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Monday, December 4
 

5:00pm EST

National Organization of Client Advocates (NOCA) Board Meeting
Monday December 4, 2017 5:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Affiliate
 
Tuesday, December 5
 

8:30am EST

MIE New Executive Director Training-Day 1
This two-day training is newly updated and more relevant than ever to the challenges facing the legal aid executive director today. It is designed for the new directors of LSC-funded, IOLTA-funded, elder law, pro bono, and protection and advocacy programs. The intent of the New Executive Director training is to help new directors, who typically learn on-the-job, to more quickly achieve deeper insight into their work. The training stresses both (1) knowing what should be done to lead an effective program, and (2) actually doing what needs to be done.
Speakers
JB
JM

Jan May

Executive Director, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly
Jan Allen May is the executive director of AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly in Washington, D.C., a full-service legal services program in the nation’s capital. Jan has written and published more than 100 articles on legal services and trained legal services advocates for more... Read More →
avatar for Patricia Pap

Patricia Pap

Consultant, Management Information Exchange

Tuesday December 5, 2017 8:30am - 5:00pm EST
Meeting Room 5 Meeting Room Level
  Pre-Conference

8:30am EST

Train the Trainers-Day 1
This program is specifically designed for new and experienced training directors and trainers responsible for developing and implementing training. There is something for everyone across all organizations, regardless of their size. The training will be conducted by a team of training professionals from a variety of perspectives and cultures. The training faculty is diverse, representing different regions of the country, and with experience in training within statewide, county, and nonprofit systems. The format of the program will include plenary sessions and breakout groups for participants to focus on individual goals for themselves and their organizations.
Speakers
SG
MP
GP
TS

Tuesday December 5, 2017 8:30am - 5:00pm EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Pre-Conference

5:30pm EST

National Alliance of Indigent Defense Educators (NAIDE) Meeting
Tuesday December 5, 2017 5:30pm - 7:00pm EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  Affiliate

7:00pm EST

National Organization of Client Advocates (NOCA) Membership Meeting
Tuesday December 5, 2017 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level
  Affiliate
 
Wednesday, December 6
 

8:30am EST

MIE New Executive Director Training-Day 2
This two-day training is newly updated and more relevant than ever to the challenges facing the legal aid executive director today. It is designed for the new directors of LSC-funded, IOLTA-funded, elder law, pro bono, and protection and advocacy programs. The intent of the New Executive Director training is to help new directors, who typically learn on-the-job, to more quickly achieve deeper insight into their work. The training stresses both (1) knowing what should be done to lead an effective program, and (2) actually doing what needs to be done.
Speakers
JB
JM

Jan May

Executive Director, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly
Jan Allen May is the executive director of AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly in Washington, D.C., a full-service legal services program in the nation’s capital. Jan has written and published more than 100 articles on legal services and trained legal services advocates for more... Read More →
avatar for Patricia Pap

Patricia Pap

Consultant, Management Information Exchange

Wednesday December 6, 2017 8:30am - 5:00pm EST
Meeting Room 5 Meeting Room Level
  Pre-Conference

9:00am EST

Train the Trainers-Day 2
This program is specifically designed for new and experienced training directors and trainers responsible for developing and implementing training. There is something for everyone across all organizations, regardless of their size. The training will be conducted by a team of training professionals from a variety of perspectives and cultures. The training faculty is diverse, representing different regions of the country, and with experience in training within statewide, county, and nonprofit systems. The format of the program will include plenary sessions and breakout groups for participants to focus on individual goals for themselves and their organizations.
Speakers
SG
MP
GP
TS

Wednesday December 6, 2017 9:00am - 5:00pm EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Pre-Conference

9:30am EST

Emerging Leaders: A Path to Leadership in Legal Services
Legal services programs across the country will need senior leadership. More than 68 percent of LSC litigation directors have been in legal services for 30 years or more. What does it take to become a senior leader in your legal services program? Explore the path to leadership with experienced legal services executive directors and learn the skills you’ll need for these leadership roles. Not sure you want to take a senior leadership role? Join the conversation to learn more about why legal services needs all kinds of leadership. This pre-conference training program will cover the critical skills you'll need to be a senior leader, how to create your own opportunities to build your leadership skills in your program, and how to maintain balance. This program is designed to stimulate the creation of on-going mentoring and support circles aimed to generate a network of emerging leaders and mentors throughout the country.
Speakers
avatar for Colleen Cotter

Colleen Cotter

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Colleen Cotter has been the Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland since 2005. Cleveland Legal Aid provides civil legal assistance to 8,000 clients each year, focusing on safety and health, education and economic stability, shelter, and
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NN
KS

Wednesday December 6, 2017 9:30am - 4:30pm EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  Pre-Conference

2:00pm EST

Cyber Café (sponsored by NLADA Insurance Program)
Use our computer terminals to check your email, do some research, check on flights, etc.
Wednesday December 6, 2017 2:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

2:00pm EST

Exhibits
Visit our exhibiting partners to learn about the valuable products and services they can offer to make your work more efficient and more effective for the clients and communities you serve.
Wednesday December 6, 2017 2:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

2:00pm EST

Registration
Check-in with NLADA's registration staff to get your name badge, conference program, and other materials.
Wednesday December 6, 2017 2:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

4:45pm EST

Orientation for New Members and First-Time Conference Attendees
Learn about the benefits of your new NLADA membership and how to get the most out of your conference experience. Come with questions you want answered!
Wednesday December 6, 2017 4:45pm - 5:15pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level

5:30pm EST

Annual Meeting of Members – Safeguarding Justice in Times of Disaster Response and Recovery: A Panel Discussion
Natural disasters have a disparate and extended impact on low-income and underserved communities. All of us engaged in providing and supporting civil legal aid, public defense, and client communities know that the work done every day to ensure access to safety, shelter, food, and justice is critical in these times. In the current context, concerns over services for undocumented individuals and their families, access to clean water and habitable shelter, and treatment of the destruction across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have exposed the extent to which disparities in access, treatment, and justice break down along ethnic and racial lines.

This year’s Meeting of Members will include updates on NLADA business and accomplishments in the past year, as well as plans for moving forward. Our primary focus, however, will be to highlight the many ways that our community has come together to respond to and recover from natural disasters, even in the face of significant personal and organizational losses.

Our distinguished panel will feature the voices of clients, civil legal aid lawyers, and public defenders, as well as private attorneys from the Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo). The panelists will provide examples of how recent disasters have shone a light on issues of social and racial justice and how our community has come together at national and local levels to serve those most in need. They will also discuss how disasters enhance the opportunities for civil legal aid lawyers and public defenders to markedly increase client-centered services and community engagement.

This important and timely panel discussion will provide an opportunity to hear directly from those in affected areas about challenges they have faced, how they are responding, and remaining needs. While every disaster brings unique challenges, the ways in which we respond, support each other, and continue to come together provide the tools we need to help build a path forward. Join us!
Wednesday December 6, 2017 5:30pm - 7:30pm EST
Grand Ballroom Ballroom Level
  Plenary Session

7:30pm EST

Welcome Reception
Meet and mingle with your colleagues. Catch up with old friends and make new ones.
Wednesday December 6, 2017 7:30pm - 8:30pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Networking
 
Thursday, December 7
 

7:30am EST

Continental Breakfast
Get your day started right! Have a bite and visit with our exhibitors.
Thursday December 7, 2017 7:30am - 8:30am EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Networking

7:30am EST

Cyber Café (sponsored by NLADA Insurance Program)
Use our computer terminals to check your email, do some research, check on flights, etc.
Thursday December 7, 2017 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

7:30am EST

Exhibits
Visit our exhibiting partners to learn about the valuable products and services they can offer to make your work more efficient and more effective for the clients and communities you serve.
Thursday December 7, 2017 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

7:30am EST

Registration
Check-in with NLADA's registration staff to get your name badge, conference program, and other materials.
Thursday December 7, 2017 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

8:30am EST

Opening Plenary Session
Speakers
SP

Thursday December 7, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Grand Ballroom Ballroom Level
  Plenary Session

9:00am EST

Breakout Session Evaluations
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Thursday December 7, 2017 9:00am - 6:00pm EST
TBA
  Session Evaluations

10:00am EST

Break
Catch up with old friends and new. Visit our exhibitors.
Thursday December 7, 2017 10:00am - 10:30am EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Networking

10:30am EST

Civil Caucus
Thursday December 7, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Ballroom Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Client Caucus
Speakers
EC

Thursday December 7, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Client

10:30am EST

Defender Caucus: Pre-Trial Justice: A Discussion about Bail Reform, Risk Assessments, and Race
Bail reform and pre-trial justice is one of the hottest topics in the defender community. Racial justice is intimately related to these topics because cash bail disproportionally affects poor and minority communities. Many jurisdictions are working on these issues and employing different strategies, and we will hear about what is working and what is not. Our panel will include experts from the defender, formerly incarcerated and directly affected, and civil rights communities.
Speakers
CF

Cherise Fanno Burdeen

Co-Leader, Pretrial Justice Institute
Cherise Fanno Burdeen is co-leader of the Pretrial Justice Institute, an organization fighting for pretrial justice for more than 40 years. Cherise's career spans more than 20 years in the field of justice, where she's led PJI and its clients and partners in the fight to end cash... Read More →
EE

Eddie Ellis

ICAN Coordinator, Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth
Eddie, a native Washingtonian, was arrested and charged with murder at the age of 16 — he was later found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He served 15 years and finished the rest of his time on parole. Eddie came home in 2006, and since that time he has... Read More →
avatar for Stan Germán

Stan Germán

Executive Director, New York County Defender Services
Stan Germán has spent his entire career as a criminal defense attorney. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1995. Upon graduation, Mr. Germán went to work as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of New York City in Kings County. Thereafter, he worked... Read More →
ER

Elizabeth Rossi

Attorney, Civil Rights Corps
Elizabeth Rossi is a graduate of Boston University School of Law, where she was a Dean's Public Interest Scholar, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She received her Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Pennsylvania. She has served as a law clerk to Judge... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Renaissance Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Defender

12:00pm EST

Lunch on Your Own
You are on your own for lunch on Thursday. Check your registration bag for a list of nearby lunch options. The Renaissance hotel’s food outlets will also have some special deals available; those menus are also in your registration bags.
Thursday December 7, 2017 12:00pm - 2:00pm EST
See restaurant list in your registration bag
  Networking

12:45pm EST

Services for Older Americans: An Opportunity for Discussion with the Federal Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services
At the Administration for Community Living, the Office of Elder Justice supports Older Americans Act-funded legal assistance programs for older Americans with economic or social need through technical assistance, the National Center for Law and Elder Rights, and a grant program, Model Approaches to Statewide Legal Assistance. We invite you to meet with us informally to talk about your experiences with legal assistance for older Americans with economic and social need. Let’s share and discuss what’s on your mind about your successes, your challenges, and what keeps you up at night. For example, what are the top substantive issues you’re seeing right now and how do you manage your resources to respond? How do you target your outreach and intake in accordance with the Older Americans Act rules about means testing? How do you identify and empower clients to respond to experiences of elder abuse? What’s on your mind? Please come to visit and chat with us!
Thursday December 7, 2017 12:45pm - 2:00pm EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Affiliate

12:45pm EST

NLADA Latino Advocates Section Meeting and Kincare
The section will conduct its regular business meeting and will have a special presentation about “kincare,” which occurs when non-parent relatives are caring for children whether or not the parents remain in the household. The presentation will focus on benefits and services available to non-parents raising young children. This session will be in English and Spanish.
Speakers
NG

Norma Gonzales Baker

Norma Gonzales Baker is an attorney with the Texas Legal Services Center.

Thursday December 7, 2017 12:45pm - 2:00pm EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  NLADA Sections

2:15pm EST

A New Route to Access to Justice: Appointment of Counsel Under the Americans with Disabilities Act
In the wake of a lack of a right to counsel for many types of basic human needs cases, courts and legislatures have experimented for years with measures to help unrepresented litigants. But pro se litigants with cognitive disabilities often cannot benefit from self-help services made available to the general public. This panel will explore the concept of courts appointing counsel as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Since 2007, Washington State has made hundreds of ADA appointments across the state pursuant to an authorizing court rule and is expanding this rule to administrative proceedings. Courts and legislative bodies in other states such as Oregon and Utah have developed policies encouraging or prohibiting such appointments, and a federal court held that litigants with cognitive disabilities in immigration removal proceedings are entitled to legal assistance under the federal equivalent of the ADA. We'll talk about the justifications for such an approach, how to build support, and some of the tricky issues involved in providing representation in this context.
Speakers
IB

Ira Burnim

Legal Director, Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Ira Burnim is the legal director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, D.C. Formerly, Burnim was legal director of the Children's Defense Fund, senior attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a fellow at the Legal Assistance Foundation in Chicago, and law... Read More →
MM

Meagan MacKenzie

Attorney, Northwest Justice Project
Meagan MacKenzie is a statewide advocacy coordinator with Northwest Justice Project in Olympia, Washington. She coordinates and supports the work of legal services advocates from several organizations across the state around issues related to public benefits, administrative appeals... Read More →
CP

Clare Pastore

Professor of the Practice of Law, USC Gould School of Law
Clare Pastore is professor of the practice of law at the USC Gould School of Law where she teaches and works with students and nonprofit organizations on litigation and other advocacy. Her courses include Poverty Law, Suing the Government, and the Access to Justice Practicum. Clare... Read More →
avatar for John Pollock

John Pollock

Coordinator, National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel
John Pollock is a Staff Attorney for the Public Justice Center who has served since 2009 as the Coordinator of the National Coalition for the Civil Right to Counsel (NCCRC).  The NCCRC works in 41 states to establish the right to counsel for low-income individuals in civil cases... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room 3 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:15pm EST

Being an Advocate: Community Organizing and Community Lawyering
This workshop will evaluate the legal model of group representation, educate about how to organize and advocate for group clients from the perspective of community-based organizations (CBOs) and community-based lawyering, and discuss the strengths and risks in this approach to advocacy. An attorney and organizer will provide a framework of group representation as practiced at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A (BKA) in the housing advocacy context. After a review of the harassment tactics landlords use to force out lower-income tenants, we will discuss how attorneys at BKA work with tenant organizers at CBOs to form a horizontal team to provide group representation. This workshop will illustrate how the team works with groups of tenants to identify issues and goals, gain commitment of tenants, and organize tenant associations (TAs). Participants will gain an understanding about power imbalances and how collective action shifts the power into the hands of the TA members. The workshop will discuss how group representation provides a grassroots movement among the tenants in each building and how the success of the litigation is directly tied to the commitment of each member to the TA. Presenters will share case examples of how group action in Housing Court and other forums have been a strong tool for TAs. Participants will learn about other ways the group can choose to advocate for its goals outside of court, including press actions, lobbying politicians, and working with community coalitions. All these tactics serve to empower the group by requiring them to work together. The workshop will also address other strengths and major risks that come along with group representation.
Speakers
RN

Rachel Nager

Staff Attorney, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A
Rachel Nager is a staff attorney at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A’s Preserving Affordable Housing Program, Group Representation Unit. In this position, she brings affirmative litigation on behalf of tenant associations against unscrupulous landlords. She also defends individual... Read More →
MS

Milagros Sandoval

Community Outreach and Intake Specialist, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A
Milagros Sandoval, a lifelong resident of Bushwick, is a community outreach and intake specialist at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A’s Preserving Affordable Housing Program, Group Representation Unit. In this position, she organizes residents of 6- to 50-unit buildings into... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:15pm EST

Building a Successful Partnership Between the Board of Directors and Executive Director
The opportunity to provide dynamic leadership to the nonprofit organization is often compromised when the relationship between the board of directors and executive director falls short of being a constructive partnership. This session will address strategies that can lead to the positive launch of a new relationship or enhance a relationship that has not enjoyed transparent engagement between these two essential components of a healthy nonprofit organization. This session will examine roles and responsibilities, expectations, communication strategies, and performance evaluation.
Speakers
WB

William Burns

Attorney, Hanft Fride Law Firm
William F. Burns is the current board chair of Legal Aid Services of Northeastern Minnesota in Duluth, MN, a position he previously held in 1981-84 and 1987-89, along with serving as Finance Committee Chair in 1989-2009. An attorney in private practice for more than 40 years, he is... Read More →
JD

Jim DeAngelo

Board President, Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Mid Penn Legal Services, and the Community Justice Project
Jim DeAngelo is president of the boards of directors of Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Mid Penn Legal Services, and the Community Justice Project. DeAngelo is chair of the Litigation Group at McNees, Wallace & Nurick, LLC, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He joined the firm as... Read More →
EN

Eliz Nestorov

Director of Development, MidPenn Legal Services
Rhodia D. Thomas has more than 27 years of experience in public interest law and is the executive director of MidPenn Legal Services, a nonprofit law-firm that provides civil legal services in 18 counties in central-Pennsylvania. Ms. Thomas holds the position of treasurer on the board... Read More →
DS

Dori Streit

Executive Director, Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota
Dori Streit has dedicated her legal career to building effective and sustainable legal services programs to ensure access to justice for all. In 2007, Dori began as a staff attorney at Indian Legal Assistance Program, a small nonprofit in Duluth, Minnesota, that provides civil and... Read More →
ET

Evora Thomas

Senior Program Counsel, Legal Services Corporation
Evora A. Thomas has more than 30 years of experience in legal aid. As senior program counsel in LSC’s Office of Program Performance, she is program liaison to grantees in the western states and has worked on numerous pilot initiatives, including the Leadership & Diversity Training... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Renaissance Ballroom West B Ballroom Level
  Civil

2:15pm EST

Medical-Legal Partnership Fundamentals: Benefits of Integrated Care
This session will operate as a workshop for medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) at all stages of development, focusing on planning, implementation, and sustainability of MLPs across a range of populations and settings. Participants will hear from national MLP experts who can reinforce the centrality of healthcare engagement and integration as the key to MLP success. Participants will use the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership's tools and resources to identify steps to plan a new MLP or re-boot or expand an existing MLP. Discussion will focus on how the MLP approach identifies legal needs directly associated with health issues.
Speakers
avatar for Sharena Hagins

Sharena Hagins

MPH, CHES, National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
Sharena Hagins is a research associate with the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership. Before joining the team, she worked on prevention research studies with the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, and a variety of community health initiatives throughout the Washington... Read More →
CL

Colleen Lane

Max Robinson Center Site Director, Whitman-Walker Health
Dr. Colleen Lane, MD, is the Max Robinson Center site director for Whitman-Walker Health (WWH), a federally qualified health center serving the diverse urban community in Washington, D.C., with special focus on people living with HIV and the LGBT community. Dr. Lane is a graduate... Read More →
EL

Erin Loubier

Senior Director for Health and Legal Integration and Payment Innovation, Whitman-Walker Health
Erin Loubier, JD, is senior director for health and legal integration and payment innovation at Whitman-Walker Health (WWH), a federally qualified health center serving the diverse urban community in Washington, D.C., with special focus on people living with HIV and the LGBT community... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room 10-11 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:15pm EST

Pro Bono Collaborations Between Legal Services and Law Firms: Opportunities to Combat the Unfair Imposition of Fees and Fines
This panel will discuss crucial work being done around the country to combat the unconstitutional and inequitable imposition of fees and fines on people living at or near the poverty level. Partnerships between civil legal advocacy organizations and law firms from the Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo) have exponentially expanded the breadth of successful advocacy efforts in this area. Learn how these partnerships are developed, including their challenges and successes. The panel will also provide guidance on how to form additional collaborations in this area.
Moderators
MB

Myesha Braden

Director, Criminal Justice Project, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Myesha Braden is the director of criminal justice at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Speakers
avatar for Angela Ciolfi

Angela Ciolfi

Executive Director, Legal Aid Justice Center
Angela Ciolfi is the executive director at the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.
avatar for Jefferson Coulter

Jefferson Coulter

Statewide Advocacy Counsel, Northwest Justice Project
Jefferson Coulter is a statewide advocacy counsel at the Northwest Justice Project, overseeing consumer, employment, and reentry advocacy. He has extensive affirmative litigation experience in federal and superior courts and co-counsels on systemic cases, mentors and trains new advocates... Read More →
JS

Jerri Shick

Partner, O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Jerri Shick is the pro bono counsel at O’Melveny & Myers LLP in New York City.

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Renaissance Ballroom West A Ballroom Level
  Civil

2:15pm EST

Promoting Elder Rights and Maximizing Legal Assistance for Older Adults
As the population ages, more of the population in need of legal assistance will be older adults. Join us for an interactive discussion about how legal services can promote elder rights and help low-income older adults overcome the barriers they face. Learn about training and technical assistance available through the National Center on Law and Elder Rights, and share best practices for serving low-income older adults.
Speakers
HD

Hilary Dalin

Director, Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services
Hilary Dalin is the Director of the Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services at the Administration for Community Living in Washington DC. The Office coordinates and manages a federal response to elder abuse, including the operation, administration, and assessment of the... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Goldberg

Jennifer Goldberg

Directing Attorney, Justice in Aging
Jennifer Goldberg is directing attorney at Justice in Aging, where she develops and implements initiatives that improve health care and long-term services and supports for low-income older adults across the country. Jennifer also serves as adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University... Read More →
AM

Ashley Morse

AmeriCorps Equal Justice Works Elder Justice Legal Fellow, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly
Ashley Morse is the AmeriCorps Equal Justice Works Elder Justice Legal Fellow at AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly, the DC Long Term Care Ombudsman Program and Network for Victim Recovery of DC. Ashley works on abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect cases specifically dealing... Read More →
TS

Tina Smith Nelson

LCE Manager and Attorney, Legal Counsel for the Elderly
Tina Smith Nelson is employed as a manager with AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE), where she supervises, manages, and oversees civil litigation on behalf of low-income older persons who reside in Washington, D.C., for three projects – Public Benefits & General Services, Homebound... Read More →

Legal Aid programs and senior poverty MIE article Spring 2016 pdf
NCLER Statewide Standards issue brief pdf
NCLER Capacity Assessment Issue Brief pdf
National Center on Law and Elder Rights presentation pdf
ACL OAA and Legal Assistance Presentation pdf
Durable POA Finances. Flyer.Final pdf
DeedDontAdd FINAL pdf
Transgender Residents in Nursing Homes Outline docx
Sexual Expression of Nursing Home Residents 3 25 2016 pptx
lgbt manual lce aarp pdf
Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room 5 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:15pm EST

The New New Thing: Strengthening Communications Capacity for Civil Legal Aid in Your State
Four years ago, Voices for Civil Justice was the new thing -- a national communications hub charged with tapping the awareness-raising power of the media to convey what civil legal aid is and why it matters. Now, with a nationwide JusticeVoices network of 1,200 advocates for legal aid and a track record of more than 300 media placements in high-traffic national outlets like The New York Times, NPR, and Fox News, Voices seeks partners to extend its reach and help build support for civil legal aid at the state level. At this session, you'll meet the state leaders who are launching state-based communications hubs and find out how Voices can assist you to create this essential capacity in your state.
Speakers
avatar for Elizabeth Arledge

Elizabeth Arledge

Deputy Director, Voices for Civil Justice
Elizabeth is deputy director of Voices for Civil Justice. She has worked in nonprofit communications, fundraising, training, and program development for... a lot of years. Since 2000 her focus has been helping civil justice organizations grow their communications capacity. Before... Read More →
avatar for Martha Bergmark

Martha Bergmark

Founder and Executive Director, Voices for Civil Justice
Martha Bergmark is the founding executive director of Voices for Civil Justice. Over four decades, Martha has been a leader in the movement to fulfill America’s promise of justice for all. During her tenure as its founding president, the Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ) became... Read More →
avatar for Søren Rasmussen

Søren Rasmussen

Media Relations Manager, Voices for Civil Justice
Søren Rasmussen is the media relations manager at Voices for Civil Justice. Søren was born in Korea and grew up in Denmark, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern Denmark. He has a master’s degree in elections and campaign management... Read More →
avatar for Camille Ward

Camille Ward

Network Engagement Manager, Voices for Civil Justice
Camille is Network Engagement Manager at Voices for Civil Justice. She has a background in journalism, research, and community organizing and has provided strategic support to non-profits in Indiana, Oregon, and Michigan. She has a master’s in U.S. History from Wayne State University... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Congressional Ballroom B Ballroom Level
  Civil

2:15pm EST

Using Data and Technology to Protect Low-Income Populations from Consumer Fraud
This session focuses on consumer frauds that specifically target low-income populations. This fraud cuts across various demographics, including older adults, veterans, and rural populations. Panelists will describe what demographic data the FTC has gathered means for consumer protection and brainstorm with participants ways this data can help serve these populations. They will also discuss steps to help use this data to improve complaint gathering and inform complaint data analysis. Panelists will discuss the Consumer Sentinel database and its potential to help find consumer fraud targeting low-income populations. Panelists will foster a discussion about how complaint intake for Consumer Sentinel can be more useful and practical for legal aid. What outcomes can add value? Are there consumer education materials that can be helpful, and, if so, which ones? The possibility of consumer redress and what affect the possibility of returning money to consumers has? Where can resources best be focused?
Speakers
AD

Ami Dziekan

Program Manager for the Do Not Call Registry, Federal Trade Commission
Ami Dziekan is the program manager for the Do Not Call Registry at the Federal Trade Commission in its Division of Consumer Response and Operations, managing to the Do Not Call Registry and working on the Consumer Sentinel team. The Consumer Sentinel team helps gather consumer complaints... Read More →
MV

Monica Vaca

Assistant Director, Division of Marketing Practices, Federal Trade Commission
Monica Vaca is associate director for the Division of Consumer Response in the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Since 2002, Ms. Vaca has litigated or supervised litigation against companies and individuals charged with engaging in fraudulent or deceptive... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room 4 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:15pm EST

The New Disability: Homelessness vis a vis Incarceration – An Interactive Reentry Simulation
The purpose of this interactive workshop is to raise awareness about the complexities that individuals involved with the criminal justice system encounter when released from jail or prison and to offer an additional perspective when crafting policy recommendations. Participants will experience challenges to successful reentry that individuals recently released from incarceration face, especially men and women who are homeless and have mental health issues. As a result of this simulation experience, individuals will be able to advance equitable justice under a system that does not afford individuals involved with the criminal justice system the opportunity to access adequate services necessary to live a productive life post-incarceration. Participants will leave with an understanding of how to apply the principles of economic justice to the work in their field in ways that will provide sufficient opportunities for recently released individuals with mental illnesses and/or who are homeless to be successfully reintegrated into society.
Speakers
JN

Juwanna N. Brown

Student & Advocate
Ms. Juwanna N. Brown is a student, advocate, and lifetime learner who is passionate about improving the lives of individuals through systems change. As an emerging community development practitioner, she seeks to gain a more critical understanding of how to transform communities in... Read More →
SF

Shawntelle Fisher

Founder & CEO, The SoulFisher Ministries
Elder Shawntelle L. Fisher is a highly anointed and very influential leader, speaker, teacher, and dancer who serves with excellence and integrity. She has a passion to see lives transformed and restored. Through her own struggles and pitfalls in life she was guided by caring members... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Client

2:15pm EST

Annual Supreme Court Review
This session will analyze and critique recent criminal and habeas decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and will include discussion of ways to minimize the impact of harmful decisions. A written analysis of each case will be provided, which will assist participants in spotting new issues and understanding current trends that hinder effective representation to the indigent accused. The impact of Justice Gorsuch's appointment to the Supreme Court regarding issues important to criminal defense will also be discussed. Participants will leave better prepared to help represent their clients more effectively with up to date knowledge about recent Supreme Court decisions affecting criminal law and procedure and habeas corpus relief. Civil program attendees may also also benefit from discussions of cases involving standards for impeachment of jurors for racial animus, recusal of trial judges, and systemic challenges to pre-trial confinement.
Speakers
LB

Laurence Benner

Professor Emeritus, California Western School of Law
Laurence A. Benner is professor emeritus at California Western School of Law. He was formerly the chief public defender in Kent County, Michigan, and director of defender services for NLADA. Professor Benner is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School where he also taught... Read More →
MH

Marshall Hartman

Attorney at Law, Lake County, Illinois
Marshall J. Hartman is the former chief public defender for Lake County, Illinois. Mr. Hartman was also head of the Cook County Appellate Division and director of NLADA's Defender Division and adjunct professor at Kent College of Law. He was instrumental in promoting the early public... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room 12 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

2:15pm EST

Innovative Solutions in Public Defense: Two Approaches to Quality Representation
Through the Innovative Solutions in Public Defense Initiative, with the help of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), Alameda County and Wisconsin have made significant progress toward improving their delivery of indigent defense services. Wisconsin will discuss creating and defining quality indicators and the innovative approach that Wisconsin has taken to capturing the data behind quality representation. Working collaboratively with research partners, Wisconsin has embarked on a multi-year process to enhance data reporting capabilities. Alameda County will discuss shifting from a horizontal to a vertical approach in defense services through client-centered representation at arraignment. After overcoming many challenges, Alameda County began successfully appearing at arraignments in 2017. Their efforts have saved their clients days in custody through this early representation and provided clients with a single attorney who handles their case from arraignment through disposition.
Speakers
KD

Katherine Dellenbach

Field Services Director, Wisconsin State Public Defender
Katherine “Kat” Dellenbach is the field services director for the Wisconsin State Public Defender, where she serves as an administrative policy advisor and resource liaison for staff and attorneys throughout Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Kat previously served as a supervising attorney... Read More →
avatar for Brendon Woods

Brendon Woods

Chief Public Defender, Alameda County Public Defenders
In December 2012, Brendon Woods was appointed Chief Public Defender of Alameda County. He is the first Black Chief Public Defender in Alameda County history and one of only two Black Chief Public Defenders in California. Woods leads his office of 200 attorneys, investigators, and... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room 13-14 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

2:15pm EST

Clearing Criminal Records for Immigrant Clients
Criminal records create barriers to employment, housing, and other basic needs and services. For immigrant clients, a criminal record may be even more damaging, as it can lead to immigration detention, mandatory deportation, and permanent lifetime banishment from the United States. Cleaning up someone's criminal record can provide a new lease on life, but clearing criminal records for non-citizens raises a host of issues with which advocates must be prepared to grapple. Filing record-clearing petitions can, at times, pose potential immigration risks that may outweigh the benefits. However, certain types of record-clearing mechanisms can actually help clients to obtain crucial immigration relief. With the recent changes in immigration enforcement priorities, it is more important than ever for advocates to understand the risks and rewards of clearing criminal records for non-citizen clients.
Moderators
SL

Seth Lyons

Staff Attorney, Community Legal Services
Seth Lyons is a Berkeley Law Public Interest Fellow and staff attorney in Community Legal Services’ Employment Unit. His project focuses on combatting wage theft and reducing criminal-record-based barriers to employment in North Philadelphia’s Latino community. He previously worked... Read More →

Speakers
BJ

Benita Jain

Managing Attorney, Immigrant Defense Project
Benita Jain is a supervising attorney at the Immigrant Defense Project, which works to secure fairness and justice for immigrants in the United States by transforming a racially biased criminal legal system and an immigration system that tears hundreds of thousands of immigrants with... Read More →
VS

Vanessa Stine

Staff Attorney, Friends of Farmworkers Inc.
Vanessa Stine joined Friends of Farmworkers (FOF) in September 2014 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. Her fellowship project provided direct representation, advocacy, and community education to low-income consumers who have been victims of predatory and fraudulent immigration services... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room 15 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

2:15pm EST

Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Student Loan Repayment: Understanding Potential Changes and Their Impact
Speakers
KG

Kenneth Goldsmith

Legislative Counsel and Director of State Legislation, American Bar Association
BH

Brandon Hanson

Student Debt Specialist, Equal Justice Works
Brandon Hanson is the student debt specialist for Law School Engagement & Advocacy at Equal Justice Works, where he helps law students and legal professionals manage their student debt through education, outreach, and policy analysis. Brandon, who grew up in a small town in northwest... Read More →
avatar for Radhika Singh

Radhika Singh

Director, Civil Legal Aid Initiatives, National Legal Aid & Defender Association
Radhika Singh is director of NLADA’s Civil Legal Aid Initiative, which supports civil legal aid’s capacity to apply for and partner on federal grants. Radhika also is an expert in Public Service Loan Forgiveness and income-driven student loan repayment plans. She previously worked... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

2:15pm EST

Talking about What We're Talking about: Low-Income Households in the Age of Black Lives Matter
The language we use in our respective fields affects many aspects of our work: what we talk about or do not talk about both reflects and influences our values, goals, policies, resources, and daily tasks. A brief narrative analysis of the field of civil legal aid reveals significant discussion about income but much less about race. This colorblind approach, while understandably rooted in the language of our current legal and political systems, has significant drawbacks for both the external and internal efficacy of legal aid service providers. Failing to “talk about what we’re talking about” hinders providers’ understanding of the problem and their ability to address it. By not talking about race, legal aid providers risk ignoring the complex challenges facing their clients or, more broadly, the root causes for structural racial inequity. A race-conscious legal aid workplace would encourage a frank discussion of implicit bias and microaggressions, not only in client interactions but in the recruitment, hiring, mentoring, and promoting of employees. Making race part of the everyday language of legal aid service provision has the potential to make sure the most qualified people are leading, administering, or providing services in a way that most benefits the people desiring assistance. This session will draw upon the lessons of critical race theory and our current black liberation movement to present research findings and suggest concrete tools to bring the language of race into legal aid. The session will be highly interactive, involving pair and group exercises that analyze case studies and brainstorm solutions.
Speakers
avatar for Meredith Reitman

Meredith Reitman

President, Reitman Research and Strategy, LLC
Meredith Reitman, PhD, is the President of Reitman Research and Strategy (RRS), which provides research and evaluation services to organizations focused on racial equity. As a faculty member in the field of critical race theory, she conducted research on the role of race in workplace... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

2:15pm EST

Untangling the Spaghetti Monster: Operational and Strategic Management of Technology in Civil and Criminal Legal Services
Advocate and client technology use have grown considerably in the last decade. Has your program's IT staff and budget matched that growth? Join us for a highly interactive conversation reflecting on answers to the following questions: What do we need to maintain good technology infrastructure in our organizations? How do we ensure staff are engaged and properly using our technology tools? How can we grow our use of technology as an organization in a way that advances advocacy? What are good models to use to make this all happen? What are the obstacles to implementing these plans, and what are some strategies to overcome those obstacles? Panelists and audience members will bring diverse viewpoints to the discussion, including small, medium, and large organizations; civil and criminal legal aid settings; and hiring in-house technologists vs. out-sourcing tech needs.
Speakers
avatar for Colleen Cotter

Colleen Cotter

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Colleen Cotter has been the Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland since 2005. Cleveland Legal Aid provides civil legal assistance to 8,000 clients each year, focusing on safety and health, education and economic stability, shelter, and
JG

Jim Greiner

Professor of Law, Access to Justice Lab
Jim Greiner is a professor of law at Harvard Law School, where he teaches courses on civil procedure, expert witnesses, access to justice, and voting regulation. He spent six years as a practicing litigator (three for the United States Department of Justice, three for a private law... Read More →
avatar for Lea Remigio

Lea Remigio

Director of Operations, Florida Legal Services
Lea has been working in non profit technology for 17 years. A Kansas City native, she's spent the past 11 years working in the Florida legal aid delivery system and with organizations outside of Florida as a project manager for case management system implementations. She now wrangles... Read More →
avatar for Angela Tripp

Angela Tripp

Co-Executive Director, Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services

Thursday December 7, 2017 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square B Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

3:45pm EST

Break
Catch up with old friends and new. Visit our exhibitors.
Thursday December 7, 2017 3:45pm - 4:15pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Networking

4:15pm EST

Building the Tools for Self-Represented Litigants: Law Help Interactive and A2J Author
LawHelp Interactive (LHI) and A2J Author have partnered for more than a decade to improve access to justice by making easy to use online forms available for free across the U.S. and abroad. Both A2J Author and LHI began addressing the market gap for self help services and tools in the early 2000s. They have created a scalable technological solution to the problem of limited court and legal aid attorney resources for the growing number of self-represented litigants in need of support. With funding from the Legal Services Corporation's Technology Initiative Grants, the State Justice Institute, the National Center for State Courts, and other sources, LawHelp Interactive and A2J Author emerged as an award-winning platform and interface for helping self-represented litigants learn about their legal issues and complete the necessary court documents. Through a growing community of legal aid and court partners in more than 40 states, more than 4 million legal documents have been created since 2005. Over the past decade, A2J Author and LHI have evolved in new and significant ways in response to the legal aid and court communities feedback and feature requests. These enhancements have included supporting additional languages; adding audio, images, and videos; and recently moving to a mobile responsive system. Using demographic surveys, increased analytics tools, and continued community support, LHI and A2J Author will continue to iterate and further access to justice, one technological step at a time. This workshop will share on the lessons learned from years of a collaboration focussed on improving access to justice for all. We will highlight how this national infrastructure can support continued innovation in services to self-represented litigants and strengthen the work of courts, legal aid programs, libraries, and other organizations serving them.
Speakers
CJ

Claudia Johnson

Program Manager, LawHelp Interactive
Claudia Johnson is the program manager for LawHelp Interactive, working with legal nonprofits, other nonprofits, pro bono programs, and court systems using online document assembly technology to close the justice gap. With more than 28 years of professional experience, Claudia has... Read More →
avatar for John Mayer

John Mayer

Executive Director, CALI (Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction)
Executive Director of CALI - law school consortium. Developers of A2J Author and hosts of A2J.org. Not a lawyer, 30 years working in tech, legal education and access to justice.

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Renaissance Ballroom West A Ballroom Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

From Process to Product: A Review of the LSC Grantee Data Users Group Process and New Research Being Done with Grantee Activity Report (GAR) Data
This session will start with an overview of the Grantee Data Users Group review process, which began in April 2017 and ended this fall with a set of recommended changes to LSC management. Some of the changes relate to report functionality (user-design improvements); other recommendations are substantive in nature. Participants will be asked for input on ways to improve the GAR review process, which will begin again in the spring of 2018. After the Data Users Group discussion, the panel provide examples of how Grant Activity Report (GAR) data has been used to produce a new set of data dashboards and reports for grantees, policymakers, and the media. This part of the presentation will identify resources now available on the LSC site and will provide a summary of two ongoing research projects.
Moderators
CA

Speakers
BH

Bristow Hardin

Senior Research Associate, Legal Services Corporation
Bristow Hardin has served as a Senior Research Associate at the Legal Services Corporation for nearly two decades. 
MO

Michelle Oh

Research Analyst II, Legal Services Corporation
Michelle is a Research Analyst in the Office of Data Governance and Analysis (ODGA) at LSC. She prepares data-related documents through creating visualizations and providing statistical analysis. She is a recent graduate, holding a Master's degree in Applied Quantitative Research... Read More →
avatar for Kris Reinertson

Kris Reinertson

Grants Coordinator & GIS Specialist, LSC
Kris Reinertson is a grants coordinator and geographic information system (GIS) specialist at LSC. He develops maps of service delivery for use in strategic planning and program quality visits; disaster maps that provide poverty estimates in flood zones and hurricane paths for use... Read More →
AS

Adam Spiegel

Research Analyst, Legal Services Corporation

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

How to Set Up and Run a School-Based Legal Aid Clinic
School-based legal aid clinics are a unique and effective way of delivering legal aid services, extending to hard-to-reach populations such as people without legal status, and supporting children’s educational success by stabilizing their families. For a few years now, Connecticut Legal Services, Legal Aid of West Virginia, and New Haven Legal Assistance Association have run successful school-based legal aid clinics and are well positioned to share lessons learned and assist other legal aid programs in establishing and running their own school-based clinics. This session will cover the nuts and bolts of establishing and running a school-based legal clinic, including project approaches, designs, school collaboration, staffing, and funding. This session will address: (1) community and client engagement and empowerment; (2) realistic, productive, and fair legal representation for immigrant populations; and, (3) resources for civil legal aid and legal aid attorneys.
Speakers
AB

Anne Blanchard

Litigation Director, Connecticut Legal Services Inc.
Anne Louise Blanchard is the litigation and advocacy director for Connecticut Legal Services, Connecticut’s largest legal aid law firm with 70 staff and seven offices statewide. Attorney Blanchard provides oversight and support for the litigation and advocacy of CLS’ 50 attorneys... Read More →
AE

Amy Eppler-Epstein

Staff Attorney, New Haven Legal Assistance
Amy Eppler-Epstein has been an attorney with NHLAA since graduating law school in 1986. She works primarily with tenants in our housing unit, but she has also worked on domestic violence family law and immigration. She is one of the attorneys running our Deferred Action for Childhood... Read More →
ML

Melissa Lilly

Project Attorney, Legal Aid of West Virginia
Melissa Lilly joined Legal Aid of West Virginia in November 2016 as the project attorney for the LAWYER IN THE SCHOOL pilot program. She, along with the volunteer attorneys who she recruits, staff a legal clinic two days per week in a very low-income elementary school. They help families... Read More →
KP

Kate Peccerillo

Skadden Fellow, New Haven Legal Assistance Association
Kate works with the school-based legal services programs at New Haven Legal Assistance Association. She helps families address the legal struggles they face at home and increase their aware of their legal rights. Before NHLAA, Kate interned with the Honorable Stefan R. Underhill... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Renaissance Ballroom East Ballroom Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

Implicit Bias in the Workplace: Managing Skepticism, Belief, and Micro-Aggressions
As we gain a deeper understanding of how implicit biases operate on a daily basis in civil legal aid practice, we see that how a lawyer responds with either skepticism or belief to a client's case, or to his/her colleagues who may be different from her/him/them, can affect the quality of representation as well as office interaction and morale. Add to that the need for increased understanding of the impact micro-aggressions can have on staff who are diverse. Supervisors may see that a staff attorney disbelieves clients consistently when they are of a different race or ethnicity. Alternately, supervisors themselves may react poorly or are ill-prepared to address staff experiencing and sharing about micro-aggressions in the workplace. We will help participants gain a better understanding of how implicit bias triggers skepticism and belief and how to best handle micro-aggressions against themselves, their colleagues, and their clients. We will focus on the role of bystanders in acts of microaggressions. This workshop will be interactive and include role plays relevant to legal services attorneys.
Speakers
TD

Tanya Douglas

Director, Disability Advocacy Project & Coordinator, Veterans Justice Project, Legal Services NYC
Tanya Douglas is the director of the Disability Advocacy Project (DAP) and Veterans Justice Project coordinator at Manhattan Legal Services (MLS), a program of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC). Tanya is a graduate of Cornell University and Cornell Law School an
avatar for Lillian Moy

Lillian Moy

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of NE New York
Lillian M. Moy became the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Inc. in 1995. She is a 1981 graduate of Boston University School of Law. She is a former member of the Board of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association
avatar for Milo Primeaux

Milo Primeaux

LGBT Rights Attorney, Empire Justice Center
Milo Primeaux, Esq., is a queer, transgender man and long-time transgender rights advocate. As the LGBT rights staff attorney at Empire Justice Center in Rochester, NY, Milo provides direct legal services, cultural competency and substantive legal trainings, and policy advocacy to... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Congressional Ballroom B Ballroom Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

Responding to the Opioid Crisis: Providing Access to Justice and Building Successful Partnerships
Opioid addiction is now a public health crisis. This panel will discuss the critical role that legal services can play in assisting people who are living with addiction or who are in recovery to achieve sobriety and other positive life outcomes, including by challenging discrimination across a range of settings. The workshop will also discuss how to establish and develop partnerships with frontline providers, local governments, and other stakeholders to help programs identify and address legal problems that both result from and contribute to a person’s substance use disorder – such as family-related issues, access to treatment, and barriers to housing and employment.
Speakers
JC

Jay Chaudhary

Managing Attorney/Director of Medical Legal Partnerships, Indiana Legal Services
SF

Sally Friedman

Vice President of Legal Advocacy, Legal Action Center
Sally Friedman is the vice president of legal advocacy at the Legal Action Center, a nonprofit law and policy organization that fights discrimination against individuals with criminal justice histories, substance use disorders, and HIV/AIDS. Since joining the Center in 1993, Ms. Friedman... Read More →
SH

Stephanie Harris

Development Director, Ohio State Legal Services Association
AR

Ann Riley

Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square B Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

The Benefits of Rural Legal Aid and What Big Cities Can Learn
Far too often, our legal aid community focuses on the challenges faced by rural civil legal aid providers and how, if only the "rural" component were not an issue, they would fare much better. However, there are unique benefits to serving low-income clients in rural and more isolated areas. This session will highlight these benefits and show how perceived challenges are addressed for the advantage of the local community and the clients in which it serves. Big and small city session attendees alike will acquire takeaways for how their legal offices can replicate similar strategies to make a larger impact. Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance (GBLA) has provided high quality legal services to Kern County's low-income and vulnerable populations since 1968. Kern County's primary production is agriculture and oil, and it is the third largest county geographically in California. GBLA employees face unique obstacles in providing services to the entire county with one centrally located office. Staff must often travel, sometimes for several hours, to reach their clients and outlying courts. Learn how GBLA addressed rural needs to maximize cohesive service to clients, irrespective of whether they live two minutes or two hours from the legal aid office, and how you can replicate this success to build strong and lasting relationships with the local bench and bar and community organizations to assistance its client community.
Speakers
LA

Lyndsi Andreas

Staff Attorney, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance
Lyndsi Andreas is a staff attorney in the Education Law Project and the Access to Justice Rural Project at Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. In this position, she represents low-income clients with respect to school discipline, special education, truancy, bullying, and civil... Read More →
CB

Cynthia Bradshaw

Volunteer Attorney Program Coordinator, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc.
Cynthia Bradshaw serves as Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance’s (GBLA) Volunteer Attorney Program coordinator. Before this role, Cynthia served as the Volunteer Attorney Program paralegal for two years and as a consumer health advocate for the Kern Health Consumer Center (KHCC... Read More →
CD

Christa Daley

Staff Attorney, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc.
Christa Daley is a staff attorney in the Shriver Housing Unit at Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. In that position, she represents low-income tenants in unlawful detainer cases. Before joining GBLA, Christa worked as a post bar fellow at the National Housing Law Project... Read More →
AF

Alexandria Forester

Supervising Attorney, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc.
Alexandria Forester is the supervising attorney for the Kern Health Consumer Center (KHCC) at Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance. The KHCC is the Kern County partner of the statewide Health Consumer Alliance (HCA), a network of legal-aid-based health consumer assistance programs... Read More →
JK

Jina Kim

Staff Attorney, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc.
Jina Kim is a staff attorney with the GBLA Fair Housing Law Project (FHLP). In this capacity, she interviews clients, investigates claims of housing discrimination, and represents clients in fair housing complaints filed with HUD and DFEH. Jina has also represented clients in fair... Read More →
MV

Marcos Vargas

Staff Attorney, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc.
Marcos A. Vargas is the supervising staff attorney in the Domestic Violence Reduction Project of Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, where he represents victims of domestic violence in Custody, Support, and Restraining Order hearings. Marcos was also head of the Homeless Law Center... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

The Role of Diverse Language Access Advisory Committees in Ensuring Equal Access to State Courts
In 2014, the United States Department of Justice created a "Language Access Planning and Technical Assistance Tool for Courts." In it, courts are encouraged to devise and implement a language access plan with the assistance and collaboration of advocates and a stakeholders committee. The tool recognizes the importance of including the participation of limited English proficient (LEP) individuals, community groups that work with LEP communities, private attorneys, the criminal defense bar, court staff, legal services organizations, legal programs that work with immigrant communities and other public interest attorneys, experts, bar associations, ethnic bar groups, court interpreters, and others. This panel will discuss the need for diverse language access advisory committees to advise state courts, how to persuade a court system to create such a committee (if one does not already exist), how to diversify such a committee (if one does already exist), and the broad range of tasks that such a committee can tackle. At a time when many LEP community members are afraid to go to court, eliminating language barriers is all the more important.
Moderators
avatar for David Steib

David Steib

Language Access Director, Ayuda
David Steib is the language access director at Ayuda, a nonprofit that provides direct legal, social, and language access services to immigrants in the Washington, D.C., area. David received a B.A. in Spanish and Theater Studies from Yale University and then spent a year in Spain... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Kristi Cruz

Kristi Cruz

Staff Attorney, Northwest Justice Project
Kristi Cruz is a staff attorney at the Northwest Justice Project on the CLEAR*ASL statewide intake and referral line. Ms. Cruz was certified as an American Sign Language Interpreter in 1996 and became a member of the Washington Bar in 2009. Ms. Cruz was a co-reporter for the American... Read More →
avatar for Ana Maria Garcia

Ana Maria Garcia

Director, Access to Justice Initiatives, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
Ana Maria Garcia is a passionate advocate dedicated to creating solutions and expanding access to justice for all, particularly to underserved communities. In 1997, she earned her J.D. from La Verne College of Law and has excelled in her legal career as a public interest lawyer. Currently... Read More →
BS

Beth Shapiro

Senior Attorney, Community Legal Services Inc.
As a senior attorney and coordinator of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia’s Language Access Project, Beth Shapiro focuses both on improving access to legal services for limited English proficient clients and on language rights advocacy, including with the courts; housing... Read More →
PM

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

Recruiting & Retaining Successful Client Board Members: The Role of the Executive Director
Participants will learn specific tips and actions to recruit and retain client board members. This will involve specific recruiting techniques, training needed for client board members, and how to successfully integrate client and attorney board members to have a high functioning board of directors. We will address some of the specific LSC requirements, including 1607 on recruiting and selection of client board members, how to involve clients in the mandatory community assessment, and other areas where clients can be very helpful, including customer satisfaction, developing meaningful outcomes, and fundraising. An electronic toolkit will be made available to participants.
Speakers
JA

Jon Asher

Executive Director, Colorado Legal Services
Jonathan (Jon) Asher is the Executive Director of Colorado Legal Services, a position he has held for 22 years. Jon was formerly the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Denver from December 1, 1980 until October 1, 1999 when the th
avatar for Julie Reiskin

Julie Reiskin

Board Member, Legal Services Corporation
Julie Reiskin has been a member of the board of directors of the Legal Services Corporation since 2010. She was appointed as a client representative by then-President Obama. She is the executive director of the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC). CCDC is a statewide organization... Read More →
HS

Hadassa Santini-Colberg

Executive Director, Puerto Rico Legal Services

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Client

4:15pm EST

Defender Listening Session: What Do Clients and Directly Affected Communities Think about Bail Reform?
This workshop will be a listening session for defenders to hear directly from the client community about the solutions needed to advance pre-trial and bail reform. The goals of the workshop are to elevate the voice of the client community in discussions about bail reform and to demonstrate to defenders the process of engaging in community listening sessions. It is not possible to develop sustainable improvements to criminal justice issues without listening to the communities directly affected, and this session will provide defenders with better insight into the type of bail reform solutions supported by directly affected communities.
Speakers
avatar for Regina Kelly

Regina Kelly

NLADA Board of Directors, Client Advocate, Hearne, TX
A mother of four by age 24, Regina Kelly worked multiple jobs to support her family and provide a safe environment in the midst of the tough neighborhood in which they lived. Despite her efforts, she became entangled in an ironic twist of fate when she was arrested at work right before... Read More →
RS

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 13-14 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

4:15pm EST

The Why and How of Making a Mitigation Film
The goal of this workshop is to empower attendees to use mitigation films in sentencing. We will review the practical when, why, and how of the mitigation film process so that by the end of the session attorneys and specialists have a general of idea of what producing a mitigation film entails. The workshop will consist of three segments by three speakers: a federal defender, a mitigation specialist/investigator, and a sentencing film expert. The defender will open the workshop with a general overview of why film is powerful, effective, and, in some cases, more practical than in-person or written testimony. She will also address issues of ethics and admissibility. The mitigation specialist will discuss the preparation process for a sentencing film: identifying potential witnesses, locations, and experts. The sentencing film expert will screen two mitigation films and discuss their anatomies, doing a scene-by-scene breakdown of each and going over the overall workflow. She will address the importance of making deliberate choices using music, camera angles, clothing, and lighting and how each of these choices has a very specific, unconscious effect on the viewers that colors their perceptions of the subjects.
Speakers
LG

Lauren Gorman

Assistant Federal Public Defender, Office of the Federal Public Defender
Lauren Gorman has been an assistant federal public defender in the District of Nevada for approximately five years. Before that, she was a public defender with the Washoe County Public Defender's Office and clerked for the Honorable Edward C. Reed, a District Court Judge in the District... Read More →
NG

Nora Gruber

Founder, Square Cap Media
Nora Gruber graduated in 2012 from the UCLA Professional Program in Film Production with a Masters in Film Directing. Her passion for filmmaking and social justice intersected when she made her first film for the U.S. Courts in 2013. She has since made films for a wide array of cases... Read More →
FS

Felecia Sullivan

Mitigation Specialist, Georgia Capital Defender
Felicia Sullivan, LCSW, has worked as a mitigation investigator since 2001. For many years, she worked at the Georgia Capital Defender as a mitigation supervisor. She is currently in private practice as a mitigation specialist on capital cases at trial and post-conviction and in juvenile... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 10-11 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

4:15pm EST

State Legislative Funding Roundtable: Increasing Funding in 2018 and Beyond
Now, more than ever, we must continue to share information and expertise to increase this major funding source for legal aid. This session continues the long-term practice of providing a forum for leaders from around the country who are working on state legislative funding for civil legal aid to meet and share ideas. We particularly encourage representatives from states without significant levels of state funding to join us in strategizing about how to gain increased revenue in 2018 and beyond.
Speakers
avatar for Meredith McBurney

Meredith McBurney

Resource Development Consultant, Management Information Exchange
Meredith McBurney, a fundraising consultant since 1997, specializes in resource development for legal aid and other advocacy organizations. She serves as a resource development consultant to MIE and provides in-depth consulting for individual programs. She began her legal aid career... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 4 Meeting Room Level
  Fundraising

4:15pm EST

CANCELLED -- Holistic Defense: Intake through Resolution--Best Practices for Cross Practice Collaboration
SESSION CANCELLED
Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 3 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

4:15pm EST

Clearing Criminal Records: Clinics, Community Partnerships, and Using Data to Inform Need
We already know that expunging criminal records can be life-changing as no record is too old or too minor to pose a significant barrier to access to opportunities. To ensure that expungement services reach the communities that need it most, a new legal services model is needed: one that favors community-based clinics in the locations most familiar and safe to our clients. A community-based clinic model is built on pro bono help from law students and lawyers, the expertise of legal services staff, and, most importantly, community partnerships. By teaming with neighborhood associations, faith communities, and community colleges, we can reach people where they live and in a place that is emotionally safe. For young people, the clinic model may be the only way to truly reach a large percentage of those who need help. We will also talk about targeting the most needy communities by comparing arrest data to past legal services work in the relevant service area.
Moderators
QN

Qudsiya Naqui

Equal Justice Works, Senior Manager, Public Programs
Qudsiya Naqui is a senior manager at Equal Justice Works, where she implements and manages Legal Fellowship programs designed to close the justice gap for marginalized individuals and communities. Before joining Equal Justice Works, Qudsiya served as a program associate in the Vera... Read More →

Speakers
KB
MG

Michael Gilbert Hollander

Supervising Attorney, Community Legal Serv of Phila
Michael Hollander is a supervising attorney in the Employment Unit at Community Legal Services. His work focuses on the barrier to employment posed by criminal records as well as wage theft, especially for immigrant workers, through a combination of direct representation, community... Read More →
EK

Eve Kleinerman

Pro Bono Coordinator, Cabrini Green Legal Aid
Eve Kleinerman joined Cabrini Green Legal Aid in July 2012 as a staff attorney in the Criminal Records Program. Eve came to CGLA after practicing law in New York for two years, where she was a public defender. During law school, Eve completed internships with the Children’s Law... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Renaissance Ballroom West B Ballroom Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

4:15pm EST

Representing Clients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
During this session, we will discuss representing clients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) in both the criminal and civil legal systems. Overall topics will include: an overview of disability culture and terminology, how to identify potential disability, effective communication with and accommodations for people with I/DD, ethical issues that may arise in representation, tips and strategies for working and communicating effectively with self-advocates, and the various pitfalls in our legal systems where those with I/DD can fall through the cracks. Participants will also have the opportunity to share their own experiences with representing clients with I/DD and brainstorm together about potential accommodations for future clients. Our goal is to have participants leave this session feeling more confident in their ability to work with clients with I/DD and to connect public defenders and legal services attorneys with disability advocacy organizations who can serve as a resource for them in the future.
Speakers
SC

Samantha Crane

Director of Public Policy, Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Samantha Crane is director of public policy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s national office. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Samantha previously served as staff attorney at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, focusing on enforcing the right to community integration... Read More →
avatar for Ariel Simms

Ariel Simms

Program Manager & Attorney, Criminal Justice Initiatives, The Arc of the United States
Ariel Simms is the Program Manager & Attorney, Criminal Justice Initiatives, for The Arc's National Center on Criminal Justice & Disability (NCCJD). In this role, she advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who become entangled in the criminal justice... Read More →
avatar for Shira Wakschlag

Shira Wakschlag

Legal Director, The Arc of the United States
Shira Wakschlag is the legal director of The Arc, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Shira is on the board of the Disability Rights Bar Association and past... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 5 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

6:00pm EST

Listening Session with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division: Sexual Harassment in Housing
This session will be an opportunity for Civil Rights Division attorneys and staff to hear directly from legal services providers about their experiences interacting with clients who may have been subjected to sexual harassment in housing. What are the barriers clients face to reporting the conduct? What barriers do providers face when determining whether and how to act upon learning of sexual harassment in housing? What kinds of tools would benefit providers and clients? Sexual harassment in housing affects countless individuals and can result in significant distress as well as eviction and homelessness. It often involves unrelenting, unwanted, sexual advances or requests for sexual acts in exchange for reduced rents or delayed evictions. Persons experiencing such conduct often are especially vulnerable and have few housing options. Working together, we can help address and prevent harassment.
Thursday December 7, 2017 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  Affiliate

6:00pm EST

The Outcomes Project: A Conversation with the National Center for Access to Justice

At a time when people are increasingly appreciating the importance of data, and when civil legal aid programs are increasingly relying on data, the National Center for Access to Justice at Fordham Law School (ncforaj.org) has undertaken an Outcomes Project with grant support from New York Community Trust to identify best practices for using data to track and report on outcomes achieved by clients of civil legal aid programs in New York City. The project includes interviews with civil legal aid leaders, civil legal aid funders (in philanthropy and in government), and leaders in fields other than civil legal aid (for example, health and education) to gather information about challenges and solutions in working with data to track outcomes. This session will offer an opportunity to talk about strategies for outcomes measurement and to learn more about the project. All interested persons are invited to join the conversation.

Speakers
avatar for David Udell

David Udell

Executive Director, National Center for Access to Justice
David Udell is Founder and Executive Director of the National Center for Access to Justice, ncforaj.org, a research and policy organization based at Fordham Law School that relies on data and advocacy to build a more just and equitable society. David guides NCAJ’s initiatives, including... Read More →

Thursday December 7, 2017 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level
  Affiliate

6:00pm EST

NLADA Client Section Meeting
Hear about the top issues our group is addressing now.
Thursday December 7, 2017 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  NLADA Sections

6:00pm EST

NLADA Technology Section Meeting
Come and discuss issues of technology and how we can keep up.
Thursday December 7, 2017 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Meeting Room 15 Meeting Room Level
  NLADA Sections

6:00pm EST

Across the Great Chasm: Participating in Community-Led Partnerships to Bridge the Racial Divide (Hosted by the African American Project Directors Association (AAPDA); Beer, Wine, & Light Refreshments)
Last year, NLADA challenged civil legal aid and public defense advocates to “form genuine and sustainable, community-led partnerships aimed at bridging the racial divide in our country.” This provocative conversation aims to encourage and highlight such partnerships, while identifying new opportunities as well as solutions to overcoming the barriers that often interfere with the effectiveness of such collaboration. The panel will answer such questions as: Are civil legal aid (and public defense?) programs embracing racial justice priorities and initiatives throughout our poverty law practice? What work is/should be done to build connection to the Black Lives Matters movement or other community groups working to promote racial justice? Do issues of privilege interfere with our effectiveness? What is the role of program leaders in building and maintaining services and programs most needed in communities of color?
Thursday December 7, 2017 6:00pm - 7:30pm EST
Meeting Room 5 Meeting Room Level
  Affiliate

7:00pm EST

Client Reception
Meet, mingle, have a bite, and honor your peers at this year's client reception.
Thursday December 7, 2017 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Congressional Ballroom C Ballroom Level
  Networking

8:00pm EST

NLADA Game Night
Sponsored by the NLADA Client Council. Try your luck -- or your skill -- as you engage in some friendly competition with your colleagues. Prizes for winners and fun for all! Bingo, cards, and other games.
Thursday December 7, 2017 8:00pm - 11:00pm EST
Congressional Ballroom C Ballroom Level
  Networking
 
Friday, December 8
 

7:30am EST

Continental Breakfast
Get your day started right! Have a bite and visit with our exhibitors.
Friday December 8, 2017 7:30am - 8:30am EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Networking

7:30am EST

Cyber Café (sponsored by NLADA Insurance Program)
Use our computer terminals to check your email, do some research, check on flights, etc.
Friday December 8, 2017 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

7:30am EST

Exhibits
Visit our exhibiting partners to learn about the valuable products and services they can offer to make your work more efficient and more effective for the clients and communities you serve.
Friday December 8, 2017 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

7:30am EST

Registration
Check-in with NLADA's registration staff to get your name badge, conference program, and other materials.
Friday December 8, 2017 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

8:30am EST

Advanced Lessons in Evidence-Based Legal Practice
Public interest lawyers often measure their clients' outcomes to understand the effectiveness of their services. But answering questions with those data is surprisingly hard. Does representation affect judges’ decisions? Does representation improve experiences both in the courtroom and beyond its doors? Responses to these questions in turn lead to even more difficult ones about how best to allocate scarce legal resources. This panel will introduce participants to the best method of addressing these issues: randomized field studies. The Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School works with legal aid organizations and government entities to test innovative practices in the profession. Hearing from Lab researchers and its long-term partners, attendees will better understand how to evaluate whether programs actually improve service provision and, ultimately, access to justice. As the evidence-based practice revolution sweeps through the civil legal aid and the public defense bar, this panel will help lawyers internalize its lessons and potentially engage in their own rigorous studies.
Speakers
JG
avatar for Steve Eppler-Epstein

Steve Eppler-Epstein

Justice Advocate and Nonprofit Consultant
Steve Eppler-Epstein is a justice advocate and nonprofit consultant from Connecticut. He worked at Connecticut Legal Services from 1984 to 2017, serving as its executive director for more than 10 years. Steve is the vice-chair of the board of the Sargent Shriver National Center on... Read More →
JG

Jim Greiner

Professor of Law, Access to Justice Lab
Jim Greiner is a professor of law at Harvard Law School, where he teaches courses on civil procedure, expert witnesses, access to justice, and voting regulation. He spent six years as a practicing litigator (three for the United States Department of Justice, three for a private law... Read More →
avatar for Christopher Griffin

Christopher Griffin

Research Griffin, The Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School
Christopher L. Griffin. Jr. is the Research Director at the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School. He earned his B.S. magna cum laude from Georgetown University, an MPhil in Economics at the University of Oxford, and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was an Editor for... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 3 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

8:30am EST

Combatting Sexual Harassment in Housing: Identifying, Addressing, and Reporting
Sexual harassment in housing affects countless individuals and can result in significant distress as well as eviction and homelessness. It often involves unrelenting, unwanted, sexual advances or requests for sexual acts in exchange for reduced rents or delayed evictions. Persons experiencing such conduct often are especially vulnerable, financially unstable with few housing options, including single mothers who fear homelessness. They may also be relying on housing vouchers. This session will explore the legal framework available under the federal Fair Housing Act to address sexual harassment in housing, and we will discuss opportunities for collaboration among those providing direct legal services and the federal government. We will discuss how to identify sexual harassment in housing and make appropriate referrals of such incidents and explore civil rights litigation on behalf of those who have been sexually harassed by property managers, landlords, maintenance workers, housing authority officials, or others with power over access to housing.
Speakers
TH

Tamar Hagler

Deputy Chief, Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, Department Of Justice, Civil RIghts Division
Ms. Hagler joined the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice over 19 years ago, and currently is a Deputy Chief in the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section. She supervises an active docket of investigations and litigation nationwide, enforcing federal laws prohibiting... Read More →
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Katherine Raimondo

Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Housing-Civil Enforcement Section
Katherine Raimondo is a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. As a member of the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, Ms. Raimondo investigates and litigates violations of the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and Title II of the... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 12 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

8:30am EST

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 and 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.
Moderators
avatar for Jim Sandman

Jim Sandman

President, Legal Services Corporation
Jim Sandman has been president of the Legal Services Corporation since 2011. LSC is the largest funder of civil legal aid programs in the United States, supporting 133 programs with more than 840 offices serving every state and territory. He practiced law with the international, Washington-based... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Carol Bergman

Carol Bergman

Vice President for Government Relations & Public Affairs, Legal Services Corporation
Carol Bergman is the Vice President for Government Relations and Public Affairs at the Legal Services Corporation where she has worked since March 2012 and is responsible for managing LSC's communications and relationship with Congress, the executive bran
avatar for Colleen Cotter

Colleen Cotter

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Colleen Cotter has been the Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland since 2005. Cleveland Legal Aid provides civil legal assistance to 8,000 clients each year, focusing on safety and health, education and economic stability, shelter, and
DD
BB

Betty Balli Torres

Executive Director, Texas Access to Justice Foundation
Betty Balli Torres is Executive Director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the largest Texas-based funder of legal services to the poor, since October 2001. She has dedicated her professional career to public interest work. Betty started as a st

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level
  Civil

8:30am EST

Lawyers and Public Libraries: A Story Worth Reading
Since 2015, Maryland Legal Aid has partnered with public library systems across the state of Maryland to provide free civil legal services to library patrons. The "Lawyer in the Library" program is currently running in six library systems and more than 25 library branches throughout Maryland. Public libraries are the perfect fit for civil legal services. In today's world, public libraries across the nation are working harder than ever to show their value. Library patrons no longer read stories only from printed novels or seek information from a leather-bound encyclopedia. Today's world brings information at a quick pace, and many individuals see no need to enter a public library. However, in low-income communities especially, libraries have become a refuge. They serve lunches in the summer to students who rely on free and reduced lunch during the school year. They have grocery delivery programs in food deserts. They host community meetings, concert series, and craft fairs for local artists. And they are the perfect match for legal services attorneys. Clients will come to their local neighborhood library for information, and leave with legal advice, and possibly full case representation. Attendees at this session will understand the dynamics of lawyers in public libraries: what it is, why it works, and how to start and grow your own lawyer in the library program.
Speakers
AP

Amy Petkovsek

Maryland Legal Aid, Maryland Legal Aid
Amy Petkovsek is the director of advocacy for training and pro bono at Maryland Legal Aid. Amy oversees the growth and development of the Community Lawyering Initiative, Pro Bono, Lawyer in the Library, and Lawyer in the Schools programs across Maryland. Before serving in this position... Read More →
MT

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 9 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

8:30am EST

Managing Up, Down, and Sideways in Legal Aid!
Working smoothly with coworkers is essential to providing significant legal aid over the long-term. It both increases efficiency and averts burnout. In this training, OneJustice’s Healthy Nonprofits Program will offer an overarching framework and practical strategies for managing “up” (to your supervisors), “down” (to those you supervise), and “sideways” (to your teammates) on projects and cases. OneJustice will describe the role clarity, oversight, and coaching everyone needs from their supervisors. Similarly, it will describe the need for supervisors to express clear expectations, create information flow, and hold staff accountable. Attendees will also learn how to apply non-positional (i.e., lateral) and participatory leadership to advance their teams’ work. Throughout the training, OneJustice will describe how to discuss workplace issues objectively and in a way that connects to the organization’s mission.
Speakers
CM

Chris McConkey

Senior Staff Attorney, OneJustice
As a senior staff attorney at OneJustice, Chris McConkey advocates for public policies that foster the growth of legal nonprofits and, through them, meaningful access to justice for all Californians. He also provides consulting and technical support to legal services organizations... Read More →
GS

Gillian Sonnad

Senior Staff Attorney, OneJustice
Gillian is a Senior Staff Attorney with the Healthy Nonprofits team at OneJustice. She directs the Executive Fellowship program and consults with legal services organizations on equity and inclusion practices. Gillian has a profound passion for race equity work and was an inaugural... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

8:30am EST

Providing Disaster Legal Services to Non-Citizens and Other People Ineligible for Services from LSC
This panel will discuss how non-LSC programs have responded to the legal needs of disaster survivors who are non-citizens or who are otherwise not eligible for services from programs funded by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). We will also address the challenges and strategies used to meet these legal needs.
Speakers
avatar for Jessie Campbell

Jessie Campbell

Pro Bono & Outreach Director, Houston Volunteer Lawyers
Jessie Campbell is the Pro Bono & Outreach director for Houston Volunteer Lawyers (HVL). HVL strives to “make it easy” for attorneys to provide pro bono assistance while meeting the civil legal services needs for our clients, for whom HVL may be their last hope for assistance... Read More →
ZL

Zenobia Lai

Legal Director, Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance
Zenobia T. Lai is the legal director of the Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance of Catholic Charities. Before joining Catholic Charities, Zenobia had been a legal services lawyer for a quarter century, serving the legal needs of immigrants in Boston, San Francisco, and Metro-D.C... Read More →
avatar for Andrew VanSingel

Andrew VanSingel

Chair, ABA Standing Committee on Disaster Response and Preparedness
Andrew is the chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Disaster Response and Preparedness and is a special advisor to the ABA Young Lawyers Division Disaster Legal Services Program. In his day job, Andrew is the local taxpayer advocate for Taxpayer Advocate Service’s Chicago office... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Congressional Ballroom B Ballroom Level
  Civil

8:30am EST

The ABA Standards for the Provision of Civil Legal Aid: Are Substantial Revisions Needed?
The ABA Standards for the Provision of Civil Legal Aid were adopted by the ABA House of Delegates in 2006 and are a revised and updated version of similar standards promulgated in 1961, 1966, 1970, and 1986. Now that 11 years have passed since the most recent revision of the Standards were adopted, the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants (SCLAID) is reviewing the document to determine if the guidance provided remains timely and appropriate in light of any changes that may have occurred in society, the profession, or technology. SCLAID is seeking input from the legal aid community on this matter during this session. Come prepared to share your views on this important topic.
Speakers
TH

Theodore Howard

Chair, ABA SCLAID, Wiley Rein LLP
Ted Howard is the fulltime pro bono partner at Wiley Rein LLP in Washington, D.C., where he oversees administration of the 250-lawyer firm’s Pro Bono Program, while also maintaining an active caseload representing individuals and groups of clients in civil rights, family law, housing... Read More →
avatar for Ed Marks

Ed Marks

Statewide Pro Bono Manager, Legal Aid Services of Oregon
Ed Marks is Executive Director of New Mexico Legal Aid. Ed has been involved in TIG projects and other national legal aid technology initiatives for nearly 20 years. Ed was previously Deputy Director for Advocacy at Legal Aid of Western Ohio in Toledo, where he also founded Legal... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 4 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

8:30am EST

Urban Pro Bono Meets Rural Clients: Remote Services Delivery Models in Action
You have pro bono attorneys in the city, but there are significant unmet client needs in rural areas where precious few attorneys practice and even fewer volunteers are willing or able to travel. What to do? Remote services delivery uses technology to bring legal services to underserved populations. This session will highlight two remote service delivery initiatives: Closing the Gap, a virtual legal assistance platform that combines video conferencing and interactive interviews; and LHI Connect, which facilitates remote review of LawHelp Interactive online forms in unbundled pro bono services. Come learn about how these models work and discuss how they can be used to increase pro bono engagement for your program!
Speakers
MG

Mike Grunenwald

Program Coordinator, Pro Bono Net
Mike Grunenwald's work focuses on the development of innovative technology solutions to engage and support pro bono attorneys across the country. Before joining Pro Bono Net in 2015, Mike worked for several years at the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program, where he served as the lead on a variety... Read More →
MH

Melody Harkness

Closing the Gap Pro Bono Innovation Fund Program Coordinator, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
Melody Harkness joined the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York in the spring of 2016 to work as coordinator of the Closing the Gap Pro Bono Innovation Fund Program. She is a 2013 graduate of North Carolina State University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Legal Studies... Read More →
CJ

Claudia Johnson

Program Manager, LawHelp Interactive
Claudia Johnson is the program manager for LawHelp Interactive, working with legal nonprofits, other nonprofits, pro bono programs, and court systems using online document assembly technology to close the justice gap. With more than 28 years of professional experience, Claudia has... Read More →
avatar for Lillian Moy

Lillian Moy

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of NE New York
Lillian M. Moy became the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Inc. in 1995. She is a 1981 graduate of Boston University School of Law. She is a former member of the Board of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 8 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

8:30am EST

A Call to Speak Truth Powerfully: Part 1 – Understanding Implicit Bias
Feedback Survey
The first session provides participants with tools and opportunities to understand implicit bias. Participants will examine the ways that society, organizations, and communities reinforce notions that some people are throw-away people. This is the first step to resisting the unspoken hierarchy that some people are less than others and some communities more deserving than others. Join us to understand how implicit bias reinforces ideas that some people, based on race, gender, and income, are more valued than others.
Speakers
avatar for Chuck Wynder

Chuck Wynder

Staff Officer for Social Justice & Advocacy Engagement, The Episcopal Church
Charles “Chuck” Wynder Jr. serves as the staff officer for social justice & advocacy engagement for The Episcopal Church and works to enhance its capacity for advocacy and community organizing for social and racial justice. Chuck previously served as the executive director of... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Client

8:30am EST

Looking Back and Moving Forward: Stories and Action Steps from Federally Funded TTA Providers
In recognition of an ever-changing funding landscape and the diverse needs of public defender programs, join us for a conversation with the Bureau of Justice Assistance and four BJA-funded TTA providers. We’ll share stories of past projects – successes and lessons learned – and will discuss in detail what current and future opportunities exist for training, technical assistance, and funding for public defenders. Attendees will hear about ways that they might prepare for and access newly available resources and will receive a snapshot view of upcoming BJA funded work through the Justice For All Act.
Moderators
avatar for Emily Flanagan

Emily Flanagan

• Manager, Programmatic Strategy and Innovation, National Legal Aid & Defender Association
Emily Flanagan joined the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) in 2017 and was charged with connecting public defenders to resources. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and an AmeriCorps Alum with more than 14 years of experience promoting service domestically and... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Marea Beeman

Marea Beeman

Director, Research Initiatives, Defender Legal Services, National Legal Aid & Defender Association
Marea is an attorney who has worked for more than two decades to improve the administration of and access to justice through research, writing, and technical assistance projects. Engagements before joining NLADA in 2014 were as senior project manager with the Justice Management Institute... Read More →
DC

David Carroll

Executive Director, Sixth Amendment Center
David Carroll is the executive director of the Sixth Amendment Center (6AC). The 6AC is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting states meet their constitutional obligation to provide effective representation to the indigent accused at all critical stages of criminal... Read More →
PS

Priya Sarathy Jones

Policy Advisor, U.S. Department if Justice, Office of Justice Programs
Priya Sarathy Jones is a policy advisor at the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance, where she focuses on public defense, Sixth Amendment issues, fines and fees, wrongful conviction review, and the capital case litigation initiative. Priya has served as counsel... Read More →
JR

Jon Rapping

Founder/President, Gideon’s Promise
Jonathan Rapping is a nationally renowned criminal justice innovator and 2014 MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellow, who moved from Washington, D.C., to Atlanta because he found the injustice within our criminal justice system – particularly in the South – to be unacceptable... Read More →
LV

Lisa Vavonese

Associate Director of Research Practice Strategies and Upstate Office Deputy Director, Center for Court Innovation
Ms. Vavonese provides strategic planning and technical assistance to jurisdictions around the country in fulfilling the guarantees of the Sixth Amendment and assists in overseeing the administration of federal, state, and local grants for problem-solving justice initiatives in upstate... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 10-11 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

8:30am EST

Transformational Leadership: How Public Defenders Can Be Leaders in Reforming the Criminal Justice System
This workshop will focus on understanding transformational leadership and the role that public defenders can play inside and outside the courtroom. Public defenders currently operate in an environment that presents them with the opportunity to engage in larger systemic reform, but many public defenders are not equipped to maximize these leadership opportunities. This workshop will focus on how to be a transformative leader within the defender community and larger criminal justice community.
Speakers
avatar for Lori James Townes

Lori James Townes

Executive Director, NAPD
Lori James-Townes is the Executive Director of the National Association of Public Defense. Lori assumed this leadership position after three years of working as Assistant Training Director for NAPD and more than 25 years of working on defense teams representing indigent defendants... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 13-14 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

8:30am EST

Leading for Fundraising Success: An MIE Seminar for Executive Directors and Other Management Staff
Are you concerned about potential cuts in LSC funding? Is it time to reduce your dependence on one or two very large funding sources? Are you ready to invest in fundraising but don't know how to get started effectively? Together we will map action steps on the elements you need for fundraising success: (1) your organization is known and respected in the community; (2) you have strong and sufficient staff to run a fundraising effort; (3) you have strong, dedicated volunteer leadership; (4) your board and staff share a commitment to invest time and money to raise money; and (5) you have a well-designed strategic resource development plan.
Speakers
avatar for Silvia Argueta

Silvia Argueta

Executive Director, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Silvia Argueta has been the Executive Director at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) since 2008. LAFLA is the frontline law firm for low-income individuals in Los Angeles County committed to promoting access to justice, and strengthening communities.
avatar for Bob Gillett

Bob Gillett

Volunteer, Michigan Advocacy Program
Bob Gillett retired as the executive director of the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP) in December 2018. MAP is a regional LSC-funded program and also provides administrative support to six statewide programs. Mr. Gillett has been directly involved in advocacy to preserve and reunify... Read More →
avatar for Meredith McBurney

Meredith McBurney

Resource Development Consultant, Management Information Exchange
Meredith McBurney, a fundraising consultant since 1997, specializes in resource development for legal aid and other advocacy organizations. She serves as a resource development consultant to MIE and provides in-depth consulting for individual programs. She began her legal aid career... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  Fundraising

8:30am EST

Innovative Language Access Policies and Practices at the Local Government Level
Localities are taking affirmative steps to ensure that limited English proficient (LEP) residents can conduct their business with government offices and have access to basic services and programs. Critical communication occurs daily in local government offices as people pay property tax and utility bills, navigate building permit and business license processes, obtain public health services, report crimes, and seek other government assistance. This session will focus on innovative approaches – including legislation, administrative policy-making, language access planning and reporting, committing resources to language access staff or offices, contracting provisions, and enforcement mechanisms – to expand meaningful access and engagement for LEP communities.
Moderators
BS

Beth Shapiro

Senior Attorney, Community Legal Services Inc.
As a senior attorney and coordinator of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia’s Language Access Project, Beth Shapiro focuses both on improving access to legal services for limited English proficient clients and on language rights advocacy, including with the courts; housing... Read More →

Speakers
OA

Orlando Almonte

Language Access Program Manager, City of Philadelphia Office of Immigrant Affairs
Orlando Almonte is manager of the Language Access Program for the City of Philadelphia under the Office of Immigrant Affairs. The Language Access Program is a citywide program that bridges the gap between people with limited English proficiency (LEP) and government services. Current... Read More →
AK

Amaha Kassa

African Communities Together
Amaha Kassa is founder and executive director of African Communities Together (ACT). Amaha is an Ethiopian immigrant with 22 years of professional experience as a labor and community organizer, nonprofit director, and social entrepreneur. For nine years, Amaha directed East Bay Alliance... Read More →
EN

Evelyn Núñez

Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs
Evelyn Núñez joined the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs in June 2015 as a bilingual paralegal supporting its work to protect the civil rights of immigrants in different areas including employment, housing, and public accommodations. As part of her... Read More →
PD

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 5 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Client

8:30am EST

Bad Behaviors: Unprofessional Conduct by Outside Actors in Civil Legal Aid and Public Defense
Young, small, and/or female attorneys are disproportionately likely to encounter unprofessional and/or inappropriate behaviors by opposing counsel. This can include various forms of hazing, harassment, or sexual harassment. Staff may also encounter these types of behaviors by other actors in the court system (including judges, bailiffs, marshals, mediators, or clerks). Where they exist, we can also assume that unrepresented litigants are experiencing these actions. Panelists will define examples of common “bad behaviors” and review steps that should be taken to address them, including use of Judicial Canon 2.3 and Rule 8.4 of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Speakers
avatar for April Frazer Camara

April Frazer Camara

President & CEO, NLADA
April Frazier Camara serves as president & CEO of NLADA. She has been a champion for equal justice for two decades. A graduate of Howard School of Law, she worked as a public defender in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, and at the Public Defender Service (PDS) for the District... Read More →
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Nan Heald

Executive Director, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc.
Nan Heald has been the executive director of Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Maine’s oldest and largest civil legal aid provider, since 1990. In 1996, Pine Tree was the first legal aid program in the country to create a website with self-help materials posted on it. Since that time... Read More →
LJ

Lynn Jennings

Vice President for Grants Management, Legal Services Corporation
Lynn A. Jennings is Vice President for Grants Management at the Legal Services Corporation. Before joining LSC, she was principal of Jennings Solutions, LLC, a strategic consulting firm that provided expert advice and guidance on organizational efficiency, leadership development... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Renaissance Ballroom East Ballroom Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

8:30am EST

Ending Debtor's Prison for Kids: Challenging the High Cost of Fines and Fees in the Juvenile Justice System
Across the country, youth and their families are charged for costs, fines, fees, and restitution in the juvenile justice system. Too often, these payment requirements push youth deeper into the justice system, cause families serious financial and emotional strain, and perpetuate racial and economic disparities. This presentation will provide an overview of the national picture of juvenile costs and fees as well as updates on legal and policy strategies that have been successful across the country against such costs. The presentation will begin with a brief overview of the field, including the research conducted by presenters from Juvenile Law Center and the Policy Advocacy Clinic at Berkeley Law on national fines and fees generally and the consequences of such fees. Facilitators will present information on recent reforms in California and Philadelphia and summarize current trends in juvenile cost and fees advocacy. After the overview of national practices and reform efforts, panelists, including a juvenile public defender from the Ohio Office of the Public Defender, will discuss effective defense strategies when representing clients facing costs and fees in the juvenile justice system. Panelists will provide sample motions and arguments, including Constitutional arguments, that may be used to advocate against such costs. The presentation will conclude with a large group discussion in which audience members can share information about the costs and fees juveniles face in their own jurisdictions as well as ideas for defense and reform strategies.
Speakers
VB

Victoria Bader

Assistant State Public Defender, Ohio Public Defender Office
Victoria Bader is an assistant state public defender in the Juvenile Department at the Office of the Ohio Public Defender. Victoria earned a J.D. from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. At the Office of the Ohio Public Defender, Victoria represents youth in appeals... Read More →
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Jessica Feierman

Associate Director, Juvenile Law Center
Jessica Feierman is associate director at the Juvenile Law Center and joined the staff in 2006. Jessica engages in litigation and amicus efforts on a wide variety of subjects, including juvenile life without parole, institutional conditions, and adult sentencing. With Juvenile Law... Read More →
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Ahmed Lavalais

Clinical Teaching Fellow, University of California, Berkeley
Ahmed Lavalais is a clinical teaching fellow in the Policy Advocacy Clinic at Berkeley Law. Lavalais works on the Policy Advocacy Clinic’s national, multi-year campaign to eliminate debt imposed on youth and families by the juvenile justice system. During law school, Lavalais was... Read More →
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Nadia Mozaffar

Staff Attorney, Juvenile Law Center
Nadia Mozaffar is a staff attorney at the Juvenile Law Center. Nadia's work focuses on advancing educational rights and opportunities for children in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, reducing transfers of youth to the adult criminal justice system, and economic justice... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Mt. Vernon Square B Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

8:30am EST

Housing, Not Handcuffs: Criminalization of Homelessness, Constructive Alternatives, Protecting the Human Rights of Homeless Persons
Imagine a world where it is illegal to sit down. Could you survive if there were no place you were allowed to fall asleep, to store your belongings, or to stand still? In communities across the nation, these harmless, unavoidable behaviors are treated as criminal activity for persons experiencing homelessness, often forcing them into health-threatening situations to avoid detection and creating arrest records that put further barriers between these individuals and the access to housing and services they need. Criminalization of homelessness has been condemned by domestic courts and international human rights monitors, and the federal government and a number of communities have demonstrated success in promoting and utilizing constructive alternatives approaches. This workshop will feature those with direct experience of criminalization, share examples of constructive alternative policies and the strategies used to achieve them, and provide specific legal tools for legal aid and defenders to use in advocacy in courtrooms and city council chambers.
Speakers
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Kirsten Anderson

Litigation Director, Southern Legal Counsel, Inc.
Kirsten Anderson is the litigation director at Southern Legal Counsel (SLC), a Florida statewide nonprofit public interest law firm that seeks systemic change on behalf of individuals who otherwise would not have access to the justice system. She provides strategic leadership for... Read More →
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JAVIER BELTRAN

Managing Attorney, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Javier Beltran joined Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) in 2016 as the Managing Attorney for the Santa Monica office and Domestic Violence Clinic. He currently manages LAFLA's Measure H Legal Services team working with the homeless population to remove legal barriers to... Read More →
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Janet Hostetler

Deputy Director, National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
As deputy director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, Janet Hostetler drives legal and policy strategies to end and prevent homelessness and to protect the rights of people experiencing homelessness. She also oversees the Law Center’s operations, including human... Read More →
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Kimberly Leefatt

Associate, Latham & Watkins
Kimberly Leefatt is an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Latham & Watkins. Ms. Leefatt's practice focuses on complex environmental litigation as well as regulatory and transactional support. She also maintains an active pro bono practice, in which she has represented homeless... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 15 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

9:00am EST

Breakout Session Evaluations
Feedback Survey

 

 Please complete the session evaluation

Friday December 8, 2017 9:00am - 5:00pm EST
TBA
  Session Evaluations

10:00am EST

Break
Visit the NLADA booth to meet Judge Robert Wilkins, who will be selling and signing copies of his book, Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100 Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Friday December 8, 2017 10:00am - 10:30am EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Networking

10:30am EST

Addressing the Legal Needs of Homeless Youth
This session explores the intersection between youth homelessness and the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Presenters will discuss how certain laws, policies, and practices, such as quality of life ordinances, status offenses, and harsh school discipline practices, criminalize homeless youth. These laws, policies, and practices make it harder for homeless youth to access housing, create barriers to staying in school, prevent them from ending the vicious cycle of homelessness and poverty, and unnecessarily entangle those who are already helpless and vulnerable with the justice systems. Presenters will discuss efforts to address legal needs and to coordinate a community response that is trauma-informed, culturally appropriate, and developmentally and age-appropriate. This session will also provide legal tools, innovative legal aid models, strategies for a comprehensive provision of supportive services, and model policies for communities to work with different stakeholders that can aid in decriminalization efforts at the local, state, and national levels.
Speakers
BB

Brian Blalock

Youth Justice Project Director, Bay Area Legal Aid
By building a strong presence in the community and collaborating with system partners, Brian Blalock has focused his career on supporting vulnerable and disconnected youth in the Bay Area. Before Tipping Point, Brian founded and directed the Youth Justice Project at Bay Area Legal... Read More →
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Jamie Gullen

Community Legal Services, Supervising Attorney
Jamie Gullen is a supervising attorney in the Employment Unit and Youth Justice Project at Community Legal Services. Ms. Gullen began her career at CLS as a law student intern in 2010 and was awarded a Penn Law fellowship sponsored by the Langer, Grogan, and Diver law firm to continue... Read More →
avatar for Amy E Horton-Newell

Amy E Horton-Newell

Director, American Bar Association
Amy Horton-Newell has served as the director of the ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty since 2001. She coordinates ABA policy development and programming related to the special legal needs of people experiencing homelessness and poverty, and she collaborates with national, state... Read More →
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Amy Louttit

Public Policy Associate, National Network for Youth
Amy Louttit, J.D., is public policy associate at the National Network for Youth, an organization that mobilizes the collective power and expertise of our national community to influence public policy and strengthen effective responses to youth homelessness. Amy began working in the... Read More →
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Michael Santos

Attorney, National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
Michael Santos is an attorney at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty whose work focuses on advocating for homeless youth access to education through public education, impact litigation, and policy advocacy. Before joining the Law Center, Michael had a long history of... Read More →
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Naomi Smoot

Executive Director, Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Naomi Smoot is executive director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice where she oversees member relations and development, fundraising and grant management, as well as CJJ’s initiatives in government relations, leadership development, juvenile justice reform, communications, and... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Advocacy Through a Regional Medical-Legal Partnership Collaborative
The Southern California Medical Legal Partnership Collaborative is a coalition of major legal aid organizations throughout Southern California. Members share advocacy strategies and work together to identify and address broader policy issues affecting the social determinants of health. The workshop will begin by highlighting various advocacy approaches and respective policy impacts achieved through the collaborative including: a citywide violence prevention and trauma informed care strategy; a project measuring the impact of supportive services provided to adolescents and young adults with cancer; launching a Transgender MLP focused on improving health outcomes of low-income trans individuals in Los Angeles through collaborative support; and a collaborative countywide effort to secure funding to provide continued essential legal services and improve health outcomes. Attendees will then participate in guided roundtable discussions to brainstorm strategies to identify and address local policy issues and utilize approaches shared by the Southern California Medical Legal Partnership Collaborative.
Speakers
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Jordan Aiken

Equal Justice Works Fellow, Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Jordan Aiken works at Bet Tzedek Legal Services as an Equal Justice Works Fellow, sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Through her fellowship, she launched the Transgender Medical-Legal Partnership with the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Transgender Health Program. The Transgender MLP... Read More →
avatar for Yvonne Mariajimenez

Yvonne Mariajimenez

President & CEO, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
Yvonne Mariajimenez is President & CEO of Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA), a private, non-profit law firm funded to provide free legal services to low-income people residing in Los Angeles County. NLSLA focuses legal advocacy in
avatar for Kate Marr

Kate Marr

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Orange County
Kate Marr, executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Orange County and Community Legal Services of Southeast Los Angeles County (LASOC/CLS) oversees a staff of just under 100, operating in four offices with an annual budget of $8 million. Before joining LASOC/CLS, Kate was managing... Read More →
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Gerson Sorto

Supervising Attorney, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
Gerson Sorto is an Associate Supervising Attorney with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County overseeing the program’s five Medical Legal Community Partnerships (MLCPs). He has led NLSLA’s efforts as the lead agency implementing the “MLCP–LA” project with the... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 12 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Big Ideas: The Future of Pro Bono
This session will envision how pro bono legal services delivery systems might develop over the next five, ten, or more years. Attendees will start by examining where pro bono is today as a component of fully engaged legal services models and then, in facilitated small group discussions, will consider innovative approaches in technology, policies and regulations, client-centered approaches, community engagement, program operations, and more.
Speakers
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Sharon Goldsmith

Executive Director, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc.
Sharon E. Goldsmith is the founding director of the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc. (PBRC), the statewide pro bono support center and coordinator of volunteer legal services. Since its inception in 1990, the Center has recruited, trained, and referred thousands of volunteer... Read More →
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Mark O'Brien

Executive Director, Pro Bono Net
Mark O'Brien is the co-founder and executive director of Pro Bono Net, a national nonprofit that increases access to justice for the poor and other vulnerable populations through innovative uses of technology, collaboration, and volunteer mobilization. Founded in 1998, Pro Bono Net... Read More →
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Eve Runyon

President & CEO, Pro Bono Institute
Eve Runyon is the president and CEO of Pro Bono Institute. She first joined PBI in 2005 to lead Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO), PBI’s partnerships project with the Association of Corporate Counsel. Under Runyon's leadership, CPBO designed and implemented inn
avatar for Steve Scudder

Steve Scudder

Consultant
Steven Scudder was counsel to the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service from October 1994 through March 2018. He graduated from the Franklin Pierce Law School in 1983, was in private practice for a short time, and then became director of the New Hampshire Pro Bono... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 4 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Building Relationships with Reporters and Lawmakers to Bolster Local Press Coverage
This panel discussion will focus on ways legal aid providers can attract local press coverage, recruit lawmakers for press events, and foster ongoing engagement from both legislators and journalists. Topics will include: (1) Press outreach hire – outside firm, do it in-house? (2) Events most likely to attract press coverage. (3) Most effective ways to reach out to local reporters and when to use them – press releases, phone calls, social media. (4) Moving beyond event coverage to ongoing engagement. (5) Recruiting lawmakers for press events or other forms of engagement. (6) Understanding the congressional calendar and its importance in scheduling events. (7) Proper protocol when dealing with legislators.
Moderators
avatar for Carl Rauscher

Carl Rauscher

Director of Communications and Media Relations, Legal Services Corporation
Carl Rauscher had a long career in print and broadcast journalism before becoming the Legal Services Corporation’s Director of Communications and Media Relations eight years ago. He was political editor and Washington bureau managing editor for Cox Newspapers; Washington editor... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Dan Glazier

Dan Glazier

Executive Director and General Counsel, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Dan Glazier began his work with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) in 1981 as a Reginald Heber Smith (Reggie) Fellow in the Welfare Law Program. In 1983, he joined the Housing Program where he represented clients with housing issues in municipal, state, and federal courts as... Read More →
avatar for Melanie Shakarian

Melanie Shakarian

Director of Development & Communications, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Melanie Shakarian is an attorney and director of development with The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. For 18 years, she has led the public relations, marketing, government relations, and fundraising for the nonprofit law firm. She is a member of the Ohio bar, and is on the Board of... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 5 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Combatting Inequitable and Unconstitutional Imposition and Enforcement of Court Fines and Fees: Advocacy Opportunities for LSC-Funded Programs
Municipal courts throughout the country are routinely imposing excessive court fees and fines on residents who are unable to pay – people living at or near the poverty level, low wage earners, and people with fixed income, such as people with disabilities receiving Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI). Many of these practices disproportionately affect African Americans and other people of color. The consequences of the practices used to collect fees and fines are dire and create a downward spiral for individuals and families who become further impoverished when they are unable to pay. Failure to pay is sanctioned by increasing fees and fines or incarceration resulting in the loss of critically needed employment and housing. Legal aid programs have an important role to play in combating these practices and mitigating their impact. Join us for this workshop to learn how programs funded by LSC, consistent with LSC regulatory restrictions, have been effectively advocating for people living at or near the poverty level affected by the unfair imposition of fines and fees.
Speakers
avatar for Jefferson Coulter

Jefferson Coulter

Statewide Advocacy Counsel, Northwest Justice Project
Jefferson Coulter is a statewide advocacy counsel at the Northwest Justice Project, overseeing consumer, employment, and reentry advocacy. He has extensive affirmative litigation experience in federal and superior courts and co-counsels on systemic cases, mentors and trains new advocates... Read More →
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Alex Kornya

Litigation Director / General Counsel, Iowa Legal Aid
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Robin Murphy

Executive Director, Disability Rights Maryland

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square B Meeting Room Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Empowering Immigrant Clients to Protect Themselves, Their Families, and Our Communities
Improve the lives of the immigrant families you serve beyond direct legal assistance! Participants in this workshop will develop specific ideas and acquire concrete tools to empower their clients to become advocates for themselves, their families, and their communities. As providers of critical legal and social services to immigrant and mixed-status families, NLADA members are acutely aware of the challenges these communities face and are uniquely positioned to deliver resources to empower individuals and families to advocate for themselves and their communities. While Executive Orders on immigration and other federal policies spread fear and anxiety among immigrants and receiving communities, there is also much to be done at the personal and local level. This workshop is designed to inspire, educate, and equip equal justice professionals with specific ideas and strategies for converting clients into powerful advocates capable of defending themselves, preparing their families, and persuading local governments to welcome and integrate immigrant communities.
Moderators
CL

Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

Advocacy Attorney, Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC)
Grounded in Catholic social teaching, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., is the largest network of community-based nonprofit immigration legal programs, with 330 affiliates in 47 states and the District of Columbia. CLINIC’s principal services include legal and management... Read More →

Speakers
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Vanessa Stine

Staff Attorney, Friends of Farmworkers Inc.
Vanessa Stine joined Friends of Farmworkers (FOF) in September 2014 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. Her fellowship project provided direct representation, advocacy, and community education to low-income consumers who have been victims of predatory and fraudulent immigration services... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 3 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Essential Staff May Soon Retire: What Do We Do to Preserve Their Knowledge?
Is your legal aid organization poised to see retirements of key staff members in finance, resource development, operations, and legal advocacy in the not-so-distant future? If your role includes training, knowledge management, and hiring responsibilities, come to this session to share your thoughts and best practices toward protecting organizational capacity when key staff members depart. Learn from legal aid colleagues who have planned and managed transitions and developed staff leadership for the future.
Speakers
MA

Mary Asbury

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati
Mary Asbury is the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati . Her responsibilities include developing and implementing the plan and strategies for resource development, and active personal engagement in fundraising activities. Mary is a member of the MIE Board... Read More →
JB
avatar for Patricia Pap

Patricia Pap

Consultant, Management Information Exchange
avatar for César Torres

César Torres

Executive Director, Northwest Justice Project
César Torres has been the executive director of the Northwest Justice Project, a statewide, publicly funded legal aid program serving low-income communities throughout Washington State, since 2006.   Previously, he served as deputy director of Essex Newark Legal Services in... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Less Than Honorable: The Legal Aid Response to the Military Discharge Crisis
We are in the midst of the longest period of war in our nation's history. Many of the men and women who volunteer to bear the brunt of this burden do so for the robust benefits they earn through their service. However, a veteran's access to benefits such as VA healthcare and the GI Bill depends upon how his or her exit from the military was characterized by the Department of Defense (DOD). More than 300,000 post-9/11 veterans were assigned a less than honorable discharge -- a rate higher than any previous generation. Racial minorities, sexual assault survivors, LGBTQ veterans, and service members with mental health disabilities are disproportionately less than honorably discharged. Without expert legal help, few veterans prevail in their Discharge Upgrade (DU) applications and remain stripped of the benefits they earned. Swords to Plowshares and Connecticut Veterans Legal Center are working to meet the needs of both the veterans and the legal aid and pro bono communities searching for ways to help. Presenters will discuss why this issue affects our clients and how social justice organizations can address it in their communities. Learn about the most recent advances in the field, what resources exist for new programs, and best practices for new practices, including identifying and screening veterans. The program will conclude with a look into the future of this practice and the status of law reform efforts, including a new joint effort by Swords and CVLC and funded by the Bob Woodruff Foundation, to increase and improve capacity to address less than honorable discharges.
Speakers
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Samuel Holmes

Charitable Investments Program Officer, Bob Woodruff Foundation
Samuel Holmes joined the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) as a charitable investments program officer in June 2016. Before joining the foundation as a full-time employee, Samuel worked as an intern on the Charitable Investments team. His time spent as a BWF intern, coupled with his experience... Read More →
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Margaret Kuzma

Staff Attorney & Bob Woodruff Discharge Upgrade Advocacy Project Fellow, Connecticut Veterans Legal Center
Margaret Kuzma is a staff attorney and the Bob Woodruff Discharge Upgrade Advocacy Project Fellow at Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. Through the Woodruff Foundation, CVLC is partnering with Swords to Plowshares to enhance national legal expertise on discharge upgrades and create... Read More →
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RoseMarie Maliekel

Staff Attorney, Swords to Plowshares
RoseMarie Maliekel received her J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 2010 and is a staff attorney at Swords to Plowshares. While at Northwestern, RoseMarie focused her studies on Criminal Defense, Capital Defense, and Trial Advocacy. Upon graduating, RoseMarie... Read More →
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Margaret Middleton

Executive Director, National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
Margaret Middleton co-founded Connecticut Veterans Legal Center in 2009 and serves as its executive director. In 2013, VA recognized CVLC as the first organization in the country to integrate legal services into VA care. Margaret co-taught the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Making Sense of Medicaid, Medicare, and HIPAA
Do you know the difference between Medicaid and Medicare? Need help understanding health care programs? Join us to learn about (1) who is eligible for Medicaid and Medicare; (2) what services they can get; and (3) important protections for consumers. We will also discuss how personal health information for patients is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Goldberg

Jennifer Goldberg

Directing Attorney, Justice in Aging
Jennifer Goldberg is directing attorney at Justice in Aging, where she develops and implements initiatives that improve health care and long-term services and supports for low-income older adults across the country. Jennifer also serves as adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University... Read More →
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Mara Youdelman

Managing Attorney, National Health Law Program
Mara Youdelman is Managing Attorney of the National Health Law Program's Washington D.C. offices. Youdelman has worked at the National Health Law Program since 2000 on issues that include Medicaid, health reform, language access, racial and ethnic disparities, and data collection... Read More →

Medicare Basics pdf
Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Client

10:30am EST

Blending the Practices of Law & Social Work for a Better Criminal Defense System
This training is a joint effort of the Atlanta and Philadelphia Public Defender offices and will shed light on the intricacies and nuances of developing, designing, and deploying a holistic public defense model. An integrated and collaborative public defense team draws upon the strengths of the fields of law and social work and presents tangible and evidence-based alternatives to confinement. Building a practice that fully integrates both professions is not only smart but a necessary response to a broken justice system.
Speakers
NB

Nicole Buck

Assistant Chief of Adult Social Services, Defender Association of Philadelphia
Nicole Buck is the assistant chief of the Adult Social Services Unit at Defender Association of Philadelphia. She has worked in both social work and mitigation specialist capacities throughout specialized units at the Philadelphia Defender Office since 2011. She became part of the... Read More →
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Stephanie Fennel

Assistant Defender, Homicide, Defender Association of Philadelphia
Stephanie Fennell is an assistant defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, where she is currently a trial attorney in the Homicide Unit. She has been at the Defender Association of Philadelphia since 2010 and has completed rotations in the Municipal Court Unit, Juvenile... Read More →
AJ

Amanda Johns

Assistant Public Defender, City of Atlanta Public Defender’s Office
Amanda Johns has more than five years of experience in public defense and a true passion for the work. Before working with the City of Atlanta, she worked as a trial attorney in the Public Defender’s Office in Georgia’s Griffin Judicial Circuit handling felonies, misdemeanors... Read More →
SL

Samantha Lawson

Social Worker, City of Atlanta Public Defender’s Office
Samantha Lawson, LMSW, is a forensic social worker at the City of Atlanta Public Defender’s office. Samantha brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the interdisciplinary holistic defense team. Samantha has extensive experience working with offenders suffering from severe... Read More →
GM
avatar for Curtis Watkins

Curtis Watkins

Defender Association of Philadelphia, Chief, Adult Social Services
Curt Watkins is the chief of Adult Social Services at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. With 24 years of experience and accomplishments in social services, Curt developed a broad range of innovative and award-winning programs in criminal defense in Montgomery County (PA) and... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 10-11 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

10:30am EST

Parole, Probation & Supervised Release: The Other Loss of Liberty
Nearly 5.1 million individuals live under the restrictive conditions of community supervision. Due to the “invisibility” of this group of individuals, the population has grown immensely in recent years. Probation is a court-ordered period of supervision in the community, generally an alternative to incarceration, while parole and supervised release are conditional releases following a prison term. This session will examine the burdensome impact of probation, parole, and supervised release on individuals living under these restrictive conditions, including interruption of daily life responsibilities, in some jurisdictions the costs associated with being supervised, and the potential for recidivism. You will learn what it is like to function under supervision restrictions; hear from decision-makers about the factors considered when determining what violation behavior warrants a return to custody; and hear from defense attorneys who represent those facing revocation. You will also learn how to advocate for less restrictive conditions and the legal standards for representing clients facing revocation.
Speakers
MQ
RE

Rashida Edmondson

Staff Attorney, D.C. Public Defender Service
Rashida Edmondson is a staff attorney at the Public Defender Service for D.C. She has worked in the Parole Division representing indigent clients at parole and supervised release revocation hearings for more than a decade. She also serves as the parole division’s systemic challenge... Read More →
MM

Marc Mauer

Assistant Director, The Sentencing Project
Marc Mauer is one of the country’s leading experts on sentencing policy, race, and the criminal justice system. He has directed programs on criminal justice reform for 30 years and is the author of some of the most widely cited reports and publications in the field. The Atlantic... Read More →
OM

Olinda Moyd

Chief, Parole Division, The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
Olinda Moyd is chief attorney of the Parole Division at the D.C. Public Defender Service. She has been an attorney at PDS since January 1990, initially assigned to the Prisoner’s Rights Division. In this capacity, Olinda represented D.C. residents imprisoned in Lorton, Virginia... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 13-14 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

10:30am EST

Advancing Your Work Through Federal Funding: Disaster Response & Recovery

To rebuild communities affected by presidentially declared disasters, Congress may appropriate additional funding to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program as Disaster Recovery grants. Featuring civil legal aid providers and community partners who have experience with CDBG Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grants, this panel will provide an overview of the CDBG-DR program and how legal aid providers can access and utilize this funding to address the significant disaster recovery needs of their clients.

Speakers
WF

William Friedman

Acting Director of the Storm Response Unit, New York Legal Assistance Group
JS

Joseph Sant

Director of Homeowner Services, Center for NYC Neighborhoods
Joseph Sant is the director of homeowner services at the Center for NYC Neighborhoods.
avatar for Laura Tuggle

Laura Tuggle

Executive Director, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
Laura Tuggle has been the Executive Director of Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) since May 2014 after beginning her career at SLLS in 1993. She previously managed SLLS’ Housing Law Unit during the years immediately following Hurricane Katrina from 2005-2010. Over her public... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 15 Meeting Room Level
  Fundraising

10:30am EST

Beyond Plain Language: Building Better Self-Help
We will never have enough lawyers to serve the legal needs of all low- and moderate-income individuals and families. A significant part of the access to justice toolkit must include self-help materials. In this interactive session, we shift beyond the basics of plain language and readability and focus on ensuring that individuals can successfully use those materials. We apply insights from the fields of design, psychology, public health, and marketing to develop a framework for how legal aid organizations, public defenders, law school clinics, and others might re-conceptualize the design and delivery of written legal information for clients and unrepresented individuals. We work through examples provided by the audience to reimagine plain language materials, looking specifically at: theories of self-affirmation and motivation; the look and feel—format, font, word choice; more than words—illustrations and cartoons; and design thinking and user feedback.
Speakers
avatar for Margaret Hagan

Margaret Hagan

Director, Stanford Legal Design Lab
Margaret Hagan directs the Legal Design Lab (http://legaltechdesign.com), an R&D lab for more accessible, intuitive, and engaging legal services at Stanford Law School’s Center on the Legal Profession. She is a lecturer at the Stanford Institute of Design (the d.school), and a lawyer... Read More →
avatar for Hallie Jay Pope

Hallie Jay Pope

Founder + President, Graphic Advocacy Project
Hi there! I'm a legal information designer at the Graphic Advocacy Project, a nonprofit that uses visual communication tools---like comics, graphic design, and animation---to explain legal concepts. My work focuses on sharing legal knowledge with communities that are systemically... Read More →
avatar for Erika J Rickard

Erika J Rickard

Associate Director of Field Research, Access to Justice Lab, Harvard Law School
Erika is a researcher at Harvard's Access to Justice Lab, connecting the practice of law and court administration to other disciplines through rigorous evaluation. Let's chat about strengthening researcher-practitioner partnerships, plain language and useful tools for people without... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 9 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

10:30am EST

Collaboration in Technology Projects
Legal services organizations around the country are engaging with digital technologies in new and exciting ways. From developing hands-on training programs for staff less comfortable with digital tools to conducting robust data analysis using public and proprietary data to classifying court documents with cutting-edge machine learning algorithms, our field’s use of technology is racing ahead. The great success of these efforts is multiplied when these ideas are shared, iterated upon, and improved by motivated lawyers and coders throughout the country. This workshop will use a series of “Lightning Talks” to encourage greater cross-pollination of technology ideas, resources, and projects. Presenters will offer brief explanations or demonstrations of projects and then lead an open discussion among attendees to build on the contributions of others.
Speakers
RB

Rachel Blake

Associate Director, Regional Housing Legal Services
Rachel Blake is the associate director at Regional Housing Legal Services (RHLS). Rachel’s work is currently focused on issues at the intersection of housing and health. Her career has spanned several states and has taken multiple forms, but it has always focused on issues related... Read More →
CC

Cynthia Conti-Cook

Staff Attorney, Special Litigation Unit, Legal Aid Society
Cynthia Conti-Cook is a staff attorney in the Special Litigation Unit of The Legal Aid Society in NYC, where she supervises the Cop Accountability Database, leads impact litigation and law reform projects on policing, data collection, risk assessment instruments, and the criminal... Read More →
MG

Michael Gilbert Hollander

Supervising Attorney, Community Legal Serv of Phila
Michael Hollander is a supervising attorney in the Employment Unit at Community Legal Services. His work focuses on the barrier to employment posed by criminal records as well as wage theft, especially for immigrant workers, through a combination of direct representation, community... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Pyle

Jonathan Pyle

Contract Performance Officer, Philadelphia Legal Assistance
Jonathan Pyle is the Contract Performance Officer at Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA), where he is responsible for LSC compliance, reporting, and implementing new uses of technology to analyze, streamline, and expand service delivery. Before joining PLA, he practiced law in the... Read More →
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Caroline Nobo Sarnoff

Assistant Director of Data Outreach, Measures for Justice
Caroline Nobo Sarnoff is the assistant director of data outreach at Measures for Justice. Before joining MFJ, she was a senior analyst at Abt Associates, Inc., working with clients such as the Executive Office of the White House, the National Institute of Justice, the NYPD, and the... Read More →
avatar for Joseph Schieffer

Joseph Schieffer

Project Manager, Florida Justice Technology Center
Joseph is a management consultant and certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He is an innovator in leading information technology projects, and has attained the Certified Scrummaster designation. He holds a M.S. in Business Administration from the University of Florida... Read More →
avatar for Matthew Stubenberg

Matthew Stubenberg

IT Director/Staff Attorney, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, Inc.
Matthew Stubenberg graduated cum laude from Maryland Law School in 2013. He is the current IT director and staff attorney for the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS). He has created a number of successful legal apps including MDExpungement.com, an automated expungement website... Read More →
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Nate Vogel

Director of Law & Technology, Community Legal Services
Nate Vogel (github.com/natev) is Director of Law and Technology at Community Legal Services (CLS) in Philadelphia. His work focuses on integrating data and technology into CLS's legal and policy advocacy. His favorite languages are python, R, and javascript. He joined CLS after serving... Read More →
avatar for Rebecca Widom

Rebecca Widom

Chief Data Scientist, The Bronx Defenders
As Chief Data Scientist, Rebecca equips advocates with new tools to manage and evaluate direct services and discover opportunities for systemic change. MIT’s program in Women’s Studies started Rebecca on a lifelong path of using data for social and economic justice. She has managed... Read More →
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Miguel Willis

Founder & Director, Access to Justice Technology Fellows Program
Miguel Willis is the founder and director of the Access to Justice Technology Fellows Program, which provides emerging legal innovators with interdisciplinary skills training and hand-on experience while developing cutting-edge technologies and innovative methods aimed to improve... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Congressional Ballroom B Ballroom Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

12:05pm EST

NLADA Awards Luncheon
Enjoy a specially designed lunch and honor this year's award winners. We'll also hear from Judge Robert Wilkins, who played a key role in the establishment of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, serving as the chairman of the Site and Building Committee of the Presidential Commission whose work led to the congressional authorization of the museum and the selection of its location.
Speakers
JR

Friday December 8, 2017 12:05pm - 2:15pm EST
Grand Ballroom Ballroom Level
  Networking

2:30pm EST

A Fresh Approach to Community Lawyering: Lessons Learned
In 2015, as a response to the unrest in Baltimore City after the death of Freddie Gray, Maryland Legal Aid began the Community Lawyering Initiative. First introduced to the NLADA community at the 2016 conference in Indianapolis, the project has grown leaps and bounds. This session will detail the lessons learned in the last 12 months of tremendous project growth. After building more than 100 new community partnerships with social services providers, serving more than 7,000 clients, and developing training curriculum for pro bono attorneys, Maryland Legal Aid and its partners are ready to share successes, challenges, and best practices. Session attendees will hear from clients, communiity partners, and program director Amy Petkovsek. As Maryland Legal Aid's 2016 annual report suggests, the "Power of Partnerships" is tremendous--bringing new expertise, new grant opportunities, expanded client services, and a vision for serving clients that will last for years to come.
Speakers
JP
MM
AP

Amy Petkovsek

Maryland Legal Aid, Maryland Legal Aid
Amy Petkovsek is the director of advocacy for training and pro bono at Maryland Legal Aid. Amy oversees the growth and development of the Community Lawyering Initiative, Pro Bono, Lawyer in the Library, and Lawyer in the Schools programs across Maryland. Before serving in this position... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:30pm EST

ABA Free Legal Answers: How to Integrate It
ABA Free Legal Answers -- a national portal for income-eligible individuals to pose civil legal questions to volunteer attorneys -- is currently available in a majority of jurisdictions. Integrated into the overall legal services delivery system, the site maximizes services to low- to moderate-income individuals, regardless of location. At the same time, as solo practitioners, law firms, corporate legal departments, government attorneys, stay-at-home parents, retired attorneys, and law students look to expand their set of pro bono options to include convenient, limited-scope advice opportunities, ABA Free Legal Answers serves as a model. Panelists, consisting of website administrators from the American Bar Association, legal aid agencies, and state bar associations as well as volunteer attorneys will offer practical advice on how the site is utilized and marketed in conjunction with existing legal aid services while operating as a mechanism for attorneys to try their hand at pro bono legal aid, before taking on longer term pro bono matters.
Speakers
avatar for Tali Albukerk

Tali Albukerk

National Administrator, ABA Free Legal Answers, American Bar Association
Tali Albukerk is the national administrator of ABA Free Legal Answers for the ABA Center for Pro Bono. Tali previously held the position of staff attorney/pro bono projects manager for the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel.
KD

Karl Doss

Director, Access to Legal Services, Virginia State Bar
Since August 2013, Karl A. Doss has served as the director of Access to Legal Services for the Virginia State Bar, where he is the administrator to the Access to Legal Services Committee and coordinates the VSB’s access to justice initiatives involving matters of pro bono, civil... Read More →
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Sharon Goldsmith

Executive Director, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc.
Sharon E. Goldsmith is the founding director of the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc. (PBRC), the statewide pro bono support center and coordinator of volunteer legal services. Since its inception in 1990, the Center has recruited, trained, and referred thousands of volunteer... Read More →
avatar for June Marshall

June Marshall

Attorney, Marshall Conflict Resolution
June Marshall is the principal lawyer at Marshall Conflict Resolution (MCR). Brfore starting her own legal practice, she worked for the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP) and the Washington Regional Office (WRO) of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) for 13 years as a... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 5 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:30pm EST

GIS for Justice: Using a Tool from Outside the Lawyer's Toolbox
As we work collectively to fulfill the promise of justice for all and transform disadvantaged and disenfranchised communities, maps and visual data can be critical to our efforts. To create them we need a tool not usually found in a lawyer’s toolbox: Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. And, to harness the power of GIS, we need an effective communications strategy. In this session, we will explore access-to-justice initiatives that integrate mapping and GIS with strategic planning, impact advocacy, and effective communications. After hearing about success stories involving both legislative and civil legal advocacy, audience members will break into small teams for a brief exercise in which they together consider a problem they are confronting and what data could be collected or utilized to help identify a solution, show legal aid’s impact on the problem, or tell a story to help galvanize support.
Speakers
avatar for Alison Davis-Holland

Alison Davis-Holland

GIS/Data Manager, Self-Represented Litigation Network
Alison Davis-Holland is the GIS/Data Manager for SRLN. She is a veteran cartographer and geographer with over 20 years of experience thinking through problems, analyzing data, and optimizing solutions using geographic information systems (GIS) technology. By considering location... Read More →
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Nancy Kinnally

Director of Communications, The Florida Bar Foundation
Nancy Kinnally is the director of communications for The Florida Bar Foundation and a member of the communications team for the Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice. She has more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications and journalism and has spent most of... Read More →
avatar for Camille Ward

Camille Ward

Network Engagement Manager, Voices for Civil Justice
Camille is Network Engagement Manager at Voices for Civil Justice. She has a background in journalism, research, and community organizing and has provided strategic support to non-profits in Indiana, Oregon, and Michigan. She has a master’s in U.S. History from Wayne State University... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 9 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:30pm EST

In It to Win It: Florida's Statewide Medical-Legal Partnership Initiative
Like many states, Florida has a number of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) of varying ages, sizes, and focus areas. Historically, there was limited communication among Florida MLPs and little conversation among Florida legal services leaders on how best to develop and sustain MLPs over time. In 2017, with funding from the Florida Bar Foundation, legal services programs in Florida have embarked upon a pioneering, coordinated effort to develop a statewide MLP strategy. Efforts include engaging health care leaders at the state and local levels, creating a system for learning and sharing about MLP among legal services programs, and collecting uniform data on a statewide level to support MLP development and health policy initiatives. All activities are taking place with an eye toward maximizing health care investment in legal services and gaining a permanent legal services seat at the table wherever discussions about community health in Florida take place. Panelists will include two executive directors from the legal services programs leading the initiative, a representative of the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, and a health care leader who has joined forces with legal services to promote MLP in Florida.
Speakers
MC

Mallory Curran

Mallory Curran Consulting
RN

Rita Nathawad

M.D., University of Florida, College of Medicine
avatar for Kimberly Sanchez

Kimberly Sanchez

Managing Attorney - Legal Information & Advice, Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida
Kimberly Sanchez is the chief executive officer of Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida. After graduating from the University of Miami School of Law in 2005, she began her legal career in the public interest unit with Legal Services of Greater Miami. After years in private practice... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 3 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:30pm EST

Look Before Your Leap: Machine Translation and Legal Services Providers
Machine translation of web or other program content is sometimes touted as the cheapest, easiest way to make your website and other legal content available to Limited English Proficient clients who speak a variety of languages. Interpreters and translators are aghast; over and over again even improved machine translation is found to be inconsistent and inaccurate. Google's Neural Machine Translation, based in artificial intelligence, remains inconsistent and inaccurate for many languages. When will machine translation achieve an accuracy rate equal to that of a human interpreter/translator? Will it ever be accurate enough to be used without professional human review? Technologists believe language access advocates are unnecessarily fearful. Language access advocates fear technologists recommend the cheap and dirty way to program leadership, in spite of accuracy and inconsistency. Learn the current state of machine translation, the ups and downs, and join the discussion about the right standards for 2017.
Speakers
avatar for IV Ashton

IV Ashton

President & Founder, LegalServer
IV Ashton has spent his 20-year legal career leveraging technology to increase access to justice for vulnerable populations throughout the World. Mr. Ashton began his legal career working internationally, applying technology to promote the rule of law. Mr. Ashton oversaw the development... Read More →
avatar for Kristi Cruz

Kristi Cruz

Staff Attorney, Northwest Justice Project
Kristi Cruz is a staff attorney at the Northwest Justice Project on the CLEAR*ASL statewide intake and referral line. Ms. Cruz was certified as an American Sign Language Interpreter in 1996 and became a member of the Washington Bar in 2009. Ms. Cruz was a co-reporter for the American... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 8 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:30pm EST

LSC Compliance Oversight: What Every Grantee Should Know about Recent Regulatory Changes and Common Compliance Concerns
This session will review recent LSC regulatory changes (particularly, but not limited to, Parts 1614, 1627, 1630, and 1631), the lessons learned from those already implemented, and the anticipated impact the newly revised regulations will have on grantee operations and LSC oversight. Additionally, there will be a discussion of the most common compliance issues noted by Office of Compliance and Enforcement staff during oversight visits and desk reviews and the types of issues/concerns most commonly identified by the Office of Inspector General.
Speakers
SD
ML

Megan Lacchini

Deputy Director for General Compliance, Legal Services Corporation
Megan Lacchini is the deputy director for general compliance within the Legal Services Corporation’s (LSC) Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE). OCE oversees LSC grantees’ legal and fiscal compliance in the use of approximately $380,000,000 annually to support access to... Read More →
LM

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Congressional Ballroom B Ballroom Level
  Civil

2:30pm EST

Pro Bono Innovation Fund: Pro Bono That Works for Clients and Communities
In 2017, the Pro Bono Innovation Fund announced new grant categories designed to ensure that LSC grantees and their partners would be able to strengthen pro bono in their communities and organizations. This session will provide an overview of LSC’s Pro Bono Innovation Fund grantmaking and focus on grantees who have developed thoughtful and impactful pro bono efforts, including: a project in Milwaukee that leverages pro bono attorneys to provide clients with same-day representation in a high-volume housing court; a project that engages large law firms to adopt urban core neighborhoods in Kansas City to address public safety, nonprofit governance, affordable housing, and problem property issues; and a project to strategically integrate pro bono into legal aid advocacy efforts. After the session and throughout the conference, the Pro Bono Innovation Fund team will be hosting one-on-one “office hours” to work with any interested organizations in developing a Pro Bono Innovation Fund application or project idea.
Moderators
avatar for Mytrang Nguyen

Mytrang Nguyen

Program Counsel, Pro Bono Innovation, Legal Services Corporation
Mytrang Nguyen is Program Counsel for Pro Bono Innovation at the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) in Washington, D.C. where she is part of a team that manages LSC’s Pro Bono Innovation Fund, a $4.75 million competitive grant program that invests in effo

Speakers
RE

Rebekah Evenson

Director of Litigation & Advocacy, Bay Area Legal Aid
Rebekah Evenson is the director of litigation and advocacy at Bay Area Legal Aid, where she oversees all BayLegal impact litigation, including a statewide challenge to the DMV's practice of suspending the driver’s licenses of people who cannot afford to pay traffic fines, an action... Read More →
PH

Peter Hoffman

Project Director, Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Peter Hoffman began with Legal Aid of Western Missouri (LAWMO) in 2010 as a law student and joined Legal Aid’s Economic Development Unit as an attorney in early 2013. In that capacity, he represents dozens of urban Kansas City nonprofits, community organizations, and residents toward... Read More →
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Sandhya Kidd

Program Counsel, Legal Services Corporation
Sandhya Kidd is currently program counsel for Legal Services Corporation’s Pro Bono Innovation Fund. Before joining LSC, Sandhya served as the pro bono coordinator for Lawyers Serving Warriors®, the Pro Bono Program of the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). In the... Read More →
RR

Raphael Ramos

Project Attorney, Eviction Defense Project, Legal Action of Wisconsin
Raphael Ramos is the project coordinator at Legal Action of Wisconsin’s Eviction Defense Project. Raphael graduated from Marquette University Law School in 2008 and worked as an environmental attorney with Quarles & Brady LLP for six years and as a commercial contracts attorney... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:30pm EST

Recent Developments in Immigration Law, Policy, and Enforcement
In the new administration, many things are changing on a day-to-day basis, but perhaps nothing is changing as rapidly and as fundamentally as immigration law, policy, and enforcement. We will provide conference attendees with the most up-to-date, straight-from-the-field information, with an emphasis on the types of cases that legal aid agencies tend to focus on (children's cases, victims of crime or domestic violence, and individuals fleeing persecution).
Moderators
SS

Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg

Attorney, Immigrant Advocacy Program, Legal Aid Justice Center
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg joined the Legal Aid Justice Center’s Immigrant Advocacy Program in 2011 and became its legal director in 2015. Simon specializes in consumer, housing, civil rights, immigration, and employment litigation in federal and state court. Simon is also LAJC’s... Read More →

Speakers
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Mary Kenney

Senior Staff Attorney, American Immigration Council
Mary Kenney is a senior staff attorney with the American Immigration Council, where she has worked since 2003. Mary has litigated immigration-related cases in federal Courts of Appeals and districts courts throughout the county, including a number of class actions. Before joining... Read More →
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Chris Rickerd

Policy Counsel, ACLU National Political Advocacy Department
Chris Rickerd is a policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union's National Political Advocacy Department who does administrative and legislative advocacy on border and immigration issues. Before joining the ACLU, he spent seven years at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth... Read More →
PS

Paromita Shah

Associate Director, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild
Paromita Shah has served as associate director of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild since 2005, specializing in immigration detention and enforcement. She is a contributing author and co-presenter of the “Deportation 101” curriculum, participates in... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 4 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:30pm EST

The Importance of Delivering Trauma-Informed Civil Legal Services to Clients in Crisis
This session will provide an overview of delivering trauma-informed civil legal services to clients who are in crisis. The panelists will discuss how trauma manifests in our clients and tools for providing effective advocacy to this population of clients. The panelists will explore the differences between clients in trauma and mental illness diagnoses. Specifically, the panelists will focus on the impact trauma can have on various civil legal cases including: housing, domestic violence, family, public benefits, and SSI cases. The session will provide an overview of how to recognize the signs of trauma in our clients and strategies for effective advocacy. Through case examples and focused discussion, the session will address successful legal strategies for presenting/addressing evidence of trauma and mental health issues in different civil proceedings.
Speakers
MG

Mary Grace Ferone

Attorney, Disability Program Manager, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
Mary Grace Ferone, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and University of New Hampshire School of Law, has been a civil legal services attorney since she began her career in 1994 at Legal Services of Central New York. Since that time, she has practiced in the areas... Read More →
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Rachel Saunders

Attorney-in-Charge, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
Rachel Saunders is the attorney-in-charge of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Dutchess County office, overseeing a staff of more than 15 attorneys, paralegals, and support personnel. She joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s staff in June 2016. Before joining Legal... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 12 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

2:30pm EST

Making Rights Real: Hot Topics in Housing
This panel will explore cutting edge topics in housing with a focus on the rights of seniors, people with disabilities, and people who have come in contact with the criminal justice system. Panelists will first present a broad national framework for these issues and discuss what is at risk on a federal level. We will then identify how policies play out locally and what participants can do to defend and expand their rights. Interaction with panelists and each other is highly encouraged, and we will reserve time during the session to share strategies and ideas to make housing rights real.
Speakers
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Jennifer Berger

Manager, Legal Aid Attorney, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly
Jennifer Berger supervises the interdisciplinary eviction prevention team at AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly in the District of Columbia. In addition to individual client and tenant association representation, Jennifer engages in extensive policy advocacy with District of Columbia... Read More →
avatar for T.J. Sutcliffe

T.J. Sutcliffe

Director of Income & Housing Policy, The Arc of the United States
T.J. Sutcliffe is the director of income & housing policy at The Arc of the United States, the largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. She co-chairs the Consortium for Citizens... Read More →
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Deborah Thrope

Supervising Attorney, National Housing Law Project
Deborah Thrope is a supervising attorney at the National Housing Law Project where she focuses on policy advocacy to preserve federally subsidized housing and tenants’ rights in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and Public Housing programs. Ms. Thrope collaborates with state... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Client

2:30pm EST

A Primer on Public Defender Advocacy: How, What & Why
Public defender programs are typically underappreciated and underfunded. This session outlines a range of advocacy options with external stakeholders for public defender programs to strenghten their efforts. The options range from assertive efforts to those that are more subtle in nature. This session is intended to provide public defenders in attendance with ideas to implement within their own jurisdictions. Whether in a blue or red state, or a statewide or county program, this session will offer options for public defenders.
Speakers
RK

Randy Kraft

Communications Director, Wisconsin State Public Defender's Office
Randy Kraft has served as the communications director for the Wisconsin State Public Defender (SPD) since 1998, speaking on behalf of the SPD on agency-wide issues. Randy has appeared in state and national media, authored published articles, and presented at state and national conferences... Read More →
avatar for Adam Plotkin

Adam Plotkin

Legislative Liaison, Wisconsin State Public Defender Office
Adam Plotkin has been the Legislative Liaison for the SPD since January 2011. Adam received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000. Prior to that, he worked for a state legislator for 9 years in various capacities.

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 10-11 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

2:30pm EST

The Right to Counsel National Campaign: Charting the Path to Change
As the Right to Counsel National Campaign (R2C) comes to a formal close, we will discuss the purpose of R2C, what we accomplished, what we learned, and how audience members can carry the torch forward. Specifically, we will discuss the findings of the public opinion report American Views on the Right to Counsel and Public Defense, how defenders and advocates can use the information presented, and any initial findings we have from the R2C System Actor Roundtables. We will close with a call to action for all attendees to continue the work of R2C both nationally and locally.
Speakers
GC

Genevieve Citrin

Senior Policy Advisor, Justice Programs Office, The American University
Genevieve Citrin Ray joined the Justice Programs Office (JPO) in 2015 and is the project director of the Right to Counsel National Campaign, a public awareness initiative that uses value-based communication tactics to inform policymakers, criminal justice stakeholders, and the public... Read More →
ZR

Zoë Root

Senior Policy Counsel, Justice Programs Office - American University
Zoë Root joined the Justice Programs Office at American University after five years as a supervising attorney and staff atorney at the Bronx Defenders. During her time as a public defender, she represented clients facing felony and misdemeanor charges, trained and supervised first-year... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 13-14 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

2:30pm EST

Advancing Your Work Through Federal Funding: Programs for Reentry, Veterans, and Victims of Crime
This session will focus on civil legal aid’s ability to advance federal objectives by participating in federal grant programs that facilitate successful reentry, serve victims of crime, and serve veterans and their families. Featuring legal aid providers and federal agency representatives, presenters will share information, ideas, and experiences on accessing and implementing non-Legal Services Corporation federal funding in these three areas. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss their successes, raise issues of mutual concern, and learn from one another about traditional and any potentially new sources of these funds.
Speakers
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Ron Ashford

Director, Public Housing Supportive Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
CD

Chris DelMarco

Staff Attorney, Legal Services of North Florida, Inc.
LE

Lara Eilhardt

Special Advisor, Veterans Access to Legal Services, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Stephanie Harris

Development Director, Ohio State Legal Services Association
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Sandi Van Orden

Presidential Management Fellow and Grant Program Specialist, Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program, Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice
Sandi Van Orden is a presidential management fellow and grant program specialist with the Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program at the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.
KP
avatar for Allie Yang-Green

Allie Yang-Green

Senior Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Access to Justice
Allie Yang-Green is a Senior Counsel for the Office for Access to Justice at the US Department of Justice. Prior to joining this office, Yang-Green worked as a trial attorney at the US Department of Justice, Tax Division, and a legal aid attorney at the Legal Services of Northern... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square B Meeting Room Level
  Fundraising

2:30pm EST

Clean Slate: The Future of Sealing Will Be Automated
Expungement and sealing of criminal records have become increasingly popular with state legislatures across the country, and they have been expanding eligibility. But there is another level to which record clearing can go: Automated sealing of cases, using technology in lieu of individual petitions. A Pennsylvania bill is pioneering "Clean Slate" with bipartisan support. Hundreds of thousands of cases may be sealed in this way, without requiring lawyers. Learn how the bill was drafted to make maximum use of the available technology and how the bipartisan and stakeholder support was generated. Possible adaptation of the automation concept to other legal areas will also be discussed with the audience.
Speakers
avatar for Sharon Dietrich

Sharon Dietrich

Litigation Director, Community Legal Services, Inc.
Sharon M. Dietrich has been an attorney with the Employment Law Project of Community Legal Services (CLS), Philadelphia, since 1987. She was CLS’ Managing Attorney for Public Benefits and Employment from 1997 until she became its Litigation Director in 2014. She represents low-income... Read More →
avatar for Rebecca Vallas

Rebecca Vallas

Center for American Progress, Senior Fellow
Rebecca Vallas is a senior fellow at American Progress, where she has spent the past five years helping to build and lead CAP’s Poverty to Prosperity Program in a range of roles including as the program’s managing director and vice president—and along the way, helping to launch... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Meeting Room 15 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

2:30pm EST

Due Process and Ethics in an Age of Artificial Intelligence, Predictive Analytics, and Automation -- A Community Discussion
Courts, legal service providers, and others in the justice community are increasingly adopting new technologies like machine learning, Big Data analytics, e-filing, automated triage, and on-line dispute resolution. New technologies always offer a mixture of risks and opportunities, but how do decision-makers cut through the hype they read in the press and the sales pitches they hear from vendors? This interactive session will start a conversation within the civil and defender communities about how we can inform and guide decision-makers so that these technologies are implemented in ways that protect the interests of our client populations. We will explore questions such as: How do we prevent software vendors from effectively setting policy within courts and government agencies? When does delegation of traditional court functions to vendors go too far? Promoting on-line dispute resolution has the potential for access to justice, but how can courts ensure that litigants still have a meaningful right to their day in court? When courts use AI to help litigants find information, how can they ensure the systems are providing high quality service? How far should legal aid organizations go in delegating tasks like triage and intake to technology? Court data may be "public information," but when it is available easily on the internet, scam artists can get to a defendant before the process server does. What should court clerks know about the dangers of public access systems?
Speakers
avatar for Abhijeet Chavan

Abhijeet Chavan

Consultant
Abhijeet Chavan has over 25 years of technology consulting experience with public-sector, higher education, and non-profit clients. Mr. Chavan was named to the Fastcase 50 list of global legal innovators in 2017. He regularly presents at conferences on access to justice and technology... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Pyle

Jonathan Pyle

Contract Performance Officer, Philadelphia Legal Assistance
Jonathan Pyle is the Contract Performance Officer at Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA), where he is responsible for LSC compliance, reporting, and implementing new uses of technology to analyze, streamline, and expand service delivery. Before joining PLA, he practiced law in the... Read More →
avatar for Angela Tripp

Angela Tripp

Co-Executive Director, Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services

Due Process and Ethics by Tripp Chavan Pyle pdf
Friday December 8, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

4:00pm EST

Break
Catch up with old friends and new. Visit our exhibitors.
Friday December 8, 2017 4:00pm - 4:15pm EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Networking

4:15pm EST

A Year in the Life of a Victim: A Case Study in Providing Holistic Legal Services
Crime victims have a myriad of needs in the aftermath of their victimization. These may be related to employment, family, housing, criminal, Indian and/or immigration law; and they may be navigating criminal, civil, tribal, and/or administrative systems. The complexities of each system and area of law, combined with the trauma a victim is surviving, make it nearly impossible for victims themselves, or even a single attorney, to meaningfully address all of these needs. The result is that even if a victim secures an attorney some legal needs are left unmet. In 2012, the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime launched a national effort to change this reality with its Wraparound Victim Legal Assistance Network Demonstration Project. Using a case study that takes attendees through a year in the life of a survivor, the complex legal issues that present for a single victim will be revealed and presenters will discuss how to provide responsive legal services through a network approach. Presenters will share insights regarding how networked legal services were established in their respective jurisdictions and how their successes can be replicated.
Speakers
avatar for Meg Garvin

Meg Garvin

Director and Clinical Professor of Law, National Crime Victim Law Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School
Meg Garvin, M.A., J.D., is the Executive Director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute and a Clinical Professor of Law at Lewis & Clark Law School. Ms. Garvin is recognized as a leading expert on victims’ rights. She has testified before Congress, state legislatures, and the... Read More →
avatar for Kazi Houston

Kazi Houston

Legal Director, Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center
Kazi Houston, MSW, JD, is the Legal Director at Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center (RMvlc), a non-profit victim rights law firm in Denver, Colorado that is also the home of the Legal Information Network of Colorado (LINC), a victim legal assistance network. Kazi received her Juris Doctorate... Read More →
KP

Kathrina Peterson

Attorney Advisor, U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime
Kathrina S. Peterson, J.D., LL.M., is the Acting Deputy Director in the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), where she oversees the National Program Division, including the Human Trafficking Team. Ms. Peterson also advises the OVC Director on legislative, regulatory, policy, and legal... Read More →
BS

Bridgette Stumpf

Bridgette Stumpf is the co-executive director and co-founder at the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), a holistic victim services agency providing case management, advocacy, and legal services for victims of all crime types in Washington, D.C. Bridgette developed the crime... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Congressional Ballroom B Ballroom Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

Alternative Schools: A Needed Hand Up, or Second Class Education for Students of Color?
Much attention has been paid to disparities in suspensions and expulsions and their disparate impact on students of color over the last several years. Important legislative and local policy changes have been made to address the overuse of discipline and focus on alternative interventions. Unforturnately, while both the suspension and expulsion rates have decreased across the country, significant disparities persist for African-American and Latino students. This session will address the fact that even with the decrease in expulsions, there has not been a significant decrease in referrals -- involuntary or otherwise -- to alternative school settings that disproportionately enroll African-American and Latino students. Data analysis strategies will be shared that will reveal the over-reliance on alternative schools as a long-term placement for students of color and the methods used by schools to avoid having to report these assignments as expulsions. The session will also address strategies based on equal protection, due process, and state education guarantees for challenging alternative school assignments. Finally, the session will share work on the development of model policies at both referring schools and alternative schools to help ensure that such assignments are not just warehousing of students but are provide a meaningful and equivalent access to education services.
Moderators
CL

Speakers
LA

Lyndsi Andreas

Staff Attorney, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance
Lyndsi Andreas is a staff attorney in the Education Law Project and the Access to Justice Rural Project at Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. In this position, she represents low-income clients with respect to school discipline, special education, truancy, bullying, and civil... Read More →
LV

Leoda Valenzuela

Alternative Schools Equity Project Community Worker, California Rural Legal Assistance
Leoda Valenzuela is a rural education equity community worker for the nonprofit law firm California Rural Legal Assistance in Oxnard. She has been working full-time for nonprofits since 2015 with a focus on leadership development within the community to effect positive change in education... Read More →
FV

Franchesca Verdin

Rural Education Equity Project Director, California Rural Legal Assistance
Franchesca S. Verdin is director of the Rural Education Equity Program for California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA). She specializes in youth and education law. Ms. Verdin received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2007 and her J.D. from Boalt Hall School... Read More →
SW

Shannon Walker

Education Equity Attorney, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.
Shannon Walker is an attorney with the Rural Education Equity Project at California Rural Legal Assistance in the Central Valley of California. Ms. Walker specializes in disproportionate discipline, push out of vulnerable students to alternative schools and programs, and federal and... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 8 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

Building the Culture and Practice of Strategic Advocacy in Civil Legal Aid: Advice from the Field
Legal services programs struggle with how to use their limited resources to meet huge client needs and what is the appropriate balance between services to individual clients and work to address broad-based and systemic problems. Is our job to help struggling clients who come to us in trouble, or to do work that may provide more profound and lasting change? Can we do both, and, if so, how? This session will provide concrete examples from programs that are looking strategically at the work they do and then addressing program culture, structures, and programs to move into or build work with systemic impact. Programs and volunteers who have participated in NLADA’s Strategic Advocacy Initiative will report on how NLADA is assisting member organizations to move this work forward.
Moderators
avatar for Catherine Carr

Catherine Carr

Former Director, Community Legal Services Philadelphia and Legal Aid Consultant
I am the former director of Community Legal Service in Philadelphia, an aggressive advocacy program that does great individual representation and great systemic advocacy. I am now a consultant to legal aid programs and also have worked with NLADA to assist programs in moving into... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Ed Marks

Ed Marks

Statewide Pro Bono Manager, Legal Aid Services of Oregon
Ed Marks is Executive Director of New Mexico Legal Aid. Ed has been involved in TIG projects and other national legal aid technology initiatives for nearly 20 years. Ed was previously Deputy Director for Advocacy at Legal Aid of Western Ohio in Toledo, where he also founded Legal... Read More →
avatar for Tom Mlakar

Tom Mlakar

Deputy Director for Advocacy, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Tom Mlakar (he/him) is the Deputy Director for Advocacy at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland where he is responsible for the legal work at the firm. He has worked as an attorney with Cleveland Legal Aid since graduating from The Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University... Read More →
avatar for Adeola Ogunkeyede

Adeola Ogunkeyede

Legal Director, Civil Rights & Racial Justice Program, Legal Aid Justice Center

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

Delivering Innovative and Inclusive Legal Services for Transgender Clients
Almost 30 percent of the transgender population in the United States experiences poverty, and one in five experiences homelessness in their lifetime. Various legal, political, and economic barriers (including access to housing, education, employment, and healthcare) intersect to create persistent inequality, homelessness, and poverty. For example, more than two-thirds of transgender individuals do not have legal identification documents that reflect their gender identity, placing them at risk of discrimination and violence. This workshop equips legal practitioners with cultural competency and necessary tools to provide welcoming and inclusive legal services for transgender and gender non-conforming clients. This workshop will highlight a Florida Transgender Identification Initiative that combines in-person community education events and clinics with online information and tools to provide legal services to assist transgender clients with changing their name and gender markers on government-issued identification documents. Participants will discuss increasing access to justice for this population through the innovative use of technology, learn concrete strategies to replicate the Transgender Identification Initiative in other communities, and strategize about legal service delivery innovations for this population.
Speakers
KA

Kirsten Anderson

Litigation Director, Southern Legal Counsel, Inc.
Kirsten Anderson is the litigation director at Southern Legal Counsel (SLC), a Florida statewide nonprofit public interest law firm that seeks systemic change on behalf of individuals who otherwise would not have access to the justice system. She provides strategic leadership for... Read More →
avatar for Simone Chriss

Simone Chriss

Staff Attorney, Southern Legal Counsel, Inc.
Simone Chriss joined Southern Legal Counsel in August 2016 after graduating from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she received her J.D. with honors in May 2016. Ms. Chriss is a member of the Florida Bar. Ms. Chriss leads SLC's statewide Transgender Identification... Read More →
avatar for Joseph Schieffer

Joseph Schieffer

Project Manager, Florida Justice Technology Center
Joseph is a management consultant and certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He is an innovator in leading information technology projects, and has attained the Certified Scrummaster designation. He holds a M.S. in Business Administration from the University of Florida... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 3 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

Disaster Preparedness and Response: Assisting Homeowners and Native American Tribes before and after Disaster Strikes
Preventable housing issues are one of the biggest issues facing legal aid programs after a disaster. Too many survivors discover that they do not have clear title when they need to apply for FEMA and state emergency benefits. Legal Services and pro bono counsel are essential to helping clear title for low-income homeowners and now new technologies and partnerships are available to improve the effectiveness of addressing this issue. The unique challenges facing Native American Tribes and their attorneys in preparation and responding to disasters make the work even more important.
Speakers
JB

Joan Boles

Deputy Director, Bay Area Legal Services Inc.
Joan Boles is deputy director of Bay Area Legal Services and joined the organization in 1988. She is experienced in project design and implementation and is currently the project director for No Place Like Home. No Place Like Home began as a regional pro bono project to correct title... Read More →
avatar for Martin Costello

Martin Costello

Program Counsel, Disaster Grants Administration, Legal Services Corporation
Martin Costello serves as Program Counsel at Legal Services Corporation(LSC). As part of the disaster grants team, he focuses on working with LSC-funded programson disaster preparedness and recovery. Martin comes from Rebuilding Together where he served as the National Service Senior... Read More →
JE
avatar for Christa Figgins

Christa Figgins

Director of Mission Advancement, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
Ms. Figgins graduated from Florida State University in 1994 with a B.A. in History and received her law degree from the Florida State University College of Law in 1998. Following many years working in legal aid services and as a judicial staff attorney for the 4th Judicial Circuit... Read More →
avatar for Stephanie Hudson

Stephanie Hudson

Executive Director, Oklahoma Indian Legal Services
Stephanie C. Hudson (Kiowa) is the Executive Director of Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, Inc. A native Oklahoman, Stephanie has worked as an attorney at OILS since 2000. She graduated from the Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1993. She previously worked as a coordinator for... Read More →
avatar for Shirley Peng

Shirley Peng

Managing Attorney, Legal Aid of Nebraska
Shirley Peng manages the state-wide Disaster Relief Project and the Low-Income Taxpayers Clinic at Legal Aid of Nebraska. She earned her B.A. from the University of California – Los Angeles in 2006 and her J.D. from the Chapman University School of Law in 2009. She is licensed to... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 9 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

How You Can Leverage Online Forms to Enhance Your Staff and Pro Bono Attorneys' Work: Barriers and Models
Online forms are not a new technology, and, although they have gained acceptance in the realm of self-help centers and for use by self-represented litigants, attorney and pro bono attorney use of online forms lags. In this workshop, we will share outcomes of a recent study that outlines barriers to adoption of online forms by attorneys in legal nonprofits, and we will share opportunities and sample projects that are successfully using online forms as part of their routine legal work to better support lawyers and clients and to close gaps in services.
Speakers
CJ

Claudia Johnson

Program Manager, LawHelp Interactive
Claudia Johnson is the program manager for LawHelp Interactive, working with legal nonprofits, other nonprofits, pro bono programs, and court systems using online document assembly technology to close the justice gap. With more than 28 years of professional experience, Claudia has... Read More →
avatar for Lillian Moy

Lillian Moy

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of NE New York
Lillian M. Moy became the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Inc. in 1995. She is a 1981 graduate of Boston University School of Law. She is a former member of the Board of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association
CS

Courtney Smith

Director of Volunteer Outreach & Education, Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program
Courtney Smith serves as director of volunteer outreach and education with The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program. Throughout her tenure at The Veterans Consortium, Courtney has successfully evaluated hundreds of cases and placed more than 200 with volunteer attorneys. In addition... Read More →
NS

Neil Steinkamp

Managing Director, Stout Risius Ross
Neil Steinkamp is a managing director at Stout Risius Ross, LLC. Neil is a well-recognized expert and consultant on a broad range of strategic, corporate, and financial issues to business leaders and their advisors. He has more than 15 years of experience covering many industries... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 4 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

Language Access for LEP Immigrants
After President Trump signed an executive order to enact a Muslim travel ban, attorneys around the country mobilized to respond. They were faced with the challenge of responding to a national legal crisis while ensuring meaningful language access for limited English proficient (LEP) individuals. Though these attorneys are no longer in the airports, there continues to be an increased need to serve immigrant communities and providing LEP immigrants with proper language services. This training will be focused on the challenge of providing legal services to LEP individuals in their preferred languages in a crisis situation. The training will be broken into three parts. (1) Advocates will reflect on the weeks after the executie order and the lessons learned from their time in the airports, with a special focus on working with interpreters. (2) Presenters will discuss the current efforts to provide LEP immigrants with information regarding their rights in their preferred language. (3) The session will have a discussion between the presenters and attendees about ways advocates can create a language access network ready to respond to the next crisis.
Speakers
JL

Jeanne L Nishimoto

Pro Bono Training Coordinator, Program Admin, Legal Aid Foundation Of Los Angeles
Jeanne L. Nishimoto is the Pro Bono Training Manager at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), where she oversees the Pro Bono Training Institute’s development of online legal trainings for pro bono attorneys. She coordinates LAFLA’s video conference clinic, which partners... Read More →
SS

Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg

Attorney, Immigrant Advocacy Program, Legal Aid Justice Center
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg joined the Legal Aid Justice Center’s Immigrant Advocacy Program in 2011 and became its legal director in 2015. Simon specializes in consumer, housing, civil rights, immigration, and employment litigation in federal and state court. Simon is also LAJC’s... Read More →
BS

Beth Shapiro

Senior Attorney, Community Legal Services Inc.
As a senior attorney and coordinator of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia’s Language Access Project, Beth Shapiro focuses both on improving access to legal services for limited English proficient clients and on language rights advocacy, including with the courts; housing... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

MIE Roundtable for Legal Services Executive Directors and Managers
This forum provides legal services executive directors and managers with an opportunity to share management concerns and receive peer support and assistance in an informal and confidential setting. The roundtable will be facilitated by members of the Management Information Exchange Board of Directors.
Speakers
avatar for Yvonne Mariajimenez

Yvonne Mariajimenez

President & CEO, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
Yvonne Mariajimenez is President & CEO of Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA), a private, non-profit law firm funded to provide free legal services to low-income people residing in Los Angeles County. NLSLA focuses legal advocacy in
JM

Jan May

Executive Director, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly
Jan Allen May is the executive director of AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly in Washington, D.C., a full-service legal services program in the nation’s capital. Jan has written and published more than 100 articles on legal services and trained legal services advocates for more... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 16 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

Stronger on the Other Side: Surviving and Thriving during Lean Times
This session will combine a panel presentation with interactive discussion and worksheets to assist you in developing an outline of first steps to take in anticipation of funding cuts, navigating staff issues that inevitably arise when funding cuts are threatened in union and non-union offices, and planning for action when those cutbacks actually occur. We'll provide worksheets for developing a decision making tree. One panel member will discuss "Doing Less with Less" and will cover her experiences in cutting back on services while keeping the program as strong and viable as possible. Another panel member will discuss the preparation for and steps taken when facing the worst possible scenario of a complete loss of all LSC funding and how his program survived and thrived in that time. Another panel member will discuss the unique challenges that rural programs with little to no support on a state level can handle the budgetary issues.
Speakers
JG
JB
JL

Jon Laramore

Executive Director, Indiana Legal Services Inc
Jon Laramore has been executive director of Indiana Legal Services, an LSC-funded program, since March 2015. He began his career as a legal services lawyer, followed by work in state government and private practice, where he concentrated on appellate matt
WP

Willard P. Ogburn

Senior Fellow, National Consumer Law Center
Will is a Senior Fellow at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), previously serving as Executive Director. NCLC is a low income advocacy organization, publisher of the major treatises on consumer law, a support center for legal aid programs, and sponsor of the annual National Consumer... Read More →
avatar for Patricia Pap

Patricia Pap

Consultant, Management Information Exchange

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square B Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

What We Can Learn for the Future from Legal Aid History
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the National Equal Justice Library, this workshop will discuss critical lessons for both civil legal aid and indigent criminal defense from legal aid history in the United States. Workshop attendees will be encouraged to comment and present their views.
Moderators
avatar for Alan Houseman

Alan Houseman

President, National Equal Justice Library
Alan W. Houseman is president of the National Equal Justice Library. He was executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy from 1981-2013. He also founded and directed Michigan Legal Services and the Research Institute at the Legal Services Corporation. The Research Institute... Read More →
EJ

Earl Johnson

Justice (ret.), Western Center on Law & Poverty, Inc.

Speakers
avatar for Silvia Argueta

Silvia Argueta

Executive Director, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Silvia Argueta has been the Executive Director at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) since 2008. LAFLA is the frontline law firm for low-income individuals in Los Angeles County committed to promoting access to justice, and strengthening communities.
JA

Jon Asher

Executive Director, Colorado Legal Services
Jonathan (Jon) Asher is the Executive Director of Colorado Legal Services, a position he has held for 22 years. Jon was formerly the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Denver from December 1, 1980 until October 1, 1999 when the th
PJ

PADILLA, JOSE

Executive Director, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.
Jose Padilla is executive director of California Rural Legal Assistance.

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 12 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

4:15pm EST

A Call to Speak Truth Powerfully: Part 2 – Speaking Truth to Power
This second session provides participants with an opportunity to practice the skills needed to effectively use their individual and collective voices to promote equal justice. Participants will practice addressing social assumptions about people with low-income or no income, women, and people of color. This interactive workshop will help participants to inspire a shared vision that forcefully promotes the full humanity and dignity of all people. Join us for a session to practice resisting oppression by speaking with courage to build racial justice and equity.
Speakers
avatar for Chuck Wynder

Chuck Wynder

Staff Officer for Social Justice & Advocacy Engagement, The Episcopal Church
Charles “Chuck” Wynder Jr. serves as the staff officer for social justice & advocacy engagement for The Episcopal Church and works to enhance its capacity for advocacy and community organizing for social and racial justice. Chuck previously served as the executive director of... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Client

4:15pm EST

Re-Imagining Holistic Defense for Women in North Tulsa
Still She Rises: Tulsa is the nation’s first indigent defense organization serving only mothers, and in our session we will explore how the holistic defense model has been implemented to respond to the specific needs of a small segment of people involved with the criminal-justice system. This presentation will provide an overview of The Bronx Defenders’ holistic defense model, looking specifically at how that model was transferred and adapted from the South Bronx to North Tulsa. We will have a particular focus on the role of an interdisciplinary, collaborative team, and we will encourage participants to think critically about how to evaluate the needs of a particular population within the criminal justice system generally, and women in the criminal justice system specifically. We will discuss how holistic advocacy leads to better case outcomes and better addresses the needs of the people represented by providing experience-based data from our work in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 10-11 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

4:15pm EST

Statewide Reform in a Locally Controlled System: The Example of New York
This session will explore how statewide reform can be achieved in a state with a strong tradition of local governance. New York is similar to the more than 20 other states that devolve responsibility for the administration of public defense services to local governments while offering precious little statutory guidance and still less fiscal assistance or oversight. For decades, voices calling for the state to assume its responsibilities under Gideon were limited to nonprofit groups, and especially the New York State Defenders Association, doing yeoman’s work with little recognition or resources. It was through their persistent advocacy, however, that in 2011 the state created the Office of Indigent Legal Services, the first statewide agency with a specific mandate to improve the quality of indigent legal services (defined in New York as both public defense and also representation of parents in child welfare and other family court matters) across the whole state. Since that time, ILS has taken significant steps toward fulfilling its mandate, though of course progress has not been unfaltering. Critically for this discussion, ILS has done that work notwithstanding the absence of any realistic prospect of statewide takeover of the direct administration of defense services. The story of ILS’ successes can therefore be understood only as the product of a complicated interplay between large numbers of protagonists at the state and local levels. That story should thus be of interest to anyone wanting to know how statewide reform can be achieved, even as the administrative responsibilities of localities for delivering defense services remain intact.
Speakers
AD

Andrew Davies

Intern, Georgia Public Defender Standards Council
Andrew Davies is director of research at the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services and post-doctoral fellow at the SUNY Albany School of Criminal Justice. His job is to track data on the provision of legal services around the state and to push a research agenda for their... Read More →
GM

Giovanna Macri

Statewide Chief Implementation Attorney, New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services
Joanne Macri currently serves as the statewide chief implementation attorney for the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services (ILS) where she is engaged in the statewide implementation of criminal defense reforms as proposed in the Hurrell-Harring v. New York settlement agreement... Read More →
PW

Patricia Warth

Counsel, Indigent Legal Services
Patricia Warth is Counsel for NYS Office of Indigent Legal Services (ILS). Since her 1996 graduation from Cornell Law School, she has devoted her career to criminal defense advocacy. Ms. Warth has worked for the NYS Capital Defender Office, Syracuse Law School’s Office of Clinical... Read More →
JW

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 13-14 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

4:15pm EST

Holistic Programming: Bringing Together Civil Legal Aid, Criminal Defense, and Community Agencies for Superior Representation and Services
Legal aid and public defender programs have operated for decades, helping low-income clients to resolve their legal concerns. Despite these efforts, the need for legal assistance has not diminished, while threats to funding continue. We must use our limited resources to improve delivery methods so as to reach a greater number of people with more efficiency and efficacy. This competence can be achieved through stronger partnerships between public defenders, civil legal aid providers, and social service agencies. Panelists from Rhode Island Legal Services and the Rhode Island Public Defender will describe their internal holistic programs as well as their growing collaboration. These services will be contrasted with those offered by Project Legal Link, an organization housed at Bay Area Legal Aid, which focuses on the role that non-legal advocates can play in helping clients to access the civil and criminal legal services needed to achieve overall success.
Speakers
avatar for Robert Barge

Robert Barge

Executive Director, Rhode Island Legal Services, Inc.
Robert Barge has been executive director of Rhode Island Legal Services since 1990. Before his appointment as executive director, he held several positions at RILS, including staff attorney, managing attorney, and acting airector. Mr. Barge is a graduate of Tuskegee Institute and... Read More →
BF

Brian Furgal

Staff Attorney, Rhode Island Legal Services
After graduation from Roger Williams University School of Law, Attorney Brian Furgal came to Rhode Island Legal Services to work as an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps fellow and staff attorney, working with clients to remove barriers to employment. Attorney Furgal’s practice areas... Read More →
EH

Emmett Hardiman

Community Outreach Liaison, Office of the Public Defender of Rhode Island
Emmett Hardiman has worked for the Rhode Island Public Defender for five years, initially in the intake department and currently as the community outreach liaison. As the community outreach liaison, Mr. Hardiman works on a variety of projects including strengthening partnerships with... Read More →
NS

Nora Salomon

Supervising Attorney, Rhode Island Legal Services, Inc.
Upon graduation from Fordham University School of Law, Attorney Nora Salomon was hired by Rhode Island Legal Services to work in its Housing Law Center, assisting clients with eviction defense and resolution of conditions disputes. Attorney Salomon subsequently worked in a variety... Read More →
avatar for Sacha Steinberger

Sacha Steinberger

Executive Director, Legal Link
Sacha Steinberger is the Founder and Executive Director of Legal Link, an organization dedicated to removing legal barriers for people living in poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sacha began working on what became Legal Link in 2014 with the support of Tipping Point Community... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 5 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

4:15pm EST

Holistic Representation for Immigrant Children
Immigrant children are affected by many of the areas of law served by both legal aid lawyers and public defenders. This session covers high impact advocacy that attorneys can provide for their child clients or children of their adult clients in conjunction with their primary legal issues that will help to bolster children’s stability and increase the impact of the primary advocacy for the client. Common legal areas where targeted additional advocacy can have great impact are housing, custody and guardianship, public benefits, and juvenile delinquency defense. The session will cover fundamentals of education law including the rights of homeless youth, enrollment, language access, and Child Find; obtaining Special Immigrant Juvenile predicate orders in conjunction with family court petitions or juvenile delinquency petitions; and strategies for assisting children in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody to obtain release.
Speakers
LL

Lisa Lana

Staff Attorney, Committee for Public Counsel Service
Lisa Lana is a trial attorney with the Youth Advocacy Division (YAD) of the Committee for Public Counsel Service in Massachusetts. With YAD, Lisa represents youth charged with crimes in delinquency and youthful offender proceedings, utilizing the Positive Youth Development model... Read More →
NN

Nithya Nathan-Pineau

Program Director, Detained Children's Program, CAIR Coalition
Nithya joined CAIR Coalition in 2015. Nithya manages the Detained Immigrant Children's Program, which provides legal services to children detained in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, direct representation, pro bono mentorship and training, and community outreach... Read More →
RW

Rebecca Wolozin

Attorney, Legal Aid Justice Center
Becky Wolozin joined the Legal Aid Justice Center in September 2015 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by The Morrison Foerster Foundation. She is launching Legal Aid’s JustChildren program in Northern Virginia to provide legal services to immigrant students, English language... Read More →

Friday December 8, 2017 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Meeting Room 15 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

6:00pm EST

NLADA Farmworkers Section Meeting
Hear about the top issues our group is addressing now.
Friday December 8, 2017 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Mt. Vernon Square A Meeting Room Level
  NLADA Sections
 
Saturday, December 9
 

7:30am EST

Continental Breakfast
Get your day started right! Have a bite and visit with our exhibitors.
Saturday December 9, 2017 7:30am - 8:30am EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Networking

7:30am EST

Cyber Café (sponsored by NLADA Insurance Program)
Use our computer terminals to check your email, do some research, check on flights, etc.
Saturday December 9, 2017 7:30am - 10:30am EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

7:30am EST

Exhibits
Visit our exhibiting partners to learn about the valuable products and services they can offer to make your work more efficient and more effective for the clients and communities you serve.
Saturday December 9, 2017 7:30am - 10:30am EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

7:30am EST

Registration
Check-in with NLADA's registration staff to get your name badge, conference program, and other materials.
Saturday December 9, 2017 7:30am - 10:30am EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Registration & Exhibits

8:30am EST

All Hands on Deck: Taking a Holistic Approach to the Complex Legal Problems of Housing Insecurity and Displacement
The legal problems faced by poor and low-income households are often multifaceted. The systemic issues our clients face often require a think-outside-the-box approach to solve them. Nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of housing advocacy. Housing insecurity for poor and low-income communities has reached epic proportions across the country. In many regions, households classified as extremely low-income are paying more than half of their monthly income in rent. This leaves many families with the Hobson’s choice of either securing a roof over their heads or paying for other essential needs such as food, medicine, and transportation. It is well documented that displacement from housing can have a profound negative impact on an individual’s life – from physical and mental health to creating additional barriers to job opportunities and educational prospects. Solutions to the affordable housing crisis require a holistic approach that aims to not only create and preserve affordable housing but also to respond holistically to our clients’ diverse and unique physical, emotional, and financial needs. Using the experiences of advocates in Los Angeles as a case study, this workshop will explore the ways in which legal services programs can tap into the diverse legal expertise of their staff, as well as work with partner agencies and community groups, to find innovative solutions to systemic problems. The panel will highlight the affordable housing preservation efforts by the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) in partnering with other legal services, community organizers, resident groups, and service providers to stabilize neighborhoods faced with the prospect of losing affordable units in a variety of subsidized housing programs such as HUD Section 8, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties, and buildings subject to state and local ordinances, such as rent control.
Speakers
avatar for Fernando Gaytan

Fernando Gaytan

Deputy Director, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Fernando Gaytan is the Deputy Director at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Previously, Fernando served as Managing Attorney of the South Los Angeles office and Housing and Communities Workgroup, where he led LAFLA’s affirmative housing litigation and policy work as well... Read More →
NM

Natalie Minev

Attorney, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Natalie Minev is a staff attorney with the Housing & Communities Work Group in the South Los Angeles office of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Natalie focuses on providing holistic legal and capacity building services to both low-income residents and tenant organizers throughout... Read More →

Saturday December 9, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 12-13-14 Meeting Room Level
  Civil

8:30am EST

LSC and the Client Voice
This session is an annual tradition where LSC hears directly from client board members in the field. We will share what has been done over the past year based on client board member recommendations and listen to client board members' new ideas and recommendations. This year, we specifically want to get feedback on Section 1607 because LSC is considering revising this regulation that addresses how client board members are selected. This is based on feedback in prior sessions. LSC will also report on the client involvement in program visits and discuss ongoing client engagement.
Speakers
SD
avatar for Julie Reiskin

Julie Reiskin

Board Member, Legal Services Corporation
Julie Reiskin has been a member of the board of directors of the Legal Services Corporation since 2010. She was appointed as a client representative by then-President Obama. She is the executive director of the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC). CCDC is a statewide organization... Read More →
avatar for Jim Sandman

Jim Sandman

President, Legal Services Corporation
Jim Sandman has been president of the Legal Services Corporation since 2011. LSC is the largest funder of civil legal aid programs in the United States, supporting 133 programs with more than 840 offices serving every state and territory. He practiced law with the international, Washington-based... Read More →

Saturday December 9, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Client

8:30am EST

First Defense Upon Arrest: Protecting Rights, Saving Costs, Reducing Violence
First Defense Legal Aid provides free, 24-hour, legal representation to people in Chicago Police Department custody and educates Chicagoans about how to protect their constitutional rights. These activities promote fairness and accountability in the justice system. This "how to" workshop will address systemic racial injustice in policing, barriers to access for quality legal representation, and provide examples of strategies that are transforming the status quo in the false confession capitol—Chicago, Illinois. Our free station house defense model has tripled the number of arrestees receiving early access to counsel in the last three years alone. The First Defense Legal Aid model is applicable to other jurisdictions where marginalized communities are stopped, frisked, detained, and coerced into confessions leading to wrongful convictions, and ultimately destroying families and communities.
Speakers
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Guillermo Gutierrez

Street Law and Know Your Rights Program Manager, First Defense Legal Aid
Guillermo has worked in violence intervention and prevention and youth development and civic engagement for more than 20 years. He began as a City Year member in 1994, working in North Lawndale. He is a Public Allies AmeriCorps alumnus and has worked internationally and nationwide... Read More →
CJ

Charles Jones

Board Chairman, 12th Judicial District Indigent Defense Board
Charles Jones won two suits in 1983 pro se as a teenager. Since then, he worked for two years as an outreach counselor with Ceasefire. Charles Jones has received extensive training and experience in conflict resolution and violence prevention. He has committed his life to working... Read More →
ES

Eliza Solowiej

Executive Director, First Defense Legal Aid
Eliza Solowiej has been executive director of First Defense Legal Aid for more than four years. She is dedicated to stopping the cradle-to-prison pipeline and replacing it with government accountability for human rights. For 20 years, she has focused her career on youth, community... Read More →

Saturday December 9, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 8-9 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

8:30am EST

Resentencing – New Life for Lifers
Changes in federal and multiple state laws are providing new chances for release to thousands of men and women sentenced to die in prison. Hundreds of former lifers have returned to the community already, and many others are seeking release. This session will discuss how mitigation specialists, including social workers, have worked with defense teams and incarcerated lifers to gain release and adapt to the new lives in the community.
Speakers
avatar for Betsy Biben

Betsy Biben

Forensic and Clinical Social Worker, Chief of the Office of Rehabilitation and Development, Public Defender Office for the District of Columbia
Betsy Biben is a Forensic and Clinical Social Worker and serves as the chief of the Office of Rehabilitation and Development (ORD) for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS), where she has been employed since 1982. Betsy was awarded the chief position in 2002... Read More →
avatar for Rebecca Bowman-Rivas

Rebecca Bowman-Rivas

Program Manager, University of Maryland-Carey School of Law
Rebecca Bowman-Rivas is a clinical and forensic social worker, who has run the Law & Social Work Services Program at the University of Maryland Baltimore’s Carey School of Law for the past 18 years. The program provides social work services and support for the Law School’s Clinical... Read More →

Saturday December 9, 2017 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Meeting Room 10-11 Meeting Room Level
  Defender

9:00am EST

Breakout Session Evaluations
Feedback Survey
Saturday December 9, 2017 9:00am - 5:00pm EST
TBA
  Session Evaluations

10:00am EST

Break
Catch up with old friends and new. Visit our exhibitors.
Saturday December 9, 2017 10:00am - 10:30am EST
Grand Ballroom Foyer Ballroom Level
  Networking

10:30am EST

Hot Topics in Civil Legal Aid
NOTE: This session has been moved to Renaissance Ballroom West on the Ballroom Level.
This session will provide in-depth updates from NLADA staff and others regarding some of the most important issues affecting the delivery of civil legal aid assistance, including: (1) the status of LSC funding for FY 2018; (2) the future outlook for LSC funding and other LSC-related issues; (3) the proposal to eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program; (4) the status of non-LSC federal funding for civil legal aid; (5) the Bank of America settlement distributions; (6) the Justice for All initiative; and (7) other matters of interest.
Speakers
avatar for Arielle Altman

Arielle Altman

Senior Program Associate, National Legal Aid & Defender Association
Arielle Altman is a senior program associate in the Civil Legal Services division at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.
DM

David Miller

Deputy Director, Policy Initiatives, National Legal Aid & Defender Assc
David Miller works to promote state and federal policies that expand access to justice for those who cannot afford to pay for legal counsel. He represents civil legal aid and public defender organizations in national conversations and manages NLADA’s advocacy across a range of issues... Read More →
avatar for Don Saunders

Don Saunders

Senior Policy Counsel, National Legal Aid & Defender Assc
Don is a nationally recognized leader of America’s civil justice community who currently serves as NLADA’s senior policy counsel. In his previous role as the head of NLADA’s Civil Legal Services, he spearheaded the civil division for more than 20 years, building the organization’s... Read More →
avatar for Radhika Singh

Radhika Singh

Director, Civil Legal Aid Initiatives, National Legal Aid & Defender Association
Radhika Singh is director of NLADA’s Civil Legal Aid Initiative, which supports civil legal aid’s capacity to apply for and partner on federal grants. Radhika also is an expert in Public Service Loan Forgiveness and income-driven student loan repayment plans. She previously worked... Read More →

Saturday December 9, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Renaissance Ballroom West Ballroom Level
  Civil

10:30am EST

Beyond Legal Aid: Developing Specialized Support for Clients’ Unmet Needs
Civil legal services providers are often limited in who and how many people they can help – either due to resource constraints, prioritization of legal needs, or rules around their activities. What are low-income community members to do when there just aren’t enough free or low-cost resources available to help them with their civil legal needs? This session will explore how legal aid clients have moved beyond their local service provider to become their own advocates, working to empower others with similar legal issues, and seeking outside pro bono help. Join us for an open dialogue and brainstorming session about where people can get help for their unmet civil legal issues.
Moderators
avatar for Ana Cruz

Ana Cruz

Chief Development Officer and Director of Communications, Greater Boston Legal Services
Ana Cruz (she/her/hers) joined Greater Boston Legal Services in 2016 and is responsible for the oversight and direction of the organization’s fundraising and communications efforts. In her role as Chief Development Officer and Director of Communications, she supervises a talented... Read More →

Speakers
LD
CH

Catherine Harris

Client Board Member, Greater Boston Legal Services
Catherine Harris is a staunch advocate and educator on the issue of grandparents raising grandchildren. She has been an active member of the Greater Boston Legal Services’ board of directors for 25 years and serves on the Executive, Client Caucus, Finance, and Program Priorities... Read More →
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Yvonne Parker

Community Advocate, Greater Boston Legal Services
Yvonne Parker is a community advocate for improved services for veterans and grandparents raising grandchildren. Ms. Parker served six years in the U.S. Armed Forces and National Guard, receiving an honorable discharge at the age of 33. In addition to her military service, Ms. Parker... Read More →

Saturday December 9, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Congressional Ballroom A Ballroom Level
  Client

10:30am EST

Expanding Our Reach: Integrating Direct Representation and Impact Litigation
As lawyers on the front lines, we bear witness to widespread injustices affecting our clients, many of which are not as visible to the broader public. This panel discussion will address the vital role, and significant potential of, using impact litigation to reverse these systemic issues and how to do so effectively from within a public defender or civil legal services office. The panelists will provide an overview of impact litigation models and how those models can benefit from and serve advocates and offices whose primary focus is direct representation. The workshop will address creating and developing internal capacity to pursue impact litigation, effective internal collaborations, and how to partner with external organizations and law firms when internal capacity is unavailable. Panelists will discuss best practices from two vantage points – advocates within legal aid and defender organizations and advocates at external partners with whom we may seek to collaborate.
Speakers
AH

Angel Harris

Assistant Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.
At the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund (LDF), Angel handles matters in various areas of criminal justice including capital defense, juvenile life without the possibility of parole, felon disenfranchisement, and policing reform, as well as school desegregation cases in several... Read More →
avatar for Scott Levy

Scott Levy

Chief Policy Counsel, Bronx Defenders
As Chief Policy Counsel, Scott oversees The Bronx Defenders public policy agenda, coordinating and advancing policy reform work across the criminal, family, social work, immigration, and civil practices.  He supervises an interdisciplinary team of advocates working on legislative... Read More →
AS

Adam Shoop

Legal Director, Civil Action Practice, The Bronx Defenders
Adam Shoop began as a staff attorney and is now the legal director of the Civil Action Practice at The Bronx Defenders, where he has been since 2012. He has represented hundreds of clients who initially come to The Bronx Defenders as a result of an arrest or child welfare case but... Read More →
JS

Johanna Steinberg

Director of Impact Litigation, General Counsel, The Bronx Defenders
As general counsel for The Bronx Defenders, Johanna provides advice on strategic, legal, and policy issues facing the organization. She is also the director of the Impact Litigation Practice, developing and supervising affirmative litigation to challenge systemic injustices affecting... Read More →

Saturday December 9, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 12-13-14 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender

10:30am EST

Working with Clients with Communication Disabilities
The ADA requires that covered entities—including attorneys, the courts, and other private and public entities—not discriminate on the basis of disability and must provide effective communication when interacting with individuals with communication disabilities. This presentation will provide an overview of these protections and discuss practical considerations in working with clients with disabilities, especially communication disabilities. After the presentation, attendees will have a better understanding of how the law applies to them and of how they can best ensure that other private and public entities (e.g., courts) are following the ADA and providing their clients with effective communication as required under the law.
Speakers
PD
BL

Saturday December 9, 2017 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Meeting Room 8-9 Meeting Room Level
  Joint: Civil & Defender
 
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