The Scales of Justice

On October 11^th, 2022, Equal Justice Works gathered hundreds of leaders and supporters from the legal community for the first in-person Scales of Justice since 2019. This year’s event gathered our community of Fellows, Alumni, and supporters in Washington, D.C., to support our mission and to honor Teresa Wynn Roseborough, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at The Home Depot.

Thanks to generous event sponsors and donors, we raised more than $2.9 million to support our efforts to mobilize a community of lawyers committed to public service and equal justice! 

This was a landmark year for Equal Justice Works and the Scales of Justice event, as we introduced our new CEO, Verna Williams, to our community for the first time in person. During her remarks, Verna touched on what drew her to Equal Justice Works and the recent successes of the organization. She also shared her vision for the future of Equal Justice Works: “Looking forward, I see great opportunity ahead for this organization and the communities we serve.”

During the program, we highlighted the incredible work of our Fellows, including 2021 Fellow Joey Carrillo’s work, which provides identity-affirming legal services, outreach, and education for low-income LGBTQ+ survivors of domestic violence in Chicago. Joey also spoke at the event, and shared stories from his clients who benefit directly from the services that he provides through his Fellowship. Joey’s project is sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, and he invited Ernest LaMont Greer, the co-president of Greenberg Traurig and Equal Justice Works board member, to the stage to share that as of this spring, Greenberg Traurig will have sponsored 200 Fellows with Equal Justice Works!

Our 2022 Text-to-Give Fellow, Alexandra Zaretsky, took the stage to discuss her project reuniting refugee families by exposing and challenging anti-Muslim immigration policies. In response, attendees texted in donations totaling more than $76,000 to fund one more 2023 Fellow who will pursue their passion to help individuals and communities in need.

We also shared a video in conversation 2012 Fellow alumni Hillary Schneller and 2021 Fellow Ndome Essoka, who discussed their important work advocating for reproductive justice and maternal health care. In this fireside chat, Hillary and Ndome spoke to the recent developments challenging reproductive rights and other intersecting issues, such as maternal healthcare.

During the award presentation, Teresa was introduced by her long-time colleague from Eversheds Sutherland, Mark Wasserman. She then took the stage to speak about the importance of public interest work in achieving justice. During her remarks, she touched on some of the incredible work that our Fellows do to advocate for their causes. She cited projects that focus on youth with behavioral and mental needs;  aim to stop the solitary confinement of children in Georgia’s prisons; and help people navigate complicated property laws, such as Heirs’ law, to ensure that generational wealth is passed down. She also discussed the importance of using the law as a tool of empowerment to create equal access to justice for all.

Teresa stated in her remarks that, “No single person… can fix the tremendous problems before us. None of us alone can do the great things that need to be done to make our country and our world what they were intended to be. But if each of us will simply bite off what we can chew, I believe we can achieve equal justice for all.”

The program was rounded out with special appearances from General Counsel and Secretary, Medtronic, Inc., Ivan Fong; Managing Partner and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Eversheds Sutherland LLP, Mark Wasserman; and co-president of Greenberg Traurig, LLP Ernest LaMont Greer. The 2022 Scales of Justice event was co-hosted by emcees Michel Martin, Weekend Host of All Things Considered and Consider This from NPR, and Billy Martin, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg.

Huge thanks to everyone who made this program possible: Champion of Justice sponsors The Home Depot and Greenberg Traurig, LLP, our other incredible event sponsors, the 2022 Steering Committee, and all who attended and supported The Scales of Justice!

The generosity and dedication of our community is greatly appreciated and will help to bring us closer to fulfilling our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.