Friday, May 13
8:30 am – 10:00 am
A Whole New World: Developing Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Legal Aid Programs
One size fit most is an excellent concept for scarves, gloves, and hats—but not for legal aid inclusivity. How do legal aid organizations integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives to intersect with the design and development of new legal aid technology and training employees within this fully remote environment? This will be an interactive session including an introduction of valuable DEI resources for considering inclusion, such as an Implicit Bias Self-Assessment tool, Accessibility Options, and a framework for Engaging in Difficult Dialogues. Furthermore, using scenario-based learning, participants will engage the six elements for building Inclusive training programs: Format, Input, Newness, Bias-Checking, Perception, and the creation of a Culture of Inclusion. Participants will also be provided a space for open, authentic dialogue and receive tools to enhance Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive training development within their legal aid organizations
Panelists:
Tanya Douglas, Manhattan Legal Services, New York, NY
Jennifer Rivers, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Dina Shafey Scott, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Chat Bots, Collaboration Platforms and Intake Portals: Tech Fixes to Enhance Pro Bono
Law firms are increasingly using legal tech to better serve their clients. This technological know-how is also being brought to bear to better serve pro bono clients and collaborate with legal services providers. This panel will demonstrate how chat bots, collaboration platforms, and intake portals are enhancing pro bono projects.
Panelists:
Jacqueline Haberfeld , KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP, New York, NY
Harlene Katzman, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, NY
Peter Kempner , Volunteers of Legal Service, New York, NY
Come Together - Developing, Maintaining and Managing an Agency-Wide Technology-Based Legal Services Initiative
This session focuses on how the addition of a technology unit within an agency can increase use of and client access to legal services through bridging the digital divide. Technology-based initiatives are essential to bring legal resources to remote and underserved areas. Participants will learn the benefits of managing all of these options through an interconnected technology-based legal services unit instead of a decentralized approach. Through an interactive problem-solving exercise, participants will address common issues faced when developing, launching, and managing technology-based legal projects, as well as the challenges of bringing these projects together under one umbrella.
Panelists:
Kristen Orr, Center for Elder Law and Justice, Buffalo, NY
Erin Riker, Center for Elder Law and Justice, Buffalo, NY
Educating Legislators About Legal Aid 2.0
This session is designed to build on the workshops we have done for the past few years on how to explain legal aid as constituent services to legislators and their staff. Now that many LSC grantees and other legal aid programs have begun to develop relationships with their federal and state legislators and staff, we want to identify ways to build on and expand those connections, e.g., provide trainings for district caseworkers; involve legislative staff in community outreach efforts. The panel will include LSC grantee Executive Directors and civil legal aid practitioners with experience meeting with and educating federal and state legislators and their staff both in person and virtually. The panel will also address compliance with LSC lobbying restrictions applicable to LSC grantees in communicating with legislators.
Panelists:
Carol Bergman, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Colleen Cotter, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
Ron Flagg, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Nikole Nelson, Alaska Legal Services Corporation, Anchorage, AK
Betty Balli Torres, Texas Access to Justice Foundation, Austin, TX
Effective Strategies for Serving Clients Above the Legal Aid Income Eligibility Level, Just Don’t Call It Low Bono
Millions of people around the country are above the income eligibility line for legal aid yet still struggle to find affordable legal help when they need it. This panel will feature three promising models for helping to close that gap--a legal aid program, a nonprofit law firm, and a network of socially conscious private law firms—along with lessons learned along the way and some common principles and practices they are using that can easily be adapted by other programs.
Panelists:
Jessica Bednarz, The Chicago Bar Foundation Justice Entrepreneurs Project, Chicago, IL
Brian Gilbert, Chicago Advocate Legal, Chicago, IL
Bob Glaves, The Chicago Bar Foundation, Chicago, IL
Andrea Pinzon, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc., Jacksonville, FL
Got Disaster? An Interactive Session on Making Disaster Preparedness and Relief More Equitable
This interactive session will ask attendees to react and plan for a disaster guided by subject matter experts from across the country. The session will focus on real world work with an eye towards equity issues and proposed solutions, including: First steps: A Disaster happened: what the heck do we do now? Outreach: Getting Clients and Volunteers Marketing Strategies: Letting People know there is help in a meaningful way Delivery Models: What does the Clinic/Project look like? Preparedness: Taking everything you learned and being more prepared next time.
Panelists:
Katherine Asaro, NC Legal Education Assistance Foundation, Raleigh, NC
Tiela Chalmers, Alameda County Bar Association and Legal Access Alameda, San Francisco, CA
Iris Peoples Green, Disability Rights North Carolina, Raleigh, NC
Cheryl Naja, Alston & Bird , Atlanta, GA
Jeanne Ortiz , Pro Bono Net, New York, NY
Hot Topics in Immigration
The session will focus on recent changes and developments in substantive immigration law, including asylum law. It will provide attendees an in-depth look at recent policy and legal developments pertaining to immigration claims, including pertaining to Afghan nationals. It will address recent changes in the adjudications of immigration claims.
Panelists:
Jenna Gilbert, Human Rights Representation, Los Angeles, CA
Nareeneh Sohbatian, Winston & Strawn, LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Legal Navigator: Lessons in Learning, Growing and Launching
The Legal Navigator portal is a positive step forward for programs and states with less resources to create a simple and easy to use platform which integrates artificial intelligence to identify a legal problem, guided assistants to help users create a personalized action plan to know what steps they need to take, and legal and organizational information. This session will demonstrate the launched model and share lessons learned and how other states can utilize the platform for their own sites.
Panelists:
Jada Breegle , Legal Services Corporation (LSC), Washington, DC
Nalani Fujimori Kaina , Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Eric Vang, Alaska Legal Services Corporation, Juneau, AK
Look What the Garden Grows: Legal Empowerment for Systems Change in the Wild
During the last year, Alaska Legal Services saw our vast and remote state's limited infrastructure falter and our organization (Alaska's only statewide legal aid organization) struggled to maintain staff and services. Few things seemed to be heading in the right direction, so we were amazed to see that in during this most difficult time, we were also experiencing tremendous growth in our lay advocate volunteer program and that these lay advocates were achieving incredible outcomes for our clients. Come to this session and learn how the seeds of the legal empowerment framework planted years ago grew into a robust garden of more than 200 lay advocates, many from incredibly remote communities, who worked together with our staff to correct statewide public assistance failures and to achieve systemic change, including a $13.5 million supplemental distribution of emergency nutrition benefits. We will share our community driven advocacy model that is not only curing individual injustices but is also overhauling systemic failures.
Panelists:
Sarah Carver, Alaska Legal Services Corporation, Anchorage, AK
Leigh Dickey, Alaska Legal Services Corporation, Anchorage, AK
Nikole Nelson, Alaska Legal Services Corporation, Anchorage, AK
Supporting the Pro Bono and Legal Services Community With Data and Predictive Research
Are your client outreach and attorney recruitment strategies data driven or are you simply relying on anecdotal information? What can be done using data to better address client needs and provide more targeted services? Representatives from Baylor Law School and Stanford Legal Design Lab will provide pro bono legal services strategies derived from the data research of common client inquiries on ABA Free Legal Answers and other platforms. Highlights include predictive timelines, dissemination of category-specific legal information and legal needs assessments based on the frequency, seasonality and layperson phrasing of legal inquires.
Panelists:
Margaret Hagan , Legal Design Lab at Stanford University , Stanford, CA
Stephen Rispoli , Baylor Law , Waco , TX
Tali Albukerk, Moderator, American Bar Association, Chicago , IL
The Path to 100% Representation in Eviction Defense
Securing the right to counsel in eviction cases is more than just hiring lawyers. In this session, you will learn how Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid has worked to expand and streamline our work to maximize the number of renters we are able to represent. Presenters will talk about key partnerships, technology innovations, and the integral role of support staff in creating a robust, modern, and sustainable eviction defense practice.
Panelists:
Alisha Bowen, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, Minneapolis, MN
Mary Kaczorek, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, Minneapolis, MN
10:30 - Noon
Achieving Digital Equity in the Post-Digital Era: Meeting the Challenge
This session will explore Legal Aid BC's Achieving Digital Equity (ADE) research project, its findings and recommendations. The project maps the continuing barriers to accessing digital legal resources faced by many low-income and marginalized people. The study explores the issues and challenges, how many are affected, and what can be done to ensure people can access the legal help they need, even if they can’t go online. The session will provide opportunities for participants to ask questions, discuss and how the research methodology and recommendations might be applied in their jurisdictions.
Panelists:
Kate Murray (she/her), Legal Aid BC, Vancouver, BC
Alex Peel (she/her), Legal Aid BC, Vancouver, BC
John Simpson (he/his), Legal Aid BC, Vancouver, BC
Collaborative Justice: Improving Reentry Outcomes
The Minnesota Collaborative Justice Project seeks to dramatically improve the experiences and outcomes of formerly incarcerated individuals reentering the community. This case study addresses how diverse stakeholders can work together toward successful reentry, including through a unique pro bono program addressing civil legal needs of Federal Reentry Court participants.
Panelists:
Rocky DeYoung , Montage Reentry Solutions, St. Paul, MN
Shannon Elkins , Office of the Federal Defender for the District of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Eve Runyon, Pro Bono Institute , Washington, DC
Jim Volling, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP, Minneapolis, MN
Designing & Facilitating Meetings
Organizations, teams, projects, and commissions rely on meetings and group processes to get work done. But groups receive little support on how to design meetings, including agendas and tools to support discussions, and group leaders have little support on how to then facilitate the meetings. Participants will learn a set of core concepts on meeting design and facilitation, with time to apply these concepts to a meeting that they lead.
Panelists:
Danielle Hirsch, National Center for State Courts, Williamsburg, VA
Kelly Tautges , Faegre Drinker, Minneapolis, MN
Julia Wilson, John Paul Stevens Foundation, San Francisco, CA
FundaMental Advocacy - Represent and Fight for Clients with Mental Health Disabilities
Mental health issues impact a large portion of our population. For indigent clients who lack resources to healthcare, a stable income, and a safety net, mental health disabilities can be particularly debilitating and prevent an individual from getting back on their feet. Pro bono advocates can make a tremendous difference for clients living with several mental health disabilities by removing legal obstacles to living a safe and stable life. This workshop will offer an overview of mental health and the issues faced by clients, strategies for connecting clients with the right pro bono partner, and best practices so pro bono can provide effective advocacy and achieve great outcomes.
Panelists:
Jenny Farrell, Mental Health Advocacy Services, Los Angeles, CA
Susie Hoffman, Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, DC
Vidhya Ragunathan, Inner City Law Center, Los Angeles, CA
Information Justice: Centering Access, Equity and Care in Legal Resource Design
The legal aid community made enormous strides with online legal resources, forms and services accessible online for millions of people in the past 20 years. Yet we know resources don’t serve everyone equally, or equally well, like those historically without power in the legal system, in our society and/or unfamiliar with the system. In this session we focus on how to adopt a holistic interdisciplinary approach for online experiences that break down systemic barriers to justice and meaningful participation. This session will explore ”information justice:” a framework that brings together two decades of breakthrough approaches and experience to deploy online tools rooted in serving the racially, culturally, linguistically and socially diverse communities effectively and equitably. We’ll discuss core information justice competencies such as accessibility, language access, digital equity, gender neutrality in text and forms, and designing with compassion, and engage in a rich conversation about how justice tech advocates can holistically apply these interdisciplinary perspectives and allied practices to future tech initiatives.
Panelists:
Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net, San Francisco, CA
Microenterprise and Economic Advocacy - Business Law in Legal Services
Microenterprises economic engines in low-income communities; providing opportunities to create and retain assets for low-income people. This session explores the hows and whys for microenterprise and economic development initiatives as important components of in-house legal services, including the need to address business law issues in other practice areas (family, disaster).
Panelists:
Andrea Belono Harrington, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Austin, TX
Social Advocacy: How Communications Can Advance Your Advocacy Objectives
COVID-19 has forced legal aid organizations to think differently about how they meet the needs of their clients. Social marketing and mass communications tools provide an outlet and opportunity to reach both clients and communities in new and engaging ways. This session will discuss tactics used by legal aid programs across the country since the onset of COVID-19, the lessons they learned, and the best practices they’re keeping in place, even beyond the pandemic.
Panelists:
Maria Duvuvuei , Community Legal Aid, Akron, OH
Melanie Shakarian, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
TRANSformational: Adding Transgender Name Changes to Your Civil Legal Services Portfolio
Imagine if your IDs showed someone else's name and gender marker, how hard it would be to get a job, housing, healthcare, or benefits. This is reality for 9/10 transgender people â-- but you can help! We’ll show you how to handle trans name changes respectfully, effectively, affordably, and sustainably today.
Panelists:
Adam Heintz, Legal Services NYC, New York, NY
Samantha Howell, Southern Legal Counsel, Gainesville, FL
What’s On the Menu? Legal Ethics, Limited Scope Representation, and Legal Aid Providers
Due to the nature of their practices, legal aid lawyers, perhaps more than other practitioners, provide limited scope representation to qualifying clients as an alternative to traditional "head-to-tail" representation. Limited scope representation, often referred to as unbundled legal services, happens when a lawyer handles only certain parts of a matter and the client remains responsible for others. Ethical challenges exist in providing unbundled services generally, but there are some unique additional challenges for legal aid providers. Using hypothetical scenarios, ethics experts and legal aid practitioners engage with attendees to help them address these challenges and better understand their ethical duties. Among the Model Rule to be addressed are Model Rule 1.1 (Competence), Model Rule 1.2 (Scope of Representation), Model Rule 1.4 (Communication), Model Rule 1.6 (Confidentiality), Model Rules 4.2 and 4.3 (Communication with Represented and Unrepresented Person), and Model Rule 5.1 (Responsibilities of Managers and Supervisory Lawyers).
Panelists:
Lauren Gilbride, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland , Cleveland, OH
Jenny Mittelman, State Bar of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
Ellyn S. Rosen , ABA Center for Professional Responsibility, Chicago, IL
12:00 - 1:30 PM.
Awards Luncheon
1:45 P.M.- 3:15 P.M.
Do Legal Aid & Court Websites Show up When People Search?
When people go on Google to search about their life & legal problems, what do they see? Ideally, it would be reliable, jurisdiction-correct legal help sites from courts, legal aid groups, and other public interest sources. But Search Engine audit reveals a different picture. The Stanford Legal Design Lab, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and a network of legal aid and court providers have been auditing what Google's search algorithm shows to people in different jurisdiction when they search for things like 'help with eviction' or 'how do I get a restraining order'. We will present what Google is showing, and how legal help sites can improve their rank. This will include practical strategies to improve SEO, get reliable information to be shown more prominently, and attract more people to sites that can help empower them with correct, authoritative resources. The strategies can also help legal organizations orient their online help resources to be more usable and user-friendly.
Panelists:
Margaret Hagan, Legal Design Lab at Stanford, Palo Alto, BC
Envisioning an Access to Justice Research Agenda to Shape and Strengthen Policy and Practice
Growing interest in access to justice by policymakers and an increasing focus on legal aid outcomes and innovations has created new demand for research evidence. However, the production of research relevant to understanding and improving access to justice has lagged. This session will bring legal aid leaders and researchers into conversation about the future of access to justice research and its potential to both shape and strengthen civil justice policy and practice.
Panelists:
Matthew Burnett, American Bar Foundation , n/a, IL
Nikole Nelson, Alaska Legal Services Corporation , Anchorage, AK
Alison Paul, Montana Legal Services Association, Helena, MT
Rebecca Sandefur, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
Eviction Courthouse Projects: Lessons from COVID
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted how many eviction courtrooms operate across the nation. Changing laws and increased funding allowed many communities to quickly adapt and create innovative eviction projects to address the eviction surge. Several projects expanded to adopt mediation and rental assistance programs. This session will discuss how to start an eviction project, how to improve an existing eviction project with a strong focus on mediation programs, and provide a space for an open discussion for advocates to explore solutions to expected barriers post-COVID
Panelists:
Missy Greathouse, Dispute Resolution Institute, Inc., Murphysboro, IL
Britta Johnson, Prairie State Legal Services, Peoria, IL
Elise Tincher, The Chicago Bar Foundation, Chicago, IL
Funding Rural and Regional Access to Justice: Immigration Examples
Resources to fund access to justice for low-income clients are limited, and providing legal services to immigration clients outside of large metropolitan areas presents additional challenges. Hear ideas on how to overcome barriers to serve these clients, success stories from funders, and describe unique ways communities can support these efforts.
Panelists:
Sarah Brenes, The Advocates for Human Rights, Minneapolis, MN
Phil Wheeler, , Southeastern Minnesota Interfaith Immigrant Legal Defense (SMIILD), Rochester, MN
How to Evaluate Legal Technology Projects: Deep Dive into Portal Evaluations
The Pew Charitable Trusts and Auburn University's Center for Evaluation will discuss evaluation findings in five states and best practices for evaluating legal technologies. Highlights include discussion on accessibility, security, and user empowerment. Attendees will leave with tools to begin their own evaluations and considerations for making portals more user-friendly.
Panelists:
Casey Chiappetta, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington, DC
Susan Choe, Ohio Legal Help, Columbus, OH
Dan Henry, Auburn Center for Evaluation, Auburn, AL
Jennifer Singleton, Legal Services State Support, St. Paul, MN
Meeting the Moment: Recruiting Pro Bono Volunteers for the Eviction Crisis
The eviction crisis presents an opportunity to reinvent how pro bono volunteers are enlisted to help in housing matters. This session will explore the bold strategies used to recruit volunteers to eviction defense work in Right to Counsel-Cleveland, Housing Justice is Racial Justice in California, and Attorney General Merrick Garland’s “Call to Action.” Join the discussion with pro bono professionals and learn how to motivate and engage your pro bono volunteers to meet the moment and become a part of the solution to address the evictions crisis in low-income communities across the country.
Panelists:
Diego Cartagena , Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Los Angeles, CA
Lauren Gilbride, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland , Cleveland, OH
Laura Klein , United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC
David Lash , O'Melveny & Meyers LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Caroline Shriver (Moderator) , Legal Services Corporation , Washington, DC
Paralegal Pro Bono Roundtable: A Discussion of Utilization of Paralegals to Assist Attorneys with Pro Bono
Hear leaders from the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. discuss key roles paralegals may play in the effective delivery of pro bono legal services. From staffing on specific cases and projects to licensure of paraprofessionals for particular practice areas and tasks, the panel will discuss how paralegals currently, and will in the future, provide a crucial link in bridging the justice gap.
Panelists:
Christine M. Flynn , Haggerty, Goldberg, Schleifer & Kupersmith , Philadelphia , PA
Linda Odermott, Nike, Portland, OR
Teresa Scharf , Ulmer & Berne LLP, Columbus, OH
Maren Schroeder, RP®, MnC, n/a, Rochester-Austin, MN
Turnover, Recruitment and Retention?
Turnover, recruitment and retention issues have only deepened during the pandemic. When will this end? What are the strategies for addressing these issues and retaining a diverse workforce? What are you doing/using/considering? Stay interviews? Exit interviews? Signing/retention bonus? Negotiating between contracts? We will have options, not answers. We want to discuss and prioritize - join us.
Panelists:
Silvia Argueta, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Jonathan D. Asher, Colorado Legal Services, Denver, CO
Colleen M. Cotter, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
Lillian M. Moy, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Albany, NY
Water Justice: Legal Strategies to Address Racial Disparities in Water Access
Using interactive techniques such as participant polling, panelists will (1) share tools for identifying policies that perpetuate racial disparities in water access, (2) discuss legal strategies for addressing those impacts, ranging from Fair Housing litigation to human rights advocacy, and (3) explore alternative policy approaches that promote greater water justice.
Panelists:
Jason Bailey, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. , New York, NY
Martha F. Davis, Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, MA
Wenona Singel, Michigan State University School of Law, East Lansing, MI
3:45 P.M.- 5:15 P.M.
Improving Individual and Community Prosperity Through Record-Clearing: An Evaluation
Kansas Legal Services and the A2J Lab conduct a first of its kind evaluation of record-clearing to understand the downstream effects. By randomly assigning clients to either receive full or limited-scope representation, KLS will learn about optimal resource allocation.
Panelists:
Renee Danser, Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School , Cambridge, MA
Marilyn Harp, Kansas Legal Services, Topeka, KS
Anderson Parrish, Kansas Legal Services, Topeka, KS
Innovating and Evaluating Service Delivery with Academic Partnerships
The panelists will discuss their successful partnerships with law schools and universities to develop tools extending services to low-income communities. The panel explores developing multistakeholder partnerships to enhance service delivery using technology, social media, and outreach to underserved minority and low-income clients. Using moderated buzz groups, participants will develop proposals to partner with academic institutions and community stakeholders to identify and assess needs and brainstorm innovative service delivery models or evaluation of existing projects.
Panelists:
Greg Armstrong, Inland Counties Legal Services, Riverside, CA
Claire Johnson Raba, UC Irvine Consumer Law Clinic, Irvine, CA
Pablo Ramirez , Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA
More Than a Bus
ROAD TRIP!!! Take a road trip to justice. This panel will feature three different mobile legal service models. We will start in SC with a law school statewide outreach program that partners with the state bar, stop in Milwaukee to visit a mobile law clinic that connects a law school and legal services and make our final stop at a Minnesota legal aid outreach and service program that has wheels! Each program will discuss the basic design of their program and how the bus facilitates their mission and services. Panelists will also talk about challenges, benefits and how they have adjusted their programs along the road towards the goal to reach underserved populations who may be in rural areas, have limited broadband or little access to a lawyer. While there is no map for a perfect effort to accomplish this goal as each locale has unique parameters and resources, this practical guide can provide you with ideas for your own future road trip.
Panelists:
Rachel Albertson (she/her/hers), Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, Duluth, MN
Betsy Goodale , South Carolina Bar, Columbia, SC
Pamela DeFanti Robinson, University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, SC
Angela Schultz, Marquette Law School, Milwaukee, WI
National Association of Indian Legal Services (NAILS) - Native Communities
Reimagining Pro Bono: Transactional and Remote Opportunities with Group Clients
Concentrated poverty and the long-term, systemic impacts of racial injustice are most often visible at the neighborhood level. Three legal services providers will describe pro bono models that engage volunteer attorneys from large and boutique law firms in resident-led, long-term partnerships that support community-based solutions, recovery, and growth. Discussion will focus on innovative community development projects representing group clients, such as housing cooperatives and neighborhood-based organizations, and will share best practices for engaging volunteers to handle complex legal matters within their areas of existing expertise in a remote environment.
Panelists:
Peter Hoffman, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Abby Judah, Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Kansas City, MO
Bradford Voegeli, Neighborhood Legal Service Program of D.C, Washington, DC
Skills for Success: How to be an Antiracist (Lawyer)
When creating training modules for new hires, legal aid and pro bono organizations often provide an overview of administrative procedures and substantive legal foundations. What if all legal aid and pro bono attorneys were first trained in antiracism and trauma-informed practices? This session will highlight the work that legal aid law firms cans engage in to further equal justice not only for our client communities but within our own organizations. This session will be a dynamic introduction to antiracist lawyering and trauma-informed advocacy, and will share perspectives and examples of why this work is critical for access to justice.
Panelists:
Justin Arrington , Legal Services Alabama , Selma, AL
Nell Brimmer (she/her) , Legal Services Alabama , Montgomery, AL
Felecia Pettway , Legal Services Alabama , Montgomery, AL
Frederick Spight , Legal Services Alabama , Birmingham, AL
Solving Problem Courts: Overcoming Barriers to Due Process
Local courts and administrative tribunals often fail at providing due process, particularly to marginalized litigants. Promoting access to justice requires strategic advocacy, beyond defensive litigation. Participants will discuss barriers (lack of training, bias) and approaches to systemic change.
Panelists:
Victoria Esposito, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern NY, Albany, NY
Marcie Kobak, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, White Plains, NY
Sam Young, Legal Services of Central New York, Syracuse, NY
Volunteers and Court Observation: Impacting Access to Justice
Court observation is an internationally recognized best practice to ensure the right to fair trials and proper administration of justice. Hear how The Advocates monitors immigration and state courts to identify concerns related to due process and access to justice. Presenters will also discuss ways in which court watching can be used to effect changes to practices that deny justice for all.
Panelists:
Amy Lange, The Advocates for Human Rights, Minneapolis, MN
Michele Garnett McKenzie, The Advocates for Human Rights, Minneapolis, MN
Elizabeth Montgomery, The Advocates for Human Rights, Minneapolis, MN
What Do We Know About Access to Justice? Actionable Insights from Current Research
As empirical research into access to justice proliferates in the US and beyond, a new body of work presents opportunities for integration and synthesis. In this session, access to justice researchers will highlight current research, emerging trends, and actionable insights to inform policy and practice.
Panelists:
Matthew Burnett (Moderator), American Bar Foundation , Chicago, IL
Victor Quintanilla, IU Maurer School of Law , Bloomington, IN
Rebecca Sandefur, Arizona State University & Faculty Fellow, American Bar Foundation, Tempe,, AZ
Michele Statz, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth & Affiliate Faculty, University of Minnesota Law School , Duluth, MN
James Teufel, Utah Office of Legal Services Innovation , Salt Lake City, UT