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 Newark, New Jersey (1998-2006), and was the managing attorney for that program’s Housing & Income Maintenance Unit (1989-2006). Beginning in 2003, he litigated and supervised a Predatory Lending Practices Project. He began his legal services career immediately after law school as a staff attorney at Hudson County Legal Services. During law school, he clerked for the Legal Aid Society (civil) in New York and completed an externship at the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington, D.C.  César’s advocacy efforts in Essex County, New Jersey, combined litigation with community struggles to limit the loss of federally assisted and affordable private housing, address the Hope VI and Mark-to-Market housing programs, and include significant state appellate advocacy experience. César earned his J.D. at the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. from Yale University. He is currently chair of the MIE board of directors.