelessly to meet the needs of their communities,” said LSC President Ron Flagg. “The shortage of lawyers in rural areas is well documented, and Fellows’ service this summer during the COVID-19 health crisis is particularly important as the numbers of people eligible for LSC-funded services and the legal needs of Americans living in poverty have been surging.”

This year’s class of RSLC Student Fellows will take on projects that address a range of access-to-justice issues. Some of these projects include:

• Dayleen Chery and Matthew Gulick will support their host organization, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc., in the areas of farmworkers rights and environmental justice. Dayleen, a student at Southern University Law Center, will work on a variety of employment law matters affecting migrant and seasonal agricultural workers; and Matthew, a student at Lewis & Clark Law School, will help ensure rural communities are not overburdened by air and water pollution and have access to safe drinking water.
• Elise Baroni will join “Beyond Opioids—Breaking Legal Barriers for Families in Recovery,” a collaborative project among legal aid programs in Arkansas that supports people impacted by the opioid crisis and other substance use disorders. Elise, a student at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Leflar Law Center, will be hosted by Legal Aid of Arkansas.
• Christopher Irsfeld will support his host organization, California Rural Legal Assistance, in addressing legal issues affecting rural transgender and gender-non-conforming Californians, as well as investigating potential harassment and discrimination claims. Christopher is a law student at New York University School of Law.

Launched in 2016, RSLC Student Fellows have helped increase access to justice for thousands of individuals living in rural communities. In 2021, law students in the program collectively contributed 10,746 hours to help rural communities, with 4,492 hours spent on direct legal services. These Student Fellows also participated in 154 outreach events, created or expanded more than 170 collaborations with community partners, and provided legal information to more than 900 individuals.

To learn more about the Rural Summer Legal Corps, visit here.

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About Equal Justice Works

Equal Justice Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for lawyers to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. As the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, Equal Justice Works brings together an extensive network of law students, lawyers, nonprofit legal aid organizations, and supporters to promote public service and inspire a lifelong commitment to equal justice.

About Legal Services Corporation
Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. The Corporation currently provides funding to 132 independent nonprofit legal aid organizations in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Visit www.lsc.gov for more information.

Contact:
Heena Patel
Marketing & Communications Director
Email: [email protected]

84 public interest lawyers will spend the next two years advancing access to justice with underserved communities across the United States.

The 2022 class of Fellows received sponsorship from 81 law firms, corporations, private foundations, and individual donors.

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 10, 2022—Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, today named its 2022 class of Equal Justice Works Fellows. Each of the 84 law school graduates, in collaboration with a legal services organization, has designed a two-year Equal Justice Works Fellowship project to address the unmet legal needs of the community they will serve.

“The highlight of the year is when we announce the class of 84 passionate public service leaders who will bring their entrepreneurial ideas and energy to communities that face injustice,” said David Stern, executive director at Equal Justice Works. “Chosen from hundreds of compelling applications, these talented new lawyers are destined to make an impact during their Fellowships and throughout their careers.”

Each year, Equal Justice Works selects a class of public interest lawyers who have designed unique projects in partnership with legal services organizations. These projects are funded by law firms, corporations, private foundations, and individual supporters.

Selected from 385 applications, the 2022 class of Equal Justice Works Fellows includes graduates from 45 law schools who will work at 76 legal services organizations across 20 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Among this year’s 81 sponsors are 31 leading law firms recognized in the Am Law 200 and 25 Fortune 500 corporations.

“Improving access to healthcare is a core component of Abbott’s sustainability plan and ties with our broader mission to help people live their fullest, healthiest lives,” said Hubert Allen, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Abbott. “We are deeply honored to be a sponsor of the 2022 Equal Justice Works Fellowship program and support this vital work.”

Equal Justice Works Fellows in the 2022 class have created projects to address a wide range of legal issues. Examples of these projects include:

• Nicole Camargo Almeida (she/her/hers), a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Law, will be hosted at Legal Action Chicago, where she will provide direct legal representation to low-income immigrants in Illinois seeking healthcare benefits. Nicole’s Fellowship is sponsored by Abbott.
• Ian Gustafson (he/him/his) will be hosted by the Mississippi Center for Justice, where he will advocate for the clearing of criminal records, restoration of driving privileges, and reinstatement of voting rights on behalf of people formerly incarcerated in southern Mississippi. Ian, a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, is cosponsored by Walmart, Inc. and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.
• Jemimah Kamau (she/her/hers), a graduate of University of Washington School of Law, will be hosted by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, where she will help respond to the growing legal and social services needs of Black immigrants in a culturally responsive and linguistically competent manner. Jemimah’s Fellowship is sponsored by The Lorenzini Family Foundation.
• Zoraima Pelaez (she/her/ella) will work to protect the right to abortion and ensure meaningful access, particularly for poor people, people of color, and those living in rural areas, using innovative legal strategies with her host organization, the American Civil Liberties Union. Zoraima, a graduate of University of Texas School of Law, is sponsored by Robyn Lipton and Bruce Kuhlik.
• Michael Smith (they/them/theirs) will provide legal advocacy for individual survivors of gun violence through a new medical-legal partnership between the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia and MedStar Washington Hospital Center’s Community Violence Intervention Program. Michael, a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, will be hosted by Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. Michael’s Fellowship is sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

Over the past three decades, Equal Justice Works has awarded more than 2,300 postgraduate fellowships to public service leaders committed to ensuring equal access to justice for underserved communities. Our Fellowship programs are designed to effect change in communities and throughout our country by mobilizing Fellows to work on key issue areas such as disaster resilience, affordable and safe housing, and crime victims’ rights, as well as through the opportunity for a Fellow to work with a legal services organization to design and implement a unique project in response to a specific or emerging need. On average, 85% of Equal Justice Works Fellows remain in public service positions, continuing to help fulfill our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.

Click here for a full list of the 2022 Equal Justice Works Fellows, host organizations, and sponsors.

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About Equal Justice Works
Equal Justice Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for lawyers to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. As the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, Equal Justice Works brings together an extensive network of law students, lawyers, nonprofit legal aid organizations, and supporters to promote public service and inspire a lifelong commitment to equal justice.

Contact
Heena Patel
Marketing and Communications Director
Email: [email protected]