2019 NLADA Annual Conference-Innovative Justice

Click on that "Feedback Survey" button just above! It will take you to an evaluation form for this fake workshop. Every session with an evaluation at the conference will have a link just like that. Be sure to click "Done" at the bottom of the survey to submit it!

Tuesday November 5, 2019 8:00am - 9:00am EST
TBD Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center

8:30am EST

New Executive Director Training -- Day 1

This training requires an additional registration fee. Go to the MIE website for more info and to register: https://mielegalaid.org/civicrm/event/info%3Fid%3D40%26reset%3D1

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.

Tuesday November 5, 2019 8:30am - 5:00pm EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

8:30am EST

Train the Trainers: Creating Training Programs and Culture in Defender and Civil Organizations -- Day 1

This training requires an additional registration fee. Go to https://netforum.avectra.com/eWeb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=NLADA&WebCode=EventDetail&evt_key=2df27c6b-81de-4500-832b-ffef8847cd8a to register.

This program is specifically designed for training directors, both new and experienced, as well as managers and upcoming leaders responsible for planning and providing training in their organizations. Lawyers and other professionals who want to improve their training skills will also benefit. There is something for everyone across all agencies, regardless of their size and in both civil legal aid and public defender organizations. The training will be conducted by a team of training professions 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 both plenary sessions and breakout groups for participants to focus on individual goals for themselves and their agencies.

What will be covered?
* Planning short- and long-term curricula around client-centered values.
* Making the best use of limited resources and working creatively within budgetary guidelines.
* Developing leadership skills critical to carrying out curricula.
* Discovering and exploring how training can deliver and shape the agency culture.
* Determining how to select and support presenters with an eye toward adult learning principles and training methods that work for defenders.
* Evaluating and assessing the take-aways from programs, events and individual presentations.

Tuesday November 5, 2019 8:30am - 5:00pm EST
Joliet AB 5th Floor

6:00pm EST

NAIDE Section Meeting

Tuesday November 5, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Cadillac A 5th Floor

7:00pm EST

National Organization of Client Advocates (NOCA) Membership Meeting

Tuesday November 5, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
LaSalle AB 5th Floor

8:30am EST

Train the Trainers: Creating Training Programs and Culture in Defender and Civil Organizations -- Day 2

Wednesday November 6, 2019 8:30am - 4:30pm EST
Joliet AB 5th Floor

8:30am EST

New Executive Director Training -- Day 2

Wednesday November 6, 2019 8:30am - 5:00pm EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

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 November 6, 2019 2:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

2:00pm EST

Registration

Check-in with NLADA's registration staff to get your name badge, conference program, and other materials.

Wednesday November 6, 2019 2:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

4:00pm 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 November 6, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
LaSalle AB 5th Floor

5:30pm EST

Annual Meeting of Members: Partnerships with the Court

This year’s Annual Meeting of Members will provide an in-depth look at how the Michigan courts partner with other justice system leaders, including civil legal aid and public defense. Chief Justice Bridget McCormack of the Michigan Supreme Court will inspire our discussion with her thoughts about courts’ roles in providing access to justice and then facilitate a panel with leaders from Michigan’s Justice for All Project, Elder Justice Abuse Task Force, Expungement Clinics, Problem Solving Courts, and Pretrial/Bail Reform Efforts.

Speakers

Angela Tripp

Co-Executive Director, Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services

Rubina Mustafa

Senior Staff Attorney, Detroit Justice Center

Rubina S. Mustafa works as a senior staff attorney with the Legal Services Practice team at the Detroit Justice Center, joining DJC in January 2019. Rubina’s work furthers the mission of DJC to overcoming barriers created by incarceration, chronic poverty, and homelessness. Rubina’s... Read More →

Michael Petoskey

Chief Judge, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Tribal Court

Michael Petoskey has been the Pokagon Band’s chief judge since his appointment in February 2003. He is a citizen of Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians. Judge Petoskey has been a judge for various Michigan Indian tribes since 1986. He has served on the bench in each... Read More →

Michelle Rick

Chief Judge, Pro Tem, Michigan 29th Circuit Court

Judge Michelle Rick is the chief judge pro tem of the 29th Circuit Court (Clinton and Gratiot counties). She presides over family, criminal, and civil cases. Judge Rick is a graduate of Michigan State University and the University of Detroit School of Law, cum laude. She is a member... Read More →

Nicole Shannon

Systemic Advocacy Attorney, Michigan Advocacy Program

Nicole Shannon is the systemic litigation and advocacy attorney at the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative. Previously, Nicole was the supervising attorney at Legal Services of South Central Michigan’s Lansing office, where she handled foreclosure, consumer, and elder cases for low-income... Read More →

Bridget Mary McCormack

Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court

Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack joined the Michigan Supreme Court in January 2013 and became the Chief Justice in January 2019.An NYU Law graduate, Chief Justice McCormack started her legal career in New York City. In 1996, she joined the Yale Law School faculty. She joined the... Read More →

Wednesday November 6, 2019 5:30pm - 7:00pm EST
Columbus Ballroom 4th Floor

Plenary Session

7:00pm EST

Welcome Reception

Meet and mingle with your colleagues. Catch up with old friends and make new ones.

Wednesday November 6, 2019 7:00pm - 8:30pm EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

7:30am EST

Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) Breakfast Meeting

Thursday November 7, 2019 7:30am - 8:30am EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

7:30am EST

Continental Breakfast

Get your day started right! Have a bite and visit with our exhibitors.

Thursday November 7, 2019 7:30am - 8:30am EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

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 November 7, 2019 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

7:30am EST

Registration

Check-in with NLADA's registration staff to get your name badge, conference program, and other materials.

Thursday November 7, 2019 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

8:30am EST

Opening Plenary Session

Join us for welcoming remarks from former Detroit Mayor and former ABA President Dennis Archer; a report on the work of the Task Force on Justice, an initiative of Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just, and Inclusive Societies hosted by New York University's Center on International Cooperation, by former Bahamian Attorney Gerneral Allyson Maynard-Gibson; and a keynote address from U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

Speakers

Allyson Maynard-Gibson

Former Attorney General of The Bahamas, Task Force on Justice

Ms. Maynard-Gibson is a leading advocate for the rights of women and children and whose public and private work exemplify a quest for justice and transformation. Allyson Maynard-Gibson served twice as attorney general and minister of legal affairs of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas... Read More →

Rashida Tlaib

U.S. Representative, Michigan’s 13th Congressional District

Rashida Tlaib is a well-known progressive warrior and, in her own words, “a mother working for justice for all.” Her two young sons are at the root of her unwavering passion to help change lives for the better. She is the oldest of 14 children, born and raised in Detroit, the... Read More →

Dennis Archer

Chairman & CEO, Dennis W. Archer PLLC

Dennis Wayne Archer was born on January 1, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan. He has been a leader on many levels and his influence has reached far beyond his home state. After earning his bachelor of science degree from Western Michigan University in 1965, he began his career as a teacher... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Columbus Ballroom 4th Floor

Plenary Session

10:00am EST

Break

Catch up with old friends and new. Visit our exhibitors.

Thursday November 7, 2019 10:00am - 10:30am EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

10:30am EST

Civil Caucus: Environmental Injustice: Intersecting Issues, Responses, and Remedies

The Civil Caucus will include a brief update on the current environment and issues in the civil legal aid community, followed by a dynamic discussion on environmental injustice and, specifically, access to safe drinking water. The Flint Water Emergency, exposed in 2016, opened many blind eyes to serious racial and socioeconomic implications – both with regard to who has access to safe drinking water and who is affected when leadership cuts corners. The community in Flint joined together to demand accountability and remedies. Three years later, the replacement of Flint’s lead-lined pipes is almost complete. But millions of people across the country are at risk of water poisoning, and many more face other types of environmental injustice. This discussion will include an overview of Flint’s experience and how communities across the country can continue to learn and build upon each other’s success as they demand environmental justice.

Speakers

Bonsitu Kitaba

Deputy Legal Director, ACLU of Michigan

Michael Pitt

Founding Partner, Pitt McGehee Palmer & Rivers

Jill Nylander

Executive Director, Legal Services of Eastern Michigan

Tony Lasher

Regional Disaster Officer, American Red Cross - Michigan Region

Thursday November 7, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Columbus Ballroom 4th Floor

Civil

10:30am EST

Client Caucus: Empowering the Client Voice

We will gather to quip and enable leaders of the client community and the nation, with a discussion of topics that will be explored in depth over the several days of the conference. These areas address the current issues that justice system leaders must address, acknowledge, and absorb. We will discuss the nuances of implicit bias, tenets of leadership, and the response to the grave issue of immigration. We will focus attention on LSC and the client voice, the board track for client leaders, and the tools of technology. Whether subtle or direct, these issues will be central to leadership development, social consciousness, and service to those who depend on us.

Moderators

Ed Burnette

Consultant, Inspired Vision

Speakers

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 →

Ofelia Zapata

Client Representative, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc.

Ofelia is a leader with Austin Interfaith, a broad base organization that is diverse in race, religion and economic backgrounds. that work together to improve the quality of life for all. Her Social Justice Ministry for the past 30 years has been to mentor and develop ordinary... Read More →

Julie Anne Reiskin

Thursday November 7, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Cabot Ballroom 4th Floor

Client

10:30am EST

Defender Caucus: Criminalization of Race and Poverty

The Defender Caucus will feature a series of discussions on the topic of "Criminalization of Race and Poverty," which is the focus of the defender programming at this year’s annual conference. We will hear directly from formerly incarcerated persons, community partners, local defender leaders, and others to learn how race and poverty issues are being tackled in Detroit, Michigan, and nationally. This session will give participants an opportunity to hear about promising practices and share strategies on how to tackle race and poverty inside and outside of the courtroom.

Speakers

Aaron Salter

Exoneree, Innocence Maintained

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 →

Loren Khogali

Executive Director, Michigan Indigent Defense Commission

Melanca Clark

President and CEO, Hudson-Webber Foundation

Melanca Clark is president and CEO of Hudson-Webber Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to improving quality of life in Detroit. The foundation’s core mission areas are community and economic development, safe and just communities, the built environment, and arts and cul... Read More →

Chante Parker

Managing Director, Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit

Chantá Parker is the Managing Director of Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit, a public defense organization known nationally and internationally for its innovative, community-based, holistic public defense practice.

Jonathan Sacks

Director, Michigan State Appellate Defender Office

A career public defender, Jonathan Sacks is the Director of the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office (SADO). He previously served as the first Executive Director of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, where his work culminated in Michigan’s first minimum standards for... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom West 5th Floor

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.

Thursday November 7, 2019 12:00pm - 2:00pm EST
TBD Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center

12:00pm EST

ACCD Meeting: Upholding the Sixth Amendment (by invitation only)

This meeting is by invitation only.

This session will unpack what chief defenders can do about the intersection of race, poverty, and the Sixth Amendment! The Sixth Amendment outlines a set of safeguards for people who are accused of crimes and brought to court. These rights help ensure fair trials and accurate verdicts. However, many of the rights are not fully realized in today’s courts. This session will help defenders lead on advancing these rights and discuss how the intersection of race and poverty plays a role in shaping the realities in the courtroom.

This training is being funded by U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Speakers

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 →

La Mer Kyle-Griffiths

Director of Training and Complex Litigation, Still She Rises

La Mer Kyle-Griffiths is the Director of Training and Complex Litigation at Still She Rises, Tulsa. La Mer has been a lifelong public defender amplifying the voice of the poor in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Washington, Oklahoma, and will soon be the Assistant Public Defender for the... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 12:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Cartier Ballroom 4th Floor

2:15pm EST

What’s the Value? Addressing Diversity and Implicit Bias in Your Legal Aid Organization

As our profession is grounded in principles of integrity and objectivity, it can be challenging to accept that implicit bias plays a role in legal practice. But humans are hardwired to be biased; it is just part of who we are. Such bias, though, can lead to explicit discrimination and prejudice or microaggression (such as micro-insults, micro-invalidations, and micro-assaults) based on, for example, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, weight, or ability. This interactive session will address strategies for assessing the diversity and inclusivity within your organizations. It will also focus on teaching lawyers how to recognize and respond to implicit bias and microaggression and implement techniques to mitigate, override, interrupt, and confront bias in their legal practice.

Speakers

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

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

Dina Shafey Scott

Legal Services Corporation, Legal Services Corporation

Dina is the Training and Technical Assistance Manager with the Legal Services Corporation. While at LSC, Dr. Shafey Scott creates, manages, and evaluates all organizational training resources and develops the new Legal Services Corporation learning platform.

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Joliet AB 5th Floor

2:15pm EST

Ask, Refine, Learn, and Connect: A Guide to Legal Assistance Portals Across the US

Many organizations throughout the United States are developing legal assistance portals. These portals allow users to ASK about a legal issue, REFINE their legal issue, LEARN about their legal issue, and CONNECT to resources to help them navigate their legal issue. This panel will bring together portal experts from around the country to discuss portal projects with a focus on the benefits and challenges of managing portals as well as a discussion about funding and replication strategies for these tools. This session would be a must-attend for anyone with a portal project or thinking about starting a portal project as well as legal tech enthusiasts.

Speakers

Lester Bird

Principal Associate, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Lester Bird is a Principal Associate for the Civil Legal System Modernization team for the Pew Charitable Trusts where he focuses on bringing attention to online legal information portals and developing next-generation portal features. His current work with the Legal Navigator project... Read More →

Nalani Fujimori Kaina

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii

Nalani Fujimori Kaina is the executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i. Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Ms. Kaina began her career as an attorney on Molokai, an island of 7,500 residents, in a one attorney office and also served as a managing attorney and deputy director... Read More →

Susan Choe

Executive Director, Ohio Legal Assitance Foudation

Susan Choe is the Executive Director of Ohio Legal Help. Before her current role at Ohio Legal Help, she served as the Deputy Director & General Counsel at the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation where she managed the development of Ohio Legal Help starting in 2016. Ms. Choe has extensive... Read More →

Angela Tripp

Co-Executive Director, Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Marquette B 5th Floor

Civil

2:15pm EST

Current State of Language Rights: A Federal Update

This workshop will examine language access enforcement efforts by various federal agencies under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and E.O 13166. Panelists from the civil rights offices of the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Labor will discuss enforcement examples in the courts, law enforcement, child welfare, healthcare, unemployment compensation, job training, and other federally funded or federally conducted programs. Participants will learn about language access obligations under Title VI and other federal statutes, how legal aid and defender attorneys can effectively engage in advocacy, and the issues being faced by other programs.

Speakers

Joann Lee

Special Counsel on Language Justice, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Joann Lee is Special Counsel at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), where she has provided direct legal services to Asian American and Pacific Islander immigrant communities in the Los Angeles area since 2000. Joann specializes in family and immigration law, with a focus... Read More →

Beatriz Romero-Escobar

Senior Investigator, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Beatriz Romero-Escobar is a senior investigator with the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. Romero-Escobar joined the Office for Civil Rights in 2005 and has been charged with providing technical assistance and conducting outreach to assist... Read More →

Denise Sudell

Senior Policy Advisor, Civil Rights Center, U.S. Department of Labor

Denise M. Sudell is a senior policy advisor for the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL’s) Civil Rights Center (CRC). She recently returned to that position after more than four years as chief of CRC’s Office of External Enforcement. She originally came to CRC in January 2003, after... Read More →

Paul Uyehara

Senior Attorney, Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

Paul M. Uyehara is a senior attorney in the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section of the U.S. Justice Department, Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. Since joining DOJ in 2008 after some 30 years of public interest work in Philadelphia, his primary focus has been the section’s... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Marquette A 5th Floor

Civil

2:15pm 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. The panel will also address compliance with LSC lobbying restrictions applicable to LSC grantees in communicating with legislators.

Moderators

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

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

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

Nikole Nelson

Executive Director, Alaska Legal Services Corporation

Nikole Nelson is the executive director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC), Alaska's only LSC-funded program and the only statewide provider of free civil legal assistance to low-income Alaskans. Nikole oversees ALSC's 11 offices and a staff

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

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom West 5th Floor

Civil

2:15pm EST

Examining Eviction: Resources, Best Practices, and Strategic Interventions

This panel session will examine innovative methods of approaching the eviction crisis to improve legal practice and secure better outcomes for clients. It is intended to promote discussion, collaboration, and information sharing between eviction law specialists from across the country. LSC staff will summarize the strengths and weaknesses of empirical resources (e.g., datasets, maps, interactive websites) available to help practitioners understand and communicate the scope of the issue in their communities. Gary Smith (Legal Services of Northern California) will explore the implementation and impact of seals on public eviction records in California. Mark Fessler (South Carolina Legal Services) will explain how housing advocates formed cross-agency partnerships to improve problematic Rule to Vacate or Show Cause forms used for evictions in South Carolina. Nan Heald (Pine Tree Legal Assistance) will discuss how the creation of a state-wide housing law group has helped attorneys in Maine improve their practices.

Speakers

Sarah Abdelhadi

Research Analyst, Legal Services Corporation

Sarah Abdelhadi holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. After working in health program design, monitoring, and evaluation for private companies and nonprofits, Sarah joined the Office of Data Governance and Analysis... Read More →

Ranya Ahmed

Project Manager & Data Analyst, Legal Services Corporation

Ranya Ahmed earned a Master’s in Public Affairs from The University of Missouri, with an emphasis in nonprofit management, and a Master’s in International Studies from The University of Kansas, focusing on human rights and international law. She also earned a PhD in Political... Read More →

Mark Fessler

Housing Unit Head/Staff Attorney, South Carolina Legal Services

Mark Fessler graduated from Furman University with a B.A. in English and then attended the University of South Carolina School of Law, graduating with a J.D. in 2008. After passing the South Carolina bar, he began working with S.C. Legal Service’s Greenville Office. In the wake... Read More →

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 →

Gary Smith

Executive Director, Legal Services of Northern California

Gary F. Smith graduated from Yale Law School in 1983. After clerking for a federal judge, he spent three years with DNA-People's Legal Services, a legal aid organization serving low-income Native Americans across the Navajo Nation in the Southwest. In 1988, he joined Legal Services... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
LaSalle A 5th Floor

Civil

2:15pm EST

Farmworker Section Meeting/Workshop

The NLADA Farmworkers Law Section will meet with members of LSC to discuss updates in specialized funding as well as program expectations and other service delivery matters. LSC staff will report on: (1) a pending analysis by the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration to update the estimate of the LSC-Eligible Agricultural Worker Population, and (2) the implications the updated estimate may have for FY2021 Basic Field and Agricultural Worker service area grant allocations. We will also review information regarding the section’s monthly meetings for project directors and the newly developed monthly training series for farmworker advocates. Further discussion will include best practices and ways to establish mentorship relationships within the farmworker advocacy community. Executive directors and litigation directors are especially encouraged to attend, in addition to staff providing legal services to the agricultural worker population.

Speakers

Daniela Dwyer

Farmworker Attorney, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid

Daniela Dwyer is a farmworker attorney at Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid in Mercedes, Texas.

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.

Don Saunders

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Brule B 5th Floor

Civil

2:15pm EST

The Opioid Epidemic: Legal Aid’s Role in a Comprehensive Community Response

This session will provide an overview of the report issued by the Legal Services Corporation’s Opioid Task Force and continue with a panel discussion of two major recommendations: (1) collaborations with hospitals, treatment providers, peer recovery specialists, and other community organizations that support individuals with or in recovery from opioid use disorder, and (2) educating courts, doctors, and other stakeholders about the legal issues that create barriers to care and recovery for people with opioid use disorder. Attendees should leave the session with a better understanding of the legal problems faced by individuals with opioid use disorder, how those problems can prevent individuals with opioid use disorder from entering or remaining in treatment and recovery, how to advocate on behalf of individuals with opioid use disorder, and who the players in the support network of an individual with opioid use disorder are and how to collaborate with them.

Speakers

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 →

Brandon George

Director, Indiana Addiction Issues Coalition

Brandon George is the director of Indiana Addiction Issues Coalition (IAIC), which advocates for addiction recovery through public policy and education. George sits on the advisory board for Indiana's Division of Mental Health and Addiction and on the Expert Panel for Indiana University... Read More →

Stefanie Davis

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Cadillac B 5th Floor

Civil

2:15pm EST

The Right to Counsel in Adult Guardianship Cases: Ensuring the Least Restrictive Alternative

Proceedings to establish a guardianship can strip an adult of the most basic fundamental rights and freedoms: they can affect where adults live, what medications they are required to take, whether they can marry or vote, what money they can spend, who they can see, and so on. While most states guarantee that people facing a guardianship are entitled to an appointed attorney, not all do so, and many of the states that do guarantee representation specify that the attorney does not represent the client’s wishes but rather what the attorney thinks are the client’s best interests. But the recent re-release of the Uniform Guardianship Act has stimulated interest in the right to counsel issue all over the country. This panel will survey the status of the right to counsel in guardianship cases across the country, including past litigation on the subject, and will provide an overview of guardianship proceedings and the move toward less restrictive alternatives, such as supported decision-making. It will then discuss why counsel is so essential in these proceedings, what the proper role is for attorneys, whether the petitioner seeking to establish the guardianship should also be appointed counsel, and other tricky questions. Time permitting, the panel will also look at the general issue of appointment of counsel for litigants with disabilities in other types of civil cases.

Speakers

Natalie M. Chin

Co-Director, Disability and Aging Justice Clinic, City University of New York School of Law

Natalie Chin is an associate professor of law at the City University of New York and co-director of the Disability and Aging Justice Clinic (DAJC). The DAJC represents low-income New Yorkers in a range of issues including prisoners’ rights, securing due process protections in areas... Read More →

Nick Parker

Project Director, Indianapolis MLP, Indiana Legal Services

Nick Parker is the Project Director for the Indianapolis Medical-Legal Partnership through Indiana Legal Services. His team works with health networks and providers to address client needs that affect the social determinants of health. Nick was a staff attorney with the MLP group... Read More →

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 →

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 November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
LaSalle B 5th Floor

Civil

2:15pm EST

The Importance of Self-Advocacy: Partnering with an Advocate

How do we support the percentage of our vulnerable general population (1 in 4) who experience trauma-related or mental health challenges in their efforts to get their voices heard or their rights represented? People with lived experience are too often overlooked when it comes to advocacy issues. How do we, as partnering advocates, help individuals in their self-advocacy plights? As people who have been on both sides of the table, we know the necessity of having the option of advocating for oneself. It is also important, at times, for the individuals to work with others and receive assistance, but the person’s goals should stay front and center. This workshop will help us partner with a person, relying on inner strength, and work on our self-advocacy skills. It will highlight the importance of letting the person take the lead while an advocate offers their expertise and support. Learn how you can, as a client, advocate for and be an ally to an individual in their own self-advocacy.

Speakers

Suzanne Small

Greater Boston Legal Services/ Volunteer Lawyers Project Client Advocate, National Legal Aid and Defenders Association

Suzanne Small was born in Barbados and now lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a Client Advocate who uses her platform to advocate for people with mental health challenges. She serves on the boards of Greater Boston Legal Services and the Volunteer Lawyers Project and also on the... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Cabot Ballroom 4th Floor

Client

2:15pm EST

Census 2020: Strategies to Promote Census Participation

Census data provides critical information our leaders rely upon to allocate funds and other resources to community services, such as education, health care, legal, and public safety programs. Efforts by this administration to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, as well as increased immigration enforcement actions, threaten full participation by immigrants and their families and place programs at risk. As advocates, we have a stake in ensuring that our clients have equal access to community programs and services. Speakers will provide an update on the national debate and recent litigation around the 2020 Census and recommend strategies local officials and stakeholders can use to counter disinformation and other barriers that could dramatically reduce participation in this important civic process.

Speakers

Susan E. Reed

Managing Attorney, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center

Shagufta Ahmed

National Partnership Program, US Census Bureau

Shagufta Ahmed is currently on detail with the National Partnership Program (NPP) team with the Communications Directorate at the U.S. Census Bureau. At Census, Shagufta works with faith-based organizations, Middle East and North African (MENA) organizations and communities, and federal... Read More →

Christy Williams

Advocacy Attorney, State and Local, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)

Christy Williams is an advocacy attorney with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC). Williams joined CLINIC in January 2016 to manage the State and Local Immigration Project, where she provides legal advice and technical support to CLINIC affiliates who advocate for immigrants... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Cadillac A 5th Floor

2:15pm EST

Civil Public Defenders: Bridging the Criminal-Civil Divide to Achieve Transformative Change on Behalf of Communities

Both civil legal aid and defender programs must recognize that poverty is the pipeline to system involvement. We must provide holistic civil and criminal legal services to clients. Once our community recognizes that no civil consequence is collateral for our client’s life, we will achieve better results for all fronts.

Speakers

Runa Rajagopal

Managing Director, Civil Action Practice, The Bronx Defenders

Runa Rajagopal, a litigator and social justice advocate for more than 14 years, is currently managing director of the Civil Action Practice at The Bronx Defenders (BXD). The Bronx Defenders is an innovative, progressive public defender that pioneered a model of legal representation... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

2:15pm EST

Top Ten Best Policies for State and Local Fines and Fees Regimes

Across the country, communities annually close gaps in their budgets by imposing fines and fees on individuals caught up in state and local justice systems. These hidden taxes have become key in the financing of state and local governments, but they are harmful and regressive. They exacerbate racial disparities, penalize people for being poor, undercut the integrity of the justice system, and prevent people from escaping poverty. Reform efforts are accelerating. But what are the best governmental policies and practices? Come contribute to the discussion as panelists and the full group consider strengths and weaknesses of approaches that include eliminating driver’s license suspensions for failure to pay court debt, making "inability to pay" hearings real, capping municipal revenue from fines and fees, relying on community service, requiring impact statements before adoption of new fines and fees, and more.

Speakers

Chris Albin-Lackey

Legal and Policy Director, National Center for Access to Justice

Chris Albin-Lackey is legal & policy director at the National Center for Access to Justice at Fordham Law School, where he helps lead the organization's work on legal empowerment and on criminal justice fines and fees. Before joining NCAJ, Chris was senior legal advisor with Human... Read More →

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 →

Lisa Foster

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom East 5th Floor

2:15pm EST

Getting Business to Work with You

This summer, the chair of the Business Roundtable – an association of many of America’s top business CEOs – announced that “business can do more to help the average American” and that they were seeking a new purpose for corporations that includes value for ALL stakeholders. At the same time, on a global scale, the United Nations was reviewing progress on its Sustainable Development Goal 16 and asking “how is everyone – including the private sector – promoting progress on access to justice?” Clearly, there is a movement to align business with greater social responsibility, but how does that affect you, the small- to mid-sized nonprofit that mostly relies on local business relationships for your funding? This workshop will help you capitalize on the ways in which business is advancing access to justice as described in NLADA’s policy brief, Access to Justice Is Good for Business, and help you identify corporate and other business funding prospects in your locale, develop strategies and effective pitches using the new language of American business, and refresh and maximize your organization’s approach to corporate support.

Speakers

Chelsey Gibson

Major Gifts Officer, National Legal Aid & Defender Association

As major gifts officer, Chelsey Gibson supports all aspects of NLADA’s strategic development efforts, including prospect pipeline development, relationship management, and gift solicitation. She has particular experience and passion for actively engaging and raising resources from... Read More →

Maha Jweied

Senior Fellow, National Legal Aid & Defender Association

Maha Jweied is senior fellow with the National Legal Aid & Defender Association. Until January 2018, she served as the acting director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Access to Justice, the primary office in the Executive Branch championing indigent defense and civil... Read More →

Aileen Moffatt

VP External Relations, National Legal Aid & Defender Association

Aileen Moffatt is NLADA’s vice president for external relations and oversees private fundraising and membership. Throughout her career, Aileen has been a successful leader, mentor, and motivator of staff who consistently surpass goals. As a skilled executive and consultant, she... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm EST
Brule A 5th Floor

2:30pm EST

Defending Communities in Service: Building Defender Program Capacity through National Service

Join us to learn more about NLADA’s groundbreaking AmeriCorps VISTA program, Defending Communities in Service. This program, for the first time ever, places AmeriCorps VISTA members in public defender offices across the country to build capacity. With support from the Corporation for National and Community Service, this program is poised to invest as much as $5 million in indigent defense over its first three years in action. As NLADA continues this journey, we want your feedback on how you think that National Service could serve the needs of your office and your community. Participants will hear about the impact that our first wave of AmeriCorps VISTA members have had on the communities where they served, gain a greater understanding of how DCS-VISTA will continue to support public defender offices across the country, and have the opportunity to help shape the next generation of National Service programs initiated by NLADA. Come. Share. Break Ground with Us.

Speakers

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 →

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Richard A 5th Floor

2:30pm EST

Juvenile Life without Parole in Michigan: History, Response, and What’s Next

Our panel will discuss the history and dynamics of juvenile life without parole in Michigan, where 363 children were sentenced unconstitutionally to die in prison, and where Michigan prosecutors again seek life without parole sentences for the majority of juvenile lifers who receive new sentencing hearings. We will look at Michigan’s response through prisms of legislation, litigation, the State Appellate Defender Office response, individual hearings, and the perspective of a now-released juvenile lifer.

Speakers

Demetrius Knuckles

Paroled Juvenile Lifer

I am a former misguided street hustler, who was convicted of first-degree murder as a juvenile and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. I served 28 years in prison before I was released in October of 2018. And ever since my release, I have dedicated my life to... Read More →

Kimberly Thomas

Clinical Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School

Professor Kimberly Thomas's research, teaching, and practice concentrate on criminal law and procedure, especially on sentencing law and practice, juvenile justice, parole and post-conviction, and indigent persons accused of crimes. Professor Thomas is the cofounder (with Professor... Read More →

Alyson Robbins

Manager of Outreach & Development, Michigan Advocacy Program

Alyson Robbins is the manager of outreach and development at Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP). She is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law (JD), Bank Street College of Education (MSEd), and the University of Michigan (BS). Alyson was a staff attorney in MAP’s Family... Read More →

Jonathan Sacks

Director, Michigan State Appellate Defender Office

Tina Olson

Assistant Defender, Michigan State Appellate Defender Office

Tina Olson is an assistant defender and the Juvenile Lifer Unit manager at the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office. Before coming to SADO, she was the chief appellate counsel for the Wyoming Office of the State Public Defender. She served as the chair of the Wyoming Criminal... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Richard B 5th Floor

2:30pm EST

The Non-Adversarial Role of Public Defenders and Prosecutors: Lessons Learned on How to Advance Criminal Justice Reform through Collaboration

Defenders and prosecutors involved in criminal justice reform support the goals of decreasing unnecessary criminal justice involvement and reducing racial and ethnic disparities within the law enforcement system. The ultimate objective is to promote justice and create safer communities, which is paramount to ensure a more just and fair U.S. criminal legal system. Through the Safety and Justice Challenge, prosecutors and defenders have worked on reforms and faced a few challenges along the way. This session will discuss how to engage in successful collaborations between prosecutors and defenders while respecting the traditional adversarial roles.

Speakers

John Chisholm

District Attorney, Milwaukee County

John Chisholm was born in Milwaukee and raised in suburban Waukesha County. He graduated from Marquette University High School in 1981 and attended St. John's University before graduating from Marquette University in 1986. Chisholm was commissioned in the United States Army in 19... Read More →

Thomas Reed

First Assistant State Public Defender, Wisconsin State Public Defender

Thomas H. Reed is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Cornell Law School. He has been a member of the Milwaukee Trial Office of the Wisconsin State Public Defender since 1982, where he has handled a wide range of criminal cases. He has served as the regional attorney manager... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Nicolet A 5th Floor

3:45pm EST

Break

Catch up with old friends and new. Visit our exhibitors.

Thursday November 7, 2019 3:45pm - 4:15pm EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

4:15pm EST

Untangling Racial Inequity with a Systems Thinking Model

This session emphasizes the need for legal aid organizations to be leaders in fostering racial equity, focusing in particular on utilizing a systems thinking approach in understanding and beginning to untangle systemic racism. Presenters will introduce a basic systems thinking theory and selected systems thinking tools for analyzing the many interconnected parts of systems, emphasizing how these parts work together to create and perpetuate inequities and disparities based on race. The session includes examples of systems change projects that address racial inequities in housing and school discipline.

Speakers

Kimberly Jones Merchant

Director of the Racial Justice Institute, Shriver Center on Poverty Law

Kimberly Jones Merchant is the director of the Racial Justice Institute (RJI) and Network at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, where she leads and provides strategic oversight for the annual institute as well as its expanding alumni advocacy network. RJI is a national leadership... Read More →

Rasheedah Phillips

Training & Business Development Attorney, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law

Rasheedah Phillips recently joined the Shriver Center on Poverty Law’s Advocate Resources and Training team. Previously, she served as managing attorney of the Housing Unit at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, where she led a right to counsel campaign resulting in the significant... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Marquette B 5th Floor

4:15pm EST

Are You Ready for the Next Disaster: A Roundtable Discussion

Although a near miss, Hurricane Dorian gave a very real reminder that the next “big one” is right around the corner. Are you prepared? Join us for a roundtable discussion from programs that have experienced firsthand the challenges that arise from providing legal services after a disaster. Learn about best practices, pitfalls to avoid, and how to better prepare for the next disaster. All attendees, regardless of experience in providing legal services to disaster survivors, are encouraged to attend this roundtable.

Speakers

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 →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
LaSalle B 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Data Resources to Identify and Address Community Needs

Leaders of legal services programs and staff of LSC’s Office of Data Governance and Analysis will discuss and profile methods and tools programs can use to more easily obtain and analyze data to understand community needs and develop and fund advocacy to address those needs. ODGA staff will briefly highlight lessons learned from a year-long study of grantees’ needs assessments and profile the new Civil Legal Aid Data page on the LSC website, which provides a range of data tools and resources for analyzing the legal needs of low-income people. The presentation will then focus on a tool that enables users to easily access and download a range of Census demographic and economic data at multiple geographic levels (national, state, LSC service area, congressional district, and county). Program leaders will identify and discuss ways the tool can help them improve their programs’ planning, advocacy, and fundraising.

Speakers

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 →

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.

Jordon Layton

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom West 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Defending Immigrant Communities: Building an Interdisciplinary Immigration Practice

It’s 2019 and immigrant communities around the world are under attack. Legal services organizations throughout the country are increasingly meeting the needs of their communities by developing sophisticated immigration practices. This session lays out how to build – or enhance – a dynamic, effective, and holistic immigration practice in compliance with LSC regulations. Attorneys and a social worker from Legal Service NYC will describe how we grew from just a few immigration advocates to dozens and will provide tips for those starting out and for those who could increase their immigration services. Panelists will share practical strategies for ensuring a culturally and linguistically competent practice. We’ll highlight the importance of having a client-centered, immigrant-led project that truly meets the needs of community members. We’ll share the myriad benefits of including social workers in order to have a true interdisciplinary practice – one that’s trauma-informed, holistic, and wins more cases. We’ll end with concrete tools to assist you with the nuts and bolts of building an excellent immigration practice.

Speakers

Shelly Agarwala

Director of Intake, Legal Services NYC

Rex Chen

Legal Services NYC, Immigration Director

Rex Chen is the immigration director for Legal Services NYC. He frequently gives legal trainings around the country on advanced immigration litigation topics. He co-authored a 2015 Vera Institute advisory about termination motions for immigrant children. Before LSNYC, he worked at... Read More →

Tobi Erner

Brooklyn Legal Services, Senior Staff Social Worker, Immigrant Rights' and Advocacy Project

Tobi is a licensed clinical social worker with more than 12 years of experience working with survivors of interpersonal and structural violence from low-income, marginalized, and immigrant communities. Tobi currently practices in the Immigrants’ Rights and Advocacy Project at Legal... Read More →

Stephanie Taylor

Brooklyn Legal Services, Director, Immigrants' Rights & Advocacy Project

Stephanie is the immigration director of LSNYC's Brooklyn office and supervises a very diverse immigration practice, including both affirmative and defensive cases. While working in the Queens office, Stephanie was instrumental in building up and expanding LSNYC's immigration practice... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Brule A 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Innovative Collaboration to Further Community Self-Determination

The built urban environment is the product of policy decisions that have intentionally discriminated, and have had the effect of discriminating, against African Americans, immigrants, the working class, and other “undesirables.” While more than 50 years have passed since the passage of civil rights legislation, low-income individuals throughout the country continue to live out this discriminatory legacy. ABLE continues to rethink its housing and community economic development practice to bring innovative legal tools to support our client community. The result is a community lawyering service delivery model attempting to ensure our legal practice is responsive to client needs. This panel will discuss community-driven work to open a worker- and community-owned grocery store in a neighborhood facing food apartheid and how the Community Reinvestment Act was used as a tool to assist our client negotiate with a large area bank to obtain funding to support the neighborhood's revitalization plan.

Speakers

Matt Currie

Managing Attorney, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality

Matthew Currie is a managing attorney with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, a nonprofit regional law firm that provides high quality legal assistance in civil matters to help eligible low-income individuals and groups in western Ohio achieve self-reliance, equal justice, and opportunity... Read More →

Amaha Sellassie

Instructor in Sociology & Director of the Center for Applied Social Issues, Sinclair Community College

Amaha Sellassie is a peace builder, social healer, freedom fighter, and lover of humanity. He is an instructor in Sociology and director of the Center for Applied Social Issues at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. Amaha is also the president of the Gem City Market Board... Read More →

Aisha Sleiman

Staff Attorney & Joseph R. Tefalski Fellow, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality

Aisha Sleiman is a staff attorney and the Joseph R. Tefalski Fellow at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality in its Toledo office. She represents community- and neighborhood-based groups to ensure equitable access to community development and advocates for development opportunities for... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Recharge Your Pro Bono

Has your pro bono project plateaued? Are you managing pro bono the same way your organziation did in 1999? Are you looking for ways to grow your pro bono? Come to this session to hear ways to assess your pro bono efforts and inject new life into your pro bono.

Speakers

Ann McGowan Porath

Managing Attorney, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Ann McGowan Porath has been the managing attorney in charge of intake for the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP) at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland since 2004. In this role, she manages the VLP and intake staff to ensure effective intersection to maximize delivery of service to clients... Read More →

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 →

Cheryl Zalenski

Counsel, ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono, American Bar Association

As Counsel to the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and Director of the ABA Center for Pro Bono, Cheryl Zalenski supports the ABA’s efforts to encourage and grow pro bono activity among all segments of the legal profession. Along with... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Cadillac B 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

The Jury Is In: Data Can Show the Life-Changing Impact of Legal Aid

This workshop will use a report by The Center for Community Solutions as a best-practice case study on how to effectively tell the legal aid story using data. The first-of-its-kind report, jointly commissioned by two legal aid organizations in northeast Ohio, includes survey data from more than 1,200 former clients across 13 counties that shows what impact their civil legal aid experiences had on their lives, and that of their families, years after their cases closed. Researchers from The Center for Community Solutions, along with leadership from both legal aid organizations, will (a) walk through the process of designing and conducting the study, (b) discuss the importance of empirical data from an independent third-party researcher, and (c) share the final results, including the report, visual design elements, infographics, and the culminating website launched at www.legalaidimpact.org.

Speakers

Emily Campbell

Associate Director, The Center for Community Solutions

Emily Campbell serves as associate director, senior fellow, and is the Williamson Family Fellow for Applied Research at The Center for Community Solutions. Community Solutions is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy think tank that has worked for more than 100 years to improve health... Read More →

Colleen Cotter

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Steven McGarrity

Executive Director, Community Legal Aid, Ohio

Steven McGarrity is the executive director of Community Legal Aid Services in northeast Ohio. Mr. McGarrity started with Legal Aid as an attorney, focusing his practice on family law and consumer debt. In his time with Legal Aid, he has held various management positions, including... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Joliet AB 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

TIG Showcase 2019: The Best of Legal Aid Tech Projects

Each year, the Legal Services Corporation awards Technology Initiative Grants to several innovators within the legal services community. We bring you highlights of several of the most interesting and successful projects from the past few years. Come and learn what the tech folks have been up to, and become inspired to bring some version of these new tools and systems back home to your program! Panelists will discuss many aspects of their projects, including timelines, budgets, contractors, and practical tips for anyone wishing to replicate their work.

Speakers

David Bonebrake

Program Counsel, Legal Services Corporation

David Bonebrake is a Program Counsel at Legal Services Corporation and is responsible for helping manage LSCâ€™s Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) Program. TIG funds innovative technology projects that improve quality and access to legal services across

Alison Paul

Executive Director, Montana Legal Services Association

Alison Paul has served as MLSA's Executive Director since January of 2011. Ms. Paul graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law, then spent 7 years in private practice in Chicago. Ms. Paul began her career with MLSA as a staff attorney in 1999,

Ilenia Sanchez-Bryson

Chief Information Officer, Legal Services of Greater Miami

Ilenia Sanchez-Bryson is the Chief Information Officer at Legal Services of Greater Miami. She works with staff at every level of her organization and across the legal services community to use technology to improve performance. Ilenia also oversees the program’s Intake Department... Read More →

Angela Tripp

Co-Executive Director, Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
LaSalle A 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Unequal Treatment: The Fight for Safe Rental Housing in Detroit

For decades, low-income tenants in Detroit have been forced to choose between homelessness and living in substandard housing rife with hazardous conditions. Although Detroit has stringent rental regulations, landlords and judges routinely ignore them. As a result, tenants in Detroit, a city with a population that is 79 percent black and 8 percent Hispanic, are treated worse than tenants in nearby majority-white cities. This session will introduce participants to the severity of the problem and explore the challenges tenants face when seeking to enforce their rights. Presenters from Center for Civil Justice, Detroit Justice Center, Lakeshore Legal Aid, and Michigan Legal Services will engage with the audience to brainstorm creative solutions to this complex problem. The advocates will address recent efforts to enforce local health and safety regulations, the movement to crack down on slumlords and predatory land contract vendors, and the obstacles people with criminal records face is this context.

Speakers

Marie DeFer

Staff Attorney, Lakeshore Legal Aid

Marie DeFer is a staff attorney at Lakeshore Legal Aid, an LSC funded organization serving 46 counties in Southeastern Michigan. Marie’s practice focuses on housing and public benefits law.

Nicole Huddleston

Staff Attorney, Detroit Justice Center

Nicole Huddleston is a staff attorney at the Detroit Justice Center. Since graduating from law school, Nicole has dedicated her legal career to serving the underrepresented by providing legal counsel and representation to individuals who otherwise would not have access to the judicial... Read More →

Linda Jordan

Center for Civil Justice, Public Benefits Law Attorney

Linda Jordan is the public benefits law attorney at the Center for Civil Justice (CCJ) in Flint, Michigan, where she focuses on strengthening critical safety net programs that serve low-income and disabled Michiganders. She is part of the legal team that successfully challenged Michigan's... Read More →

Joe McGuire

Staff Attorney, Michigan Legal Services

Joe McGuire is a staff attorney with Michigan Legal Services who represents tenants, land contract buyers, and mortgage borrowers fighting for their homes. He also works with Detroit Eviction Defense, a community activist group that organizes protests, mutual aid, and other actions... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Richard B 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Using Social Workers to Reduce Client Barriers and Achieve Better Outcomes

Do your clients ever struggle to make decisions? Keep track of papers and court dates? Remember details or have problems staying on track during interviews? Including social workers on the interdisciplinary team is not a new legal service delivery model used to address clients’ barriers to getting legal assistance – such as mental illness, homelessness, low-literacy, cognitive deficits, and lack of transportation – so they can effectively engage with their attorney and achieve positive outcomes in their case. In this program, we hope to take the topic of using social workers in your practice setting a step further. You will hear from social workers as well as a senior attorney who will share case studies and lessons learned from integrating social work in the civil legal aid and criminal law context and how with the effective use of social worker in your practice setting, you and your organization can improve legal services to your clients and achieve better outcomes in your legal cases.

Speakers

Dani Lachina

Staff Social Worker II, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Dani Lachina is the staff social worker at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, where she addresses problems that interfere with an attorney’s ability to represent some of the most difficult clients while reducing barriers clients may have in participating in their legal case. Whether... Read More →

Jessica Newsome

Associate Director of Social Work, Cabrini Green Legal Aid

Jessica Newsome is the associate director of social work at Cabrini Green Legal Aid and oversees the interdisciplinary model between attorneys and social workers, including overseeing the collective impact work between CGLA and partner organizations in workforce development. Jessica... Read More →

Jenelle Pedroza

Supervisory Social Worker, Legal Aid Chicago

Jenelle Pedroza, LSW, is the supervisory social worker at Legal Aid Chicago. She graduated with a BSW from Asbury University and an MSW from Jane Addams School of Social Work at University of Illinois at Chicago. Throughout her career, Jenelle’s work has included interdisciplinary... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Marquette A 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

LSC and the Client Voice

An annual conversation among the client community, LSC President Jim Sandman, and LSC Board Member Julie Reiskin. This is an opportunity for discussion on policy issues that affect client board members, a place for the client community to give direct input to LSC leadership, and for LSC to report to the community on what it has been doing and how it has engaged clients over the past year. This is also an opportunity for client board members to ask questions.

Speakers

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 →

Jim Sandman

President, Legal Services Corporation

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Cabot Ballroom 4th Floor

Client

4:15pm EST

Reentry for the Mental Health Population: Achieving Security and Stability

Millions of people are released from incarceration with mental illnesses that impede their successful reentry into society. This session describes two innovative legal service projects helping this traditionally underserved population. The DOES Project at Legal Action of Wisconsin goes into prisons to assist clients prerelease, using lawyers to provide advocacy in SSI/SSDI applications and appeals. The DOES Project continues to represent clients through the challenging and vulnerable period following release, aiming for economic security, health care coverage, and overall stability. Likewise, Beacon Law provides legal services to individuals re-stabilizing after homelessness or incarceration by removing barriers to employment, housing, and healthcare. They aid clients obtaining a valid driver’s license and sealing eligible criminal history. They also assist in SSI/SSDI matters, appealing disability denials though the SOAR initiative. We will discuss compelling reasons to focus on the reentering population and the challenges and opportunities inherent in providing legal services centering around reentry.

Speakers

Lars Brown

Disabilities Treatment Director, Wisconsin Department of Corrections

Lars Brown is the reentry disabilities treatment director for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WIDOC). Lars oversees reentry programs, including the Opening Avenues to Reentry Success (OARS) Program. OARS is a joint DOC/Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WIDHS) program... Read More →

Ms. Katie Alft

Project Directory, Attorney, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.

Katie J. Alft is an attorney practicing high impact poverty law at Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc., since 2009. She is the director of the firm’s Disabled Offender Economic Security (DOES) Project, which consists of nine attorneys and four paralegals and assists clients releasing... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Brule B 5th Floor

4:15pm EST

Advancing Your Work with Federal Funding: Serving Crime Victims, Facilitating Reentry, and Serving Veterans

While civil legal aid is central to securing stability and opportunity, too often legal services are considered as separate and apart from the same services it helps secure: health care, housing, employment, safety from violence, and other human services. This panel focuses on how civil legal aid can be and has been integrated into federal and state efforts around facilitating reentry, serving veterans, and assisting victims of crime. This session will focus on federal funding opportunities – both direct discretionary federal funds and federal pass-through funds administered at the state level – that can support this work. Panelists will share information, ideas, and experiences about accessing and implementing non-Legal Services Corporation federal funding in these three areas. Those in the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions regarding these funds, partnerships, and service delivery.

Speakers

Ann Routt

Executive Director, Michigan Advocacy Program

Ann is Executive Director of the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP) where she began her legal career as a staff attorney in 1985. Prior to being named Executive Director, Ann served as Deputy Director, coordinating advocacy between offices and other divisions of the program, providing... Read More →

Casey Chiappetta

Senior Program Associate, National Legal Aid & Defender Association

A member of NLADA’s Legal Services team, Casey works on NLADA’s Project to Advance Civil Legal Aid Collaborations, helping to increase non-LSC federal funding that supports civil legal aid’s ability to build and sustain cross-sector collaborations to serve low-income and vulnerable... Read More →

Michael Figgins

Executive Director, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma Inc

Michael Figgins received his B.A. from Arizona State University in 1977, and his J.D. from the School of Law at Gonzaga University in 1980. Michael has spent 33 of his years in practice as an attorney providing legal services to the poor. He has practiced as both a staff attorney... Read More →

Karen Lash

Senior Fellow, Lash Consulting

Karen A. Lash is a senior fellow at American Progress. Lash previously served in the Obama administration in leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office for Access to Justice and as the first executive director of the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom East 5th Floor

4:30pm EST

Discussion Group-Post-Arrest Decision-Making Systems: Policy Considerations for Defenders in Jurisdictions Exploring Bail Reform (NOTE: Closed session; by invitation only.)

NOTE: This is a closed session. Attendance by invitation only.

Moderators

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 →

Michael Mrozinski

Staff Attorney, Defender Legal Services, NLADA

Michael is the staff attorney in NLADA’s Defender Legal Services division. He supports the work of public defenders nationwide, as well as improvements to indigent defense systems, through research, policy, training and technical assistance, and development of resources and toolkits... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:30pm - 5:45pm EST
Nicolet A 5th Floor

4:30pm EST

The Parity Project: How to Advance Advocacy on the Principle of Equal Pay for Prosecution and Defense

Low salaries among public defenders remain a challenge in recruiting and retaining talented attorneys long-term, and the fight for equal pay is a central issue in many jurisdictions. Many defender offices have not been able to overcome the pay disparities among defenders and prosecutors and/or local government attorneys. The Legal Aid Society of New York recently launched and won a successful campaign for pay parity, and they used various strategies and community engagement to win this fight. This session on the “The Parity Project” will help public defenders learn how to advocate for equal pay for prosecution and defense and discuss how they can align these issues with community engagement.

Moderators

Premal Dharia

Executive Director, Institute to End Mass Incarceration at Harvard Law School

Premal Dharia is the Executive Director of the Institute to End Mass Incarceration at Harvard Law School. She has spent the last twenty years dedicated to challenging injustice in the criminal system. Ms. Dharia spent nearly 15 years as a public defender in three different places... Read More →

Janet Sabel

Attorney-in-Chief/Chief Executive Officer, The Legal Aid Society of New York

Janet Sabel is attorney in chief at Legal Aid Society and is a former chief deputy at the NYS Office of the Attorney General. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and her J.D. from New York University School of Law. Before working as a chief deputy in the... Read More →

Jared Trujillo

President, Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, The Legal Aid Society of New York

Jared Trujillo is a defense attorney, activist, and strategic radical. He is president of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (UAW 2325). Previously, he was a member of the steering community and a board member of New York State Defender Association and Lambda Independent Demo... Read More →

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 →

Thursday November 7, 2019 4:30pm - 5:45pm EST
Richard A 5th Floor

6:00pm EST

Client Section Meeting

Hear about the top issues our group is addressing now.

Thursday November 7, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Cabot Ballroom 4th Floor

6:00pm EST

Technology Section Meeting

Join the discussion about technology and our work.

Thursday November 7, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

7:00pm EST

Client Reception

Meet, mingle, have a bite, and honor your peers at this year's client reception.

Thursday November 7, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Cartier Ballroom 4th Floor

8:30pm EST

NLADA Game Night! (Hosted by the NLADA Client Council)

Mix and mingle with our new "Dollar Bill" and "Two Truths and a Lie" icebreakers. Show off your skills in classic games like dominoes, spades, bid whist, and more!

Thursday November 7, 2019 8:30pm - 10:00pm EST
Cartier Ballroom 4th Floor

7:30am EST

Continental Breakfast

Get your day started right! Have a bite and visit with our exhibitors.

Friday November 8, 2019 7:30am - 8:30am EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

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 November 8, 2019 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

7:30am EST

Registration

Check-in with NLADA's registration staff to get your name badge, conference program, and other materials.

Friday November 8, 2019 7:30am - 5:00pm EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

8:30am EST

Organizational Alignment for Community Lawyering

This session will provide practical tips and a list of considerations for any organization wanting its work to build the capacity and power of the client communities it serves. Organizations wanting to adopt a community lawyering model must provide adequate staff and program supports for the model to succeed. Organizations committed to community lawyering must make decisions about caseloads (to allow more time in the community), office hours (to allow for evening community meetings), closed-case requirements (to allow for long-term campaigns), staff (to expand organizing or community-relations capacity), and priority issue areas (to allow for community-driven agenda setting).

Speakers

Kimberly Jones Merchant

Director of the Racial Justice Institute, Shriver Center on Poverty Law

Rasheedah Phillips

Training & Business Development Attorney, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Marquette A 5th Floor

8:30am EST

Changing the Unauthorized Practice of Law Rules in More Than a Few Ways, Now

For centuries, the bar has insisted that only a lawyer can engage in the practice of law: people shouldn’t perform tasks for which they lack the needed expertise. But, does the bar's claim of preventing harm go too far? Do the UPL rules prevent people from getting the help they need from the advocates they want? Do UPL rules chill advocates or computers from offering help even when the tasks performed are not "practice of law"? Do UPL rules prevent people or computers from performing tasks they can do well, even if these might be "the practice of law"? Are there best policies and practices that would protect librarians, social workers, organizers, caseworkers, navigators, "trained advocates," legal aid paralegals, and possibly also certain computer software automated forms and other applications – especially in nonprofit settings (or, only in such settings) – from the UPL prohibitions? Is California going to change its UPL rules this year? Join the discussion about the pros and cons of the many models being proposed for UPL rules reform. Reform efforts are currently moving forward across the country, often led by for-profit tech companies under the banner of access to justice. But which reforms are good for people in need and what would truly expand access to justice?

Speakers

Nicole Bradick

CEO, Theory and Principle

Nicole Bradick is the founder and chief executive officer at Theory and Principle, a legal technology product design and development firm. Nicole and her team work with global law firms, foundations, and legal technology companies to build innovative digital products related to law... Read More →

John Pollock

Coordinator, National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel

Nikole Nelson

Executive Director, Alaska Legal Services Corporation

David Udell

Executive Director, National Center for Access to Justice

Katherine Alteneder

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Marquette B 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

Emerging Leadership: Developing Skills to Lead

As more executive directors and senior leadership of legal service organizations retire, opportunities to move into leadership positions increase. Yet, some of the recent hiring of LSC executive directors were external hires. Becoming a leader at a legal services organization requires the development of skills that are not necessarily the same as advocating on behalf of a client. This session will help you to identify what skills might need to be developed and ways to develop these skills.

Speakers

Colleen Cotter

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Nalani Fujimori Kaina

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii

Alison Paul

Executive Director, Montana Legal Services Association

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Brule B 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

Evaluating Outcomes of Systemic Work: Building Program Capacity for Producing More Powerful Results

This session will present the latest developments in a new methodology for evaluating the outcomes of systemic legal cases and projects (a.k.a., "impact work"). Tests in Virginia and Florida have shown that this tool can provide compelling insights into the successes and results that are achieved for low income communities by lawyers using strategic and systemic approaches to client problems. In addition, through conversations with expert evaluators, the tool encourages programs to learn and grow as a result of a constructive evaluation process.

Speakers

Cathy Carr

Alex Gulotta

Ken Smith

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Joliet AB 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

Language Justice in Legal Services

The emerging language justice movement works toward equity for people who are marginalized because they use non-dominant spoken or signed languages. What is language justice and how is it different from language access? This workshop will apply a language justice framework to legal services and share practical tools related to training interpreters, providing inclusive services, planning multilingual events, and advocating for language rights. The session will feature case studies about California Rural Legal Assistance’s Social Justice & Legal Services Interpreter Training; the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence’s approach to linguistically accessible services for trauma survivors; and the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation’s successful advocacy to affirm language rights in all California court proceedings and services. Our goals are participants to develop an analysis of language and power and walk away with the beginning of a concrete action plan about how to weave language justice into their work.

Speakers

Joann Lee

Special Counsel on Language Justice, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Ana Paula Noguez

Interpretation Training and TA Coordinator, API-GBV

Ana Paula Noguez Mercado joined the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV) in February 2018. She is a national trainer and technical assistance provider on language access, language justice, and equitable communication, as well as on interpreting skills, mainly... Read More →

Alena Uliasz

Language Justice Manager, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.

Alena Uliasz is the statewide Language Justice Initiative Manager at California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA). She has 20 years of experience as a facilitator and community organizer focused on dismantling oppression and promoting equity and inclusion. She holds a master’s... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
LaSalle A 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

MIE Roundtable for Legal Aid 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

Patricia Pap

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Cadillac B 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

Online Courts: Closing the Justice Gap in the Lone Star State

More than 30 million people annually attempt to navigate civil legal issues in state courts without a lawyer. Recognizing that simple cases should not need a lawyer if people have the right tools, courts are utilizing technology to allow people to resolve their disputes entirely online without ever setting foot inside a courtroom. In Texas, judges, mediators, court administrators, legal aid attorneys, and technology personnel joined forces to pilot an emerging tool: online dispute resolution. This panel highlights how Collin County officials engaged stakeholders across the private and public sectors, developed a sustainable funding model, and produced plain-language legal information for litigants, effectively challenging “politics as usual” by revealing both the economic and public benefits of civil justice innovations.

Speakers

James Esh

Managing Attorney, McKinney Branch, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

James V. Esh is managing attorney of the McKinney Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT) Branch Office. He supervises 16 staff and more than 300 ongoing matters. James was formerly the managing attorney of the Wichita Falls Branch office and an active member of LANWT’s board of directors... Read More →

Amie Lewis

The Pew Charitable Trusts, Senior Associate, Civil Legal System Modernization

Amie Lewis is currently with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Civil Legal System Modernization Project, where she works to make the nation’s civil legal system more accessible and affordable by implementing the most promising technologies and tools to assist self-represented litigants... Read More →

Charles "Chuck" Ruckel

Judge, Collin County Justice Court 3-1

Judge Charles “Chuck” Ruckel is the presiding Judge for Collin County Justice Court 3-1 located in Plano, Texas. His precinct population is approximately 350,000 and includes parts of the city of Dallas that are located in Collin County. In fiscal year 2019, he will see approximately... Read More →

Ben White

IT Senior Manager, Collin County Information Technology

Ben White is currently a Senior Manager in the Information Technology Department for the government offices of Collin County, Texas. He is responsible for the Courts and Justice project implementations for Collin County and presides over the Odyssey Change Control Board, which is... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Nicolet A 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

Serving Vulnerable Populations throughout the Disaster Cycle: A Focus on the 2019 Midwest Flooding

The historic flooding and tornadoes of 2019 disproportionately affected low-income individuals throughout the heartland. LSC’s Midwest Legal Disaster Coordination Project has worked to improve the resilience of at-risk communities by fostering relationships between emergency management, the disaster preparedness community, and legal service providers. After almost five years of progress, the panel will share how preparedness strategies have helped with the delivery of legal services during this year’s major disaster events. The case study will explore lessons learned as well as recommendations from the recent LSC Disaster Task Force Report.

Speakers

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 →

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 →

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 →

Martin Costello

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Richard A 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

State Funding Roundtable

This interactive session will include reports on developments related to state legislative funding initiatives aimed at increasing resources for civil legal aid. Updates will be provided on the ABA's data collection process to support funding efforts and on potential federal funding that might be available at the state or local advocacy levels. Participants will be able to share developments in their states and learn from others about what has worked, and what has not worked, in raising state legislative funding.

Speakers

Jennifer Bentley

Shubi Deoras

Don Saunders

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Richard B 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

The Efficient Legal Aid Office: An Introduction to Business Process Analysis

Is your legal aid office efficient? Have you taken the time to analyze your office’s daily practices and procedures? If you do, you may discover that you are not optimizing your limited resources, thus contributing to staff frustrations and burnout. More importantly, inefficient systems significantly reduce opportunities for helping additional clients. In this session, you will learn the basics of Business Process Analysis (BPA). We will provide simple, yet powerful tools to analyze the way your office functions and suggest methods to improve efficiencies. We will use real-world examples to illustrate how BPA can transform a legal aid office to create a healthier, happier, and more productive workplace.

Speakers

Michelle Erickson

Pro Bono Director, Lakeshore Legal Aid

Michelle Erickson is the director of pro bono at Lakeshore Legal Aid. Before joining Lakeshore, Michelle worked in management and operations-focused roles in the private sector, where she learned, first-hand, the benefits of efficient business practices. Michelle is graduate of Wayne... Read More →

Jonathon Tabor

Pro Lead - Pro Bono Innovation Grant, Lakeshore Legal Aid

Jonathan Tabor is the project lead for Lakeshore Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Innovation Fund grant. Jonathan has spent the last 16 years as a legal aid lawyer in Chicago and Detroit. Before that, Jonathan briefly worked in private practice and for the federal judiciary. Jonathan is a graduate... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
LaSalle B 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

The Jeffrey Epstein Case: A Study in the Evolution of Victim Rights Law

Understanding the history, scope, and future of victim rights law is of critical relevance to anyone working in criminal justice or with crime victims. This presentation aims to educate practitioners on the history, purpose, and challenges of victim rights enforcement, using the Jeffrey Epstein case as our guide. By examining the Epstein case from 2004 through today, we can better understand the development of victim rights from infancy through maturity. In this presentation, we will first cover the historical framework of victim rights law and the movement towards increased victim participation in criminal proceedings. Second, we will discuss both the benefits and problems that arise from these laws, as well as practical methods for ensuring that both a victim’s and a defendant’s rights can simultaneously be fairly and robustly enforced.

Speakers

Andrea Rufo

Crime Victims Rights Project Staff Attorney, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.

Andrea K. Rufo is an attorney for Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc’s, Crime Victims' Rights Project. Her practice focuses on working with victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse to preserve their rights as victims and to protect their privacy interests, especially as to... Read More →

Rebecca Donaldson

Staff Attorney, Crime Victims' Rights Project, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.

Becca Donaldson is an attorney in the Crime Victims’ Rights Project at Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. She is also on the board of Fresh Start, a nonprofit serving human trafficking survivors. Becca has advocated for gender equality solutions for more than a decade, including with... Read More →

Amanda Rabe

Civil Unit Lead Attorney, Wisconsin Judicare Inc.

Amanda R. Rabe is the civil unit lead attorney with Wisconsin Judicare, Inc., in Wausau, Wisconsin. Her practice focuses on work with victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault in a variety of cases, including family law, victim rights, and public benefits. Amanda... Read More →

Rachel Sattler

Staff Attorney, Crime Victims' Rights Project, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.

Rachel E. Sattler is an attorney in the Crime Victims’ Rights Project at Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. Before her work as a victim rights lawyer, Rachel was a prosecutor in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, for 10 years, specializing in sensitive crimes such as sexual assault... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Cadillac A 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

Enhancing the Client Voice: Best Practices for Client Board Members

A dynamic governing body is at the heart of any thriving nonprofit corporation. Engaged client board members play a crucial role in ensuring that their organization can carry out its mission successfully. In this session, LSC will review the most important duties of board members, share effective strategies that LSC grantees and other nonprofits follow to promote client board member engagement, and discuss LSC’s performance criteria for grantee governing bodies. The attendees will gain awareness of their roles and duties as board members and leave with ideas for developing and maintaining an engaged board of directors. LSC will acquire additional insight into the best practices it is developing for enhancing the voice of client board members among its grantees. Participants will have the opportunity to network and share ideas about enhancing the voice of client board members.

Speakers

Joyce McGee

Director, Office of Program Performance, Legal Services Corporation

Dina Shafey Scott

Legal Services Corporation, Legal Services Corporation

James Scruggs

Program Counsel, Legal Services Corporation

James Scruggs has worked for Legal Services Corporation (LSC) since August 2014. Before joining LSC, he worked for 18 years as a legal aid attorney, starting with Virginia Legal Aid Society in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1996. In 1998, James began his tenure with Legal Services of Northern... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Mackinac Ballroom West 5th Floor

Client

8:30am EST

Changing Expungement Laws, Changing Outcomes

This panel will discuss the outcomes of the changing legislation landscape of expungment laws, including the clean slate legislation that has taken place in Pennsylvania and is pending in Michigan. Participants have worked doing community outreach and monitored legislation to change some of the restrictions and barriers that effect clients who are attempting to obtain a fresh start at employment and housing.

Speakers

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 →

Janet Ginzberg

Joshua Hoe

Shannon Lucas

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

8:30am EST

Sign the FAIR Pledge: Don’t Let Fear or Over-Lawyering Stop You!

NLADA and its members invite you to sign the FAIR Pledge. Ensure all staff take Implicit Bias training and audit your success on an annual basis. How to find and utilize competent and experienced implicit bias trainers to move anti-racism forward in your program. Examples of successful community relationships which support both an effective pipeline to our program and racial justice will be discussed.

Speakers

Lillian Moy

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of NE New York

Rhodia Thomas

Executive Director, MidPenn Legal Services

Ms. Thomas serves as executive director of MidPenn Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm that provides civil legal services to low-income individuals and families and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in 18 counties in Central-Pennsylvania. She graduated magna cum laude... Read More →

Jo-Ann Wallace

President, NLADA Service Corporation

Jo-Ann Wallace became president of the NLADA Service Corporation on November 1, 2021. She previously served as president and CEO of NLADA from 2005-2021. Before becoming president and CEO of NLADA, Jo-Ann was the organization’s senior vice president for programs, responsible for... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Brule A 5th Floor

8:30am EST

Changing the Narrative about the Criminal Punishment System & Race

Reforming the criminal punishment system is now a bipartisan priority with public support in red states and blue. Changing the narrative about the people who defenders and legal aid attorneys represent and the communities from which they come has been key to creating an environment conducive to reform. This session will explore the role of public defenders, advocacy groups, and the media in changing how we talk and think about the criminal punishment system and the people trapped in it and how changing the narrative has led to policy reform and improved client representation.

Moderators

ANDREA NIEVES

Senior Policy Attorney, New York County Defender Services

Andrea Nieves is a senior policy attorney at New York County Defender Services, a public defender office in Manhattan, where she advocates for criminal legal system policy reform before the city and state. She previously worked as a capital defense attorney at both the Center for... Read More →

Speakers

Asia Johnson

Detroit Client Advocate, The Bail Project

Asia Johnson is an essayist, poet, and filmmaker from Detroit, Michigan. She exercises her creativity through these mediums giving the audience a raw glimpse into what it's like to be an incarcerated, broken-hearted, lost young woman. Because she wants to blaze a path for young girls... Read More →

Rabiah Burks

Director of Communications, Families Against Mandatory Minimums

Rabiah Alicia Burks is a media relations, communications, and marketing strategist who has dedicated her career to educating the public about criminal justice reform issues through traditional and non-traditional methods. Rabiah regularly pitches and secures major media placements... Read More →

Vaidya Gullapalli

Curator of The Daily Appeal and Senior Legal Counsel, The Justice Collaborative

Vaidya Gullapalli is a senior contributor at The Appeal and one of the authors of the Daily Appeal, a newsletter that provides original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal legal system issues of the day. She is also a senior legal counsel at The Justice Collaborative. Vaidya... Read More →

Marie Ndiaye

Supervising Attorney, Decarceration Project, Legal Aid Society

Marie Ndiaye is the supervising attorney of the Decarceration Project at the Legal Aid Society. The Decarceration Project is a litigation and policy initiative dedicated to ending the pretrial detention of low-income New Yorkers and eradicating the criminal justice system’s disproportionate... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Mackinac Ballroom East 5th Floor

8:30am EST

Legal Representation for Parents and Children: Preventing Entry into the Foster Care System

Children often enter foster care because collateral legal issues, like housing, public benefits, or custody, are unresolved. A growing body of research demonstrates that high-quality legal advocacy may be one of the most effective ways to keep families together. In December 2018, the federal government opened a new and historic funding pathway to support legal representation for children in foster care and their parents, as well as “candidates” for foster care. Across the country, civil legal service providers and public defenders are partnering with child welfare agencies to leverage this opportunity, meet the needs of families, and keep kids at home. This session will explore this growing trend, introduce new Title IV-E expansion for legal representation, explain how legal aid programs can be involved in accessing this funding in their state, and highlight examples of effective programs from the field.

Speakers

Casey Chiappetta

Senior Program Associate, National Legal Aid & Defender Association

Michael Figgins

Executive Director, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma Inc

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 →

Allison Greene

Legal Director, National Association of Counsel for Children

Allison Green is the Legal Director at the National Association of Counsel for Children, where she manages the organization’s policy advocacy and provides technical assistance to child welfare practitioners nationwide. Previously, she served as a Foster America Fellow at Missouri's... Read More →

Karen Lash

Senior Fellow, Lash Consulting

Friday November 8, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Duluth AB 5th Floor

10:00am EST

Break

Catch up with old friends and new. Visit our exhibitors.

Friday November 8, 2019 10:00am - 10:30am EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

10:30am EST

New Supervisor? Skills for Success!!!

This workshop is designed for people who are considering or have recently transitioned into management roles. Often times, good attorneys are recognized by being promoted to management positions, but they may not have the unique skills needed to be successful in these new positions. This workshop will explore the essential skills that new managers often struggle with yet are crucial to success. We will explore issues around having difficult conversations, setting appropriate boundaries, providing supportive supervision in court and with clients, and effective modeling techniques. We will address the importance of diversity and inclusion as it pertains to effective management style. While recognizing that it can be extremely challenging to effectively manage staff with different perspectives, communications styles, and goals, this workshop will help to raise awareness as to the importance of recognizing implicit biases and providing cross-cultural supervision to staff.

Speakers

Rachel Saunders

Attorney In Charge, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley

Rachel Saunders started her legal career as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society in the Bronx, where she represented low-income people facing criminal charges. Saunders spent more than two years in Kabul, Afghanistan, focused on issues of access to justice and training for... Read More →

Shary Sanchez

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Joliet AB 5th Floor

10:30am EST

All Rise for Civil Justice: Using Stories to Advance Reform

Perceptions of the civil legal system and the kinds of cases it handles are commonly outdated or just plain wrong. Well-told stories (i.e., minus the legal gobbledygook) are arguably our most powerful tools for helping people understand the role of civil justice in solving many of their biggest life problems. "All Rise for Civil Justice," Voices for Civil Justice’s new storytelling website and campaign, aims to help us all use stories effectively in this digital age. Come learn about the All Rise campaign to see how its tools and resources can help you tell powerful stories.

Speakers

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 →

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Cadillac B 5th Floor

Civil

10:30am EST

Board Self-Evaluations

The board is responsible for evaluating the executive director, but who evaluates the board? Legal Services Corporation has shown the need for board self-evaluations. We will discuss how to create a board evaluation and the positive effects as well as any problems that can arise when creating and implementing the evaluation. An evaluation of the board is important to make sure that those serving Legal Aid are doing so to their fullest potential. The board is responsible for evaluating the areas that pertain to governance.

Speakers

Raymond Macchia

Executive Director, Legal Aid of Wyoming Inc.

Ray Macchia is the executive director of Legal Aid of Wyoming. Ray graduated law school from the University of Wyoming in 1997, and his first legal job was with Wyoming Legal Services. Ray has promoted diversity in both the board and in the staff at Legal Aid's six offices across... Read More →

Jessica Keith

Client Board Chair, Legal Aid of Wyoming, Inc.

Jessica Keith is the client eligible board chair of Legal Aid of Wyoming. Jessica attended the University of Wyoming for Criminal Justice and received her degree for Paralegal Studies at Casper College. Jessica was a clerk of court as well as a paralegal for many years. Jessica’s... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Marquette A 5th Floor

Civil

10:30am EST

Cost Allocation: A Closer Look

During this session, the current scope of OCE’s review of cost allocation, including distinguishing between direct and indirect costs and tracing direct advocates’ costs to grantee’s automated case management system/timekeeping data, will be discussed. Additionally, the session will highlight several recent fiscal changes, including LSC Program Letter 18-2 - Application of 45 C.F.R. § 1630.5(g) Exception for Certain Indirect Costs and OCE’s acceptance of a grantee’s use of de minimus and NICRAs-Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements (subject to OCE review and approval). Lastly, the session will provide an overview of common compliance findings by LSC (e.g., non-compliant methodology, lack of sufficient documentation, over-allocation of LSC funding on indirect costs) followed by Q&A.

Speakers

Stuart Axenfeld

Deputy Director of Fiscal Compliance, Legal Services Corporation

Stuart Axenfeld is the deputy director for fiscal compliance with the Legal Services Corporation’s (LSC) Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE). Mr. Axenfeld was the assistant inspector general for audit at the Corporation for National & Community Service-Office of Inspector... Read More →

April Jung

Fiscal Compliance Analyst, Legal Services Corporation

April Jung is a fiscal compliance analyst with the Legal Services Corporation's Office of Compliance and Enforcement. She began her career in forensic services in public accounting, focusing primarily on anti-corruption/anti-bribery-related due diligence reviews and investigations... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom East 5th Floor

Civil

10:30am EST

Effectively Integrating Law Students into Your Pro Bono Initiatives

Law students are an underutilized population in legal services' pro bono efforts. While there are challenges to incorporating students into your pro bono initiatives, from providing supervision to their academic schedule, it can be rewarding to all involved when they are involved in pro bono. Panelists will discuss models and practices that effectively engage students in pro bono and increase services to client populations.

Moderators

Marissa LaVette

Assistant Staff Counsel, American Bar Association

Marissa supports the Center for Pro Bono by providing technical assistance and support to pro bono programs, bar associations, legal services organizations, law firms, corporate legal departments, and others, with a focus on providing support to law school pro bono programs. Before... Read More →

Speakers

Alyson Robbins

Manager of Outreach & Development, Michigan Advocacy Program

Amy Sankaran

Director of Externship and Pro Bono Programs and Clinical Assistant Professor, The University of Michigan Law School

Amy Sankaran is the University of Michigan Law School’s director of externship and pro bono programs. In her externship capacity, Professor Sankaran serves as the externship professor for full-time and part-time externships, including programs in South Africa and India. As director... Read More →

Claud B. Nelson III

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
LaSalle A 5th Floor

Civil

10:30am EST

Growing the Practice of Crime Victim and Trafficking Legal Services and Rights Enforcement

How do legal aid organizations grow the practice of trafficking and other crime victim legal services and rights enforcement? This session will draw from the experience of the Equal Justice Works’ Crime Victims Justice Corps Fellowship program, where more than 60 attorneys provide direct legal services to trafficking and other crime victims at various legal aid organizations across the country. The panel will discuss the successes, challenges, and lessons learned in the efforts to build this practice with a goal of building capacity and providing comprehensive legal services to survivors. The session will include a participatory discussion on the civil legal aid landscape in serving crime victims and how different types of organizations can leverage their existing structures and clientele to develop this practice.

Speakers

Alex Kornya

Litigation Director / General Counsel, Iowa Legal Aid

Lauren N Camp

Attorney, Iowa Legal Aid, Equal Justice Works CVJC Fellow

Lauren Camp is employed by Iowa Legal Aid and works under the Crime Victim Justice Corps Fellowship provided by Equal Justice Works. She works specifically with victims/survivors of sex and labor trafficking. Before coming to Iowa Legal Aid, she graduated from Creighton University... Read More →

Merideth Hogan

Equal Justice Works Crime Victims Justice Corps Fellow, Legal Aid of Western Missouri

Merideth J. Hogan, a Kansas native, graduated from Washburn University School of Law (Topeka, KS) in May 2016. She then clerked for Judge G. Gordon Atcheson at the Kansas Court of Appeals and practiced employment defense litigation in a private firm. Since childhood, Merideth has... Read More →

Alicia Johnson

Deputy Executive Director, Legal Aid of Western Missouri

Alicia Johnson is the deputy director of Legal Aid of Western Missouri (LAWMO). She started her legal aid career as a staff attorney doing family law and bankruptcy work for one of LAWMO’s rural offices in St. Joseph, Missouri. Alicia then spent two years as the managing attorney... Read More →

Allie Yang-Green

senior manager of public programs, Equal Justice Works

Allie Yang-Green is a senior manager of public programs at Equal Justice Works, where she supports federally funded cohort Fellowship programs, including the Elder Justice Program. In that role, she works with funders, legal services organizations, and attorney Fellows to develop... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Richard B 5th Floor

Civil

10:30am EST

Updating the ABA Civil Legal Aid Standards for 2020

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. At the 2017 NLADA Annual Conference, the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants (SCLAID) conducted a listening session to determine if the guidance provided in the Standards remains timely and appropriate in light of changes occurring in society, the profession, and technology. SCLAID has taken that input, along with others, and has developed a plan for updating key sections of the Standards for formal release in August 2020. At this session, SCLAID is seeking input from the legal aid community on the areas of focus for amendment of the Standards and additional feedback on SCLAID’s plan moving forward. Come prepared to share your views on this important topic.

Speakers

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 →

Nikole Nelson

Executive Director, Alaska Legal Services Corporation

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Brule B 5th Floor

Civil

10:30am EST

The Impact of Implicit Bias on Client Experience and Outcomes

This session will introduce the concepts of “social cognition” and “implicit bias” to provide the foundation for a discussion and exploration of the implications of implicit bias from the perspective of the client and the advocate, while also examining ways in which implicit bias affects systems and perpetuates inequitable client experiences and outcomes. It also introduces de-biasing tools and techniques designed to interrupt unconscious bias in decision making in an effort to achieve equitable outcomes.

Speakers

Kimberly Jones Merchant

Director of the Racial Justice Institute, Shriver Center on Poverty Law

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom West 5th Floor

Client

10:30am EST

Holistic Legal Responses to the Youth Homelessness Crisis

From coast to coast, youth homelessness is a growing crisis. Homelessness not only leaves young people without a home but also leaves them vulnerable to illness, discrimination, and criminalization of their poverty. Criminalization then causes additional barriers in accessing employment, education, housing, and more. This presentation will address the underecognized civil and criminal legal issues faced by youth experiencing homelessness, with a focus on the youth most affected – youth of color, LGTBQ+ youth, youth with disabilities, parenting youth, and young people who live at the intersections of these identities. This presentation will utilize an interactive activity that requires participants to reflect on the web of systematic criminalization of homelessness and recognize why multi-disciplinary services are essential. The presentation will also highlight two effective service models: the Homeless Youth Legal and Advocacy Project (HYLAP) out of Think Dignity in San Diego and the Youth Justice Project (YJP) out of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, both of which utilize the power of holistic support in breaking the chains of poverty and increasing autonomy and self-determination for young people.

Speakers

Jamie Gullen

Community Legal Services, Supervising Attorney

Kee Tobar

Staff Attorney, Community Legal Services

Mitchelle Woodson

Interim Executive Director, Managing Attorney, Think Dignity

Mitchelle Woodson is the executive director and managing attorney of Think Dignity, a homeless advocacy agency in San Diego, California, with a mission to inspire, empower, and organize the local community to advance basic dignity to those living on the streets. She joined the Think... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Brule A 5th Floor

10:30am EST

The Computer Did It: Automation, Evaluation, and the Creation of National Justice Index Standards for Algorithmic Applications

Algorithmic decision-making has enormous potential to help vulnerable people in our society. By reducing the role of human decision-makers, AI promises to increase efficiencies, reduce biases, and simplify processes. States want AI to decide eligibility for Medicaid, public housing, SNAP benefits, and more. But, with all this promise and potential, why is there so much litigation? AI applications are going awry with erroneous decisions, embedded biases, wrongful findings of fraud, and requirements to re-do decisions. Will AI systems, including portals and online dispute resolution, work as hoped? Due process, equal protection, FOIA, and statutory challenges are proceeding against AI models and are on the rise. What are the consequences of saying to ourselves and to others, “the computer did it”? Our community needs advocacy tools, including national standards, to hold government, tech firms, and other powerful interests accountable to the rule of law. We must preserve the rights of people against the new tyranny of presumptions of accuracy. Join this group conversation about the promise, the perils, and the national standards that are defining the entry of AI into the justice sphere.

Moderators

Alex Gulotta

Speakers

Michele Gilman

Faculty Fellow, Data & Society, and Venable Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law

Michele Gilman is the Venable Professor of Law and director of the Civil Advocacy Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she supervises students representing low-income individuals and community groups in a wide range of litigation and law reform matters. During... Read More →

Angela Tripp

Co-Executive Director, Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services

David Udell

Executive Director, National Center for Access to Justice

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Marquette B 5th Floor

10:30am EST

Trauma-Informed Lawyering

Lawyers working with clients who are poor, disabled, underrepresented, experiencing chronic illness or mental health conditions, or victims of sexual assault or domestic violence are likely to find that many of their clients are survivors of trauma, whether as children, in domestic relationships, or from the trauma inherent in long-term poverty. That trauma informs how our clients relate to the world, including their legal representative. For attorneys working with these populations, a trauma-informed approach allows for more competent representation, improved legal outcomes, and increased client engagement and can be an empowering experience for clients. This session will discuss why and how to integrate trauma-informed practices into your representation and use breakout sessions where participants can practice applying trauma-informed skills at different stages of representation.

Speakers

Heather Freinkel

Managing Attorney, Alameda County Homeless Action Center

Heather Freinkel is a managing attorney at the Homeless Action Center (HAC) and has held that position since 2017. She worked at HAC as a staff attorney from 2011 to 2017. HAC provides public benefits advocacy to Alameda County, California, residents with mental and physical disabilities... Read More →

Amy Goldman

Director of Legal Services, Community Legal Aid SoCal

Amy Goldman is the director of legal services at Community Legal Aid SoCal (CLA SoCal). She has dedicated her career to providing legal services to survivors of domestic violence. She started her legal career teaching Know Your Rights workshops to mothers incarcerated at the Los Angeles... Read More →

Sarah Reisman

Supervising Attorney, Los Angeles Center for Law & Justice

Sarah Reisman is a supervising attorney at the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ), where she supervises a legal team that provides holistic legal representation to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She also supervises LACLJ’s appellate work, which, in... Read More →

Mary A. Gilg

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
LaSalle B 5th Floor

10:30am EST

How to Bring Race & Community into the Courtroom

This session will highlight the important and innovative work of the San Francisco Public Defender Office on racial justice. Many defenders know that race plays a central role in the criminal legal system, but they lack the tools and knowledge needed to attack the issues in the courtroom. This workshop will equip you with the tools and ideas needed to address race in the courtroom.

Speakers

Manohar Raju

Public Defender, San Franciso Public Defender

Manohar Raju was appointed San Francisco Public Defender in 2019. Before that, he served as felony manager. He came to San Francisco in 2008 by way of the Contra Costa Public Defender’s Office, where he worked as a deputy public defender for seven years. He is known for being a... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Duluth AB 5th Floor

10:30am EST

The Right to Counsel Is a Right to Effective Assistance of Counsel

In 2008, NLADA released a study concluding that Michigan's spending on indigent defense representation was 38 percent below the national average and that this lack of funding affected the quality of indigent defense provided in Michigan. As a result, an advisory commission was formed in 2011, and the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC) was created in 2013. This session will discuss the creation of the MIDC, the impacts of the MIDC for public defense in Michigan, the current state of public defense services in Michigan, and future implications. We will also talk about the creation of the Muskegon County Public Defender Office in 2014 before the MIDC standard mandate. The structure of other public defender offices in Michigan will also be discussed, including the Allegan and Van Buren County Public Defender Office in which two counties have joined to create one public defender office while meeting MIDC standards.

Speakers

Chad Catalino

Director, Allegan/Van Buren County Public Defender's Office

Chad D. Catalino graduated cum laude from Michigan State University Law School in 2003. Throughout his career, Mr. Catalino has been consistently dedicated to public service where he has served in indigent defense systems across Michigan. Mr. Catalino is an experienced criminal defense... Read More →

Manda Mitteer

Holistic Defense Director/Family Division Chief, Muskegon County Office of the Public Defender

Manda Mitteer holds a Master of Social Work degree from Grand Valley State University and earned her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2008. She worked for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in child welfare for several years before attending law school... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Nicolet A 5th Floor

10:30am EST

Learning Together: Using Evaluation and Data-Driven Decision-Making to Create Positive Organizational Change

A lack of time, funding, and staff expertise can make evaluation and data-informed practice change difficult for many legal services organizations. Yet, better data, outcome-measurement, and evaluative-thinking may allow legal services to build sustainable funding sources. More and more funders are also requiring some level of outcome-measurement or evaluation. Savvy boards, managers, and supervisors in legal services know that investments in building internal capacity for evaluation efforts is needed. But, how should you start? What should you avoid? Join this session for an interactive discussion on how to build your organization’s culture (and love!) for using data and evaluation to improve your legal services and to compel investment from funders. We will discuss various models for integrating data-informed decision making and evaluation into your work, discuss strategies for overcoming challenges such as scarcity of resources and lack of evaluation know-how, and solicit participant questions to dig into your real-life challenges.

Speakers

Joshua Crabtree

Kelly Shaw-Sutherland

Holly Stevens

Friday November 8, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

12:05pm EST

NLADA Awards Luncheon

Enjoy a luncheon with friends and colleagues while we honor this year's award winners. http://www.nlada.org/node/25656

Friday November 8, 2019 12:05pm - 2:15pm EST
Columbus Ballroom 4th Floor

2:30pm EST

Effective Succession Planning: Preparation for Continuity and Change

Effective succession planning has three purposes: avoiding (or managing) crises; preserving the knowledge of key staff members; and facing forward to promote healthy change. Legal aid colleagues who have planned and managed transitions and developed staff leadership for the future will share their successful strategies. Come to this session to share your own thoughts and best practices toward building organizational capacity as key staff members depart and new leadership develops.

Speakers

Colleen Cotter

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Lillian Johnson

Executive Director, Community Legal Services, Arizona

Lillian Johnson serves as the executive director of Community Legal Services, a position she has held since 1982 after relocating to Phoenix from the Chicago area. In her position as executive director, Lillian is responsible for the administration and oversight of Arizona’s largest... Read More →

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

Lee Pliscou

Executive Director, Micronesian Legal Services Corporation

Lee Pliscou has been the executive director of Micronesian Legal Services Corporation since 2012. Before coming to MLSC, he was with California Rural Legal Assistance, on and off, since 1987. His work in legal services provided him the opportunity to have been selected as one of the... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Marquette B 5th Floor

2:30pm EST

Is Competency the Floor or the Ceiling? Moving Beyond Cultural Competence Toward Cultural Humility: LGBTQI2S Best Practices

This training on cultural humility will a focus on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, two-spirit community. The session will provide a foundation for shared vocabulary and will offer opportunities to practice specific communication skills relevant to interacting with LGBT+ colleagues and clients. Participants will learn system of oppression theory and be able to identify ways they individually experience marginalization and privilege and how systems of oppression and multiple identities (class, (dis)ability, gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.) intersect and connect to larger structures and institutions. Participants will develop specific commitments they can make to positively and immediately change the work environment around them when they return to their organizations. Participants will identify at least one individual action or behavioral change they can make and at least one organizational policy or procedural change to recommend to their organizations.

Speakers

Elisa Gomez

Staff Attorney, Lakeshore Legal Aid

Elisa Gomez is a staff attorney at Lakeshore Legal Aid in Detroit Michigan. She graduated from Wayne State University Law School and is very close to her 10-year anniversary of doing legal services work. She practices in the areas of housing, public benefits (state and federal), and... Read More →

Lauren Lofton

Program Attorney, Legal Aid Association of California

Lauren Lofton is the program attorney at Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC) and serves as 1st chair of the LAAC diversity, equity, and inclusion board committee. Before joining LAAC, Lauren served as the senior subsidized housing policy analyst at Housing Rights Committee... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Joliet AB 5th Floor

2:30pm EST

2019 Reauthorization of VAWA: What’s At Stake for Native American and Alaska Native

According to the National Institute of Justice, 8 in 10 Native American/Alaska Native women will be raped, stalked, or abused in their lifetime, and 97 percent of those crimes are perpetrated by someone who is non-Native. Native women are murdered at a rate that is 10 times higher than the national average. Due to a complex web of federal laws and statutes, tribes have been prohibited from prosecuting non-Native perpetrators who commit these crimes on tribal land. A 2019 VAWA reauthorization bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives builds on previous efforts to address this unacceptable justice gap. The VAWA reauthorization has important provisions that stand to help more women living on reservations and other Native communities and to further empower tribes to address violence against Native women. Come hear from experts about what’s stake for Native communities in this important legislation and why it should matter to all of us.

Speakers

Kirsten Matoy Carlson

Associate Professor, Wayne State University

Professor Kirsten Matoy Carlson is a leading authority on federal Indian law and legislation. Her research focuses on legal advocacy and law reform, with particular attention on the various strategies used by Indian nations and indigenous groups to reform federal law and policy effectively... Read More →

Jocelyn Fabry

Judge, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Chief Judge Jocelyn Fabry has been the chief judge of the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Tribal Court since 2010. In this capacity, she is responsible for the administration of justice along with the overall organization and administration of the court and all of its programs. Chief Judge... Read More →

Rebecca Henry

Deputy Chief Counsel, ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence

Rebecca Henry is the deputy chief counsel of the Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence at the American Bar Association. Since joining the ABA, Rebecca has been actively involved in efforts to strengthen legal supports for survivors of gender-based violence, including the development... Read More →

Nikole Nelson

Executive Director, Alaska Legal Services Corporation

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
LaSalle B 5th Floor

Civil

2:30pm EST

Cross-System Collaboration: Powerful Partnering!

This session will explore how legal services programs can provide effective, efficient, and impactful services to clients and client communities by powerfully partnering with other systems, service providers, and stakeholders. Collaboration models, best practices, and resources will be shared – and attendees given a chance to apply lessons learned to their own situations. Examples of cross-system collaboration will be reviewed, including how interdisciplinary teams in Ohio fight elder abuse and exploitation; how a “Plan Ahead & Protect Yourself” project empowers elders to protect their legal rights, safety, assets, and self-determination; and how multi-disciplinary collective impact projects in the Dayton, Ohio, area provide new ways to better help clients protect their legal rights and fight poverty.

Speakers

Monica Walker

Community Outreach Committee Member, Dixon United Methodist Church

Monica Walker has more than 20 years of experience working in the social and human services sector in the interest of children and families, with the last 14 years working directly with the aging population. She is currently an elder services coordinator with the Elder Justice Initiative/Unit... Read More →

Diane Welborn

Ombudsman, Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio

Diane Welborn has been ombudsman for Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, since 1999. The office investigates complaints about government agencies and advocates for the rights of nursing home residents. Ms. Welborn completed her M.A. from the School of Social Service Administration... Read More →

Gary Weston

Senior Attorney, Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc.

A cum laude graduate of Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University Law School, Gary J. Weston started his legal aid career in Detroit in 1976. With 43 years of experience in legal services, he has served as executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Dayton, Maryland... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Marquette A 5th Floor

Civil

2:30pm EST

Legal Threats to State Bars: Potential Impact on IOLTA, Access to Justice Initiatives, and Funding for Civil Legal Aid

The decision of the United States Supreme Court in Janus v. AFSCME, 585 U.S. 16 (2018), has created new challenges for mandatory bar associations and providers of civil legal aid, potentially affecting the earlier ruling in Keller v. State Bar of California, 496 U.S. 1 (1990), which supported many of the programs of fully integrated state bars. The recent 8th Circuit decision in the Supreme Court’s remand of the case of Fleck v. Wetch, 868 F.3d 652 (2017), on Janus grounds, and federal court challenges in a number of states to the state bar’s access to justice initiatives and funding of civil legal aid and indigent defense have left a cloud of uncertainty among bar leaders, access to justice advocates, and civil legal aid and public defender programs. This session will explain these cases’ status and potential impact and engage participants in a discussion of next steps in preparing a community response.

Speakers

Janet Welch

Executive Director, State Bar of Michigan

Maria Thomas Jones

CEO, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas

Maria Thomas-Jones serves as Chief Executive Officer of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT). LANWT provides civil legal services to low-income individuals and organizations in 114 counties in North and West Texas, with offices in both urban and rural service areas. Prior to serving... Read More →

Betty Balli Torres

Executive Director, Texas Access to Justice Foundation

Don Saunders

Chris Buerger

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Richard A 5th Floor

Civil

2:30pm EST

Pro Bono on Flex-Time: How to Use Volunteer Lawyers Short on Time to Maximize Agency Capacity

Learn innovative strategies for recruiting volunteer attorneys with limited availability and thereby increase the capacity of legal aid agencies to offer pro bono services. This session will highlight creative programs that leverage the untapped resources of primarily at-home, part-time, or retired attorneys by offering a variety of accommodations that make it easy and convenient to volunteer, such as local or online training, short-term projects that can be done in less than a few hours during the school day or online 24/7, back-up attorney support, malpractice coverage, and more. This session will also offer an interactive discussion drawing out the experience, knowledge, and needs of a variety of legal service providers.

Speakers

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.

Jennifer Valentine

Vice President, Board of Directors, Pro Bono Network

Jennifer Valentine currently serves as the board vice president of Pro Bono Network, which creatively develops pro bono legal aid projects for volunteer attorneys with limited availability. She has been a legal aid volunteer attorney through Pro Bono Network since 2015. Before joining... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Cadillac B 5th Floor

Civil

2:30pm EST

Re-Regulating Access to Justice: Views on How Regulation Reform Can Unlock More Access to Those in Need

The legal profession is not serving the needs of the vast majority of people with legal problems. While legal consumers are struggling to find the legal help they need, lawyers are struggling to find business models that allow them to deliver legal services more effectively. Without change, the justice system will continue to be out of reach for most Americans. While many factors drive this significant problem, one solution to this challenge lies in the way legal services are regulated. Many in the profession, which is currently both the regulator and the regulated, would say the regulatory framework has been developed and perpetuated to protect consumers. Critics, including those within the profession, would say that the objective should be to serve consumers and society and that many current provisions stand between people and access to justice. Fortunately, all major stakeholders agree that we must find a way to ensure greater access to legal services for the people and organizations that need it. This session is part of an ongoing effort to make meaningful change, including SRLN webinars/teleconferences and aligned proposals for in-person dialogue at TIG, SRLN, and EJC. This session will provide an opportunity to learn about how current regulations and access to justice interact, how that dynamic might be changed, and what efforts are currently being pursued, through the lens of multiple perspectives that form the access to justice continuum.

Speakers

Katherine Alteneder

Natalie Knowlton

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Brule A 5th Floor

Civil

2:30pm EST

Statewide Approach to Eviction Prevention

Statewide and rural legal aid programs face unique challenges in addressing the needs of tenants in nonsubsidized rental housing and require a strategy different from that of programs in metropolitan areas. This panel will discuss how the Georgia Legal Services Program’s Eviction Prevention Project addressed these challenges by adopting a unit approach that provides coordinated statewide legal services to tenants of private landlords. We will discuss the obstacles created by having a team spread across the state and the approaches we adopted to overcome them, especially in the areas of client intake, staff training, and pro bono involvement. Learn how GLSP’s Eviction Prevention Project was able to identify systemic issues, such as landlords’ failure to make repairs, and craft solutions through litigation, advocacy, and engaging their communities. The panel includes a holistic picture of the Eviction Prevention Project and includes project attorneys, the Housing Program manager, and the EPP director.

Speakers

Kahlim Barclay

Eviction Prevention Project Staff Attorney, Georgia Legal Services Program, Inc.

Kahlim A. Barclay is the Eviction Prevention staff attorney with the Georgia Legal Services Program Augusta Regional Office. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Georgia College & State University. He received his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law. Kahlim’s... Read More →

Heidi Behnke

Housing Program Manager, Georgia Legal Services Program

Heidi E. Behnke is the Housing Program manager with Georgia Legal Services Program. She received her M.Sc. in Development Anthropology from the University of Durham. Ms. Behnke honed her abilities in designing, implementing, and analyzing results from academic and practical projects... Read More →

Elliott Gillooly

Eviction Prevention Project Staff Attorney, Georgia Legal Services Program, Inc.

Elliott Gillooly joined the Brunswick Office of the Georgia Legal Services Program as its Eviction Prevention Project attorney in April 2018. He moved to Brunswick from Washington, D.C., where he was a safety law and trial attorney at the Federal Railroad Administration. Elliott graduated... Read More →

Susan Reif

Eviction Prevention Project Director/Housing Attorney, Georgia Legal Services Program, Inc.

After 10 years as a staff attorney in the Augusta and Piedmont Offices of the Georgia Legal Services Program, Susan A. Reif became the Program’s housing attorney in 1997 and director of its Eviction Prevention Project in 2017. Ms. Reif supervises and works with GLSP staff on all... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
LaSalle A 5th Floor

Civil

2:30pm EST

The Immigration Crisis: What You Can Do to Join the Fight

Family separation, prolonged detention, "Remain in Mexico," crowded and abhorrent detention conditions. We have all seen the pictures and heard the news. This panel will examine litigation efforts around immigrants, their families, and even U.S. citizens who are affected by ever-evolving policies and how legal services organizations can work to support individuals, families, and communities. We will provide an overview of existing litigation, including: family separation; conditions at immigration detention centers, including constitutionally suspect prolonged detention; restrictions on asylum-seekers; child detention centers; increased denials of passports to U.S. Citizens; and cases arising out of affirmative humanitarian applications (prolonged processing times, fee waiver denials, public benefits considerations for VAWA, U-and T-visas). We will also review possible claims (APA, habeas, Declaratory Judgement, etc.) and other general issues involved with suing the government, such as governmental immunities and jurisdiction-stripping provisions of the INA.

Speakers

Christine Dutko

Immigration Attorney, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Christine Dutko is an immigration attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA), working out of its San Antonio office. Christine primarily represents undocumented victims of crime in their VAWA and U and T visa applications, as well as people applying to become lawful permanent... Read More →

Susan Watson

Group Coordinator-Individual Rights, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Susan Watson is the group coordinator for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s Individual Rights Practice Group, which consists of eight practice teams, including Civil Rights, Immigration, and Human Trafficking. Her practice focuses on civil rights litigation, primarily against federal... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Richard B 5th Floor

Civil

2:30pm EST

The Players in the School-to-Prison Pipeline Structure: Untangling the Complex Web of Inequities

This session will introduce participants to the Iceberg Model, a systems thinking approach used to examine the interconnected parts of systems and begin a discussion on how to untangle the complex systems and players that produce and perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline in each of our communities. The session includes an example of a systems change initiative that addresses racial inequities in school suspensions and expulsions.

Speakers

Kimberly Jones Merchant

Director of the Racial Justice Institute, Shriver Center on Poverty Law

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom West 5th Floor

Client

2:30pm EST

A New Strategy: Using Consumer Laws to Protect Criminal Defendants from Debt Collection Abuses

Cities and counties are increasingly teaming up with for-profit debt collectors to hound indigent criminal defendants for appointed counsel fees and other unpaid court debt. These debt collectors often threaten debtors with arrest and jail, fail to provide required disclosures, and commit other abuses – because they believe that when it comes to criminal justice debt, they are not bound by federal consumer protection laws. We think they are wrong, and we intend to prove it. The team behind the first-of-its-kind Fair Debt Collection Practices Act case against one of the country’s largest collectors of court debt will discuss its test case and how legal services advocates can use consumer laws to stop collection abuses.

Speakers

Alex Kornya

Litigation Director / General Counsel, Iowa Legal Aid

Leslie Bailey

Senior Attorney, Debtors’ Prison Project Director, Public Justice

Leslie Bailey is a senior attorney and the director of Public Justice’s Debtors’ Prison Project, a strategic litigation project using damages class actions, constitutional claims, and consumer protection laws to combat the criminalization of poverty. Since joining Public Justice... Read More →

Toby Marshall

Founding Member, Terrell Marshall Law Group

Toby J. Marshall is a founding member of Terrell Marshall Law Group PLLC, where he represents plaintiffs in class actions, collective actions, and other complex litigation involving wage and hour, consumer protection, and civil rights issues. Toby has tried and won cases in state... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Brule B 5th Floor

2:30pm EST

Legal Ethics in the Delivery of Legal Services: Technology, Conflicts, Confidentiality, & Fairness

Our values set the legal profession apart from everyone else. Our social compact gives us the right and privilege to provide legal services at the exclusion of all others. Our core values center around our obligations to avoid conflicts of interest and to maintain our clients’ confidences. This program looks at the ways that communications through technology have both facilitated and frustrated our obligations to meet these values. Our conversation will explore aspects of our obligations and share insights into the best practices being used in the legal services community, balancing the goals of ethical compliance, client protection and technologi¬cal expedience.

Speakers

Bob Gillett

Volunteer, Michigan Advocacy Program

Kenneth Mogill

Partner, Mogill, Posner & Cohen

Kenneth M. Mogill, a partner in the law firm Mogill, Posner & Cohen, earned his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1968 with distinction in honors political science and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1971. Since 2002, he has been... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom East 5th Floor

2:30pm EST

The Impartial Jury: Is It a Real Thing?

Achieving a jury make up that is representative of your client’s peers is a Sixth Amendment guarantee, but it is a right that can be elusive.

Speakers

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 →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Duluth AB 5th Floor

2:30pm EST

The Research Quotient

Research + Results = Reform. NLADA has a host of resources – including toolkits, reports, and guides – to help defenders undertake research projects to improve their services and to demonstrate to funders and others why that matters. Come learn about supports to launch your own research project: how to find grants, how to find research partners, and how to get free advice about getting started. Some of the resources that will be mentioned in this session include new publications from BJA’s Innovative Solutions in Public Defense Initiative and NLADA’s Building Research Capacity work. Participants are encouraged to talk about projects they are interested in pursuing.

Speakers

Michael Mrozinski

Staff Attorney, Defender Legal Services, NLADA

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 →

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Nicolet A 5th Floor

2:30pm EST

Leading for Fundraising Success: What Every Executive Director Should Know about Private Fundraising

As the executive director, you are your organization’s leader on fundraising. To be successful in that role, there are things that you need to know and understand about successful fundraising. Come to this session to gain key fundraising knowledge and skills, including understanding your responsibilities, how to increase volunteer involvement, and how to hire and effectively support a development director.

Speakers

Kathleen McGarvey

Executive Director, Ohio State Legal Services Association

Kathleen C. McGarvey is the executive director of the Ohio State Legal Services Association, which includes the Legal Aid Society of Columbus (LASC), Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, and the Ohio Poverty Law Center. Previously, she was the director of LASC as well as the managing... Read More →

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.

Alyson Robbins

Manager of Outreach & Development, Michigan Advocacy Program

Friday November 8, 2019 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

4:00pm EST

Break

Catch up with old friends and new. Visit our exhibitors.

Friday November 8, 2019 4:00pm - 4:15pm EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

4:15pm EST

Developing Leaders of Color for the Next Generation

This workshop/discussion is being put on by the African American Project Directors Association and will address the issues of ways to cultivate, develop, mentor, and maintain diverse leadership through generational transitions.

Speakers

Gina Polley

Deputy Chief Counsel, Maryland Legal Aid

Gina E. Polley is currently the deputy chief counsel for Maryland Legal Aid in Baltimore, Maryland. At Maryland Legal Aid, Gina oversees all of the MLA offices throughout the state, ensuring excellence in the delivery of legal services. Before coming to Maryland, Gina worked at the... Read More →

Quisquella Addison

Runa Rajagopal

Managing Director, Civil Action Practice, The Bronx Defenders

Miguel Willis

Anthony Young

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Marquette B 5th Floor

4:15pm EST

100% Access: How Providing a Rich Continuum of Services Can Lead to Justice For All

It is clear that the way to 100 percent access to justice for civil legal needs can't be met by arranging for every client with a legal problem to have an attorney. The good news is that there are many options between leaving people to fend for themselves and providing full representation – and this rich continuum of services is the key to ensuring everyone with a legal problem gets some kind of help. The Justice For All inventory process has given states a chance both to highlight the innovative tools, services, and delivery models that have been developed to address this problem and to identify where barriers still exist.

Moderators

Maura Kelly

Speakers

Nalani Fujimori Kaina

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii

Angela Tripp

Co-Executive Director, Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services

Bridget Gernander

Amanda Kool

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Brule A 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Coming Soon…LSC’s New and Improved Accounting Manual, Now Called “Financial Management Accountability Guide”

This session is designed to be an interactive discussion with LSC grantees regarding changes in, and new requirements of, LSC’s Accounting Manual as well as the timing for release and implementation of the revisions. The first half of the session will be spent defining and explaining the changes made to internal controls and fiscal-related requirements. The remainder of the workshop will be spent in a question and answer session.

Speakers

Stuart Axenfeld

Deputy Director of Fiscal Compliance, Legal Services Corporation

Corrine Campbell

Fiscal Compliance Analyst, Legal Services Corporation

Corrine Campbell is a fiscal compliance analyst with the Legal Services Corporation’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement. She previously worked as a risk manager for a health services nonprofit, where she collaborated with executive management to design and implement the organization’s... Read More →

Mark Watts

Fiscal Compliance Analyst, Legal Services Corporation

Mark Watts is a fiscal compliance analyst within the Legal Services Corporation’s (LSC) Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE). He provides LSC grantees with compliance-related advice and conducts evaluations of LSC grantees in assessing compliance risks. He also played a major... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom East 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Getting Beyond the Numbers: Building Strategic Work to Achieve Systems Change

Funder expectations for particular work and high case numbers can drive and define an organization’s work if leaders do not intentionally manage program advocacy; this is true even when leaders have the desire and skills to build creative and aggressive systemic work on behalf of client communities. This session will discuss how advocacy leaders at all management levels can step back from the pressures of individual casework and strategically address client problems in innovative ways, with a goal of broad impact and long-term change for clients. Discussion will include how leaders can make time and build support for strategic advocacy, and presenters will provide examples of successful organizational efforts to build systemic change advocacy along with quality individual client service.

Speakers

Kathleen Creamer

Managing Attorney, Family Advocacy Unit, Community Legal Services

Kathleen Creamer is the managing attorney of the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services, which represents parents in all stages of dependency proceedings. She joined CLS as a staff attorney in the Family Advocacy Unit in 2006. In addition to individual representation of... Read More →

Maria Thomas Jones

CEO, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas

Cathy Carr

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Richard B 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

It Takes a Village: Serving Students and Families with Lawyers in the Schools

Strong schools support students and their caregivers, and placing lawyers in schools strengthens that support. Come learn how civil legal aid attorneys having a regular presence in schools aimed at serving low-income students can present multifaceted opportunities for clients. Since 2015, Maryland Legal Aid’s Community Lawyering Initiative has served more than 10,000 individuals statewide by establishing legal clinics in community spaces. In 2019, the project expanded and began offering services in schools in Baltimore City and the surrounding metropolitan area. Lawyers in schools offer unique opportunities to address concerns of families in kinship care and systemic issues with landlords, to engage in representation of neighborhood associations/groups, and to empower students to have a voice in social justice issues. This session will detail how to start a lawyer-in-the-schools program, identify partners, obtain funding, administer clinics in the setting, leverage involvement from the private bar, and overcome hurdles as they arise.

Speakers

Meaghan McDermott

Maryland Legal Aid, Project Director, Community Lawyering Initiative

Meaghan McDermott is the supervising attorney and project director of the Community Lawyering Initiative at Maryland Legal Aid. The Initiative conducts mobile legal clinics in community spaces across the state. Meaghan has been with Legal Aid since February 2017. Before Legal Aid... Read More →

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 November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
LaSalle B 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Lead Hazards in Housing: Advocacy to Address a Moral Outrage

The rates of lead poisoning in Detroit are obscene: 9 percent of children in Detroit have lead poisoning. The primary source of lead exposure to children is lead hazards in housing due to lead‐based paint. First, the panel will discuss the nature, scope, and impact of lead poisoning and lead hazards in housing. Second, the panel will discuss various opportunities for local collaboration among: (1) health departments; (2) medical personnel; (3) lead inspectors/risk assessors; (4) government enforcement agencies; (5) legal services attorneys; and (6) private bar. Third, panelists will discuss the impact of local housing codes and local code enforcement efforts. Finally, Lakeshore Legal Aid will provide legal aid-specific advocacy solutions for both affirmative and defensive litigation, including the potential for impact litigation and practical considerations (including evidence gathering, expert witnesses, emotional distress/mental anguish damages, separation of parent as client, and preservation of personal injury claims for the child).

Speakers

Lyke Thompson

Professor, Dep't of Political Science and Director, Center for Urban Studies, Wayne State University

Dr. Thompson has many years of experience as a professor, teacher, author, evaluator, innovator, and administrator. He is the director of Wayne State’s Center for Urban Studies, and, in that role, he has developed and sustained programs in the areas of community policing, community... Read More →

Eli Savit

Senior Advisor and Counsel to the Mayor, City of Detroit-Mayor's Office

Since 2016, Eli Savit has served as senior adviser and counsel to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. As the top attorney in the Mayor's Office, Mr. Savit provides legal counsel on issues concerning the city and its executive branch and oversees legal strategy on high-profile legislation... Read More →

Aimee Surma

Lead Program Manager, Detroit Health Department

Aimee Surma received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan. Aimee is the program manager for the Detroit Health Department Lead Prevention and Intervention Program. She oversees the case management of children with elevated... Read More →

Todd Pierce-Ryan

Staff Attorney, Systemic Advocacy Unit, Lakeshore Legal Aid

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
LaSalle A 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Medical Legal Partnerships: Moving Forward

Medical Legal Partnerships (MLPs) have gained momentum in the legal services world. They typically occur in clinical medical settings including hospitals, HRSA funded health clinics, Veterans Health Administration facilities, and behavioral health organizations. Come to learn about a county-wide MLP model in Washtenaw County, Michigan, as well as a community-based model that takes doctors and lawyers on the road in Baltimore and across Maryland. By integrating legal and medical services in communities, common obstacles faced by low-income individuals, such as lack of health insurance, inability to access transportation, poorly functioning municipal services, and substance abuse, can be readily addressed. Examples include smoking cessation programs at public housing units, expungement clinics at drug treatment centers, presentations during women’s health screenings at sex worker outreaches, and medical screenings in public library clinics. Join us to hear from medical and legal staff about the power of these partnerships.

Moderators

Alyson Robbins

Manager of Outreach & Development, Michigan Advocacy Program

Speakers

Leah Rappaport

Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

Dr. Rappaport is an assistant professor in the Division of Hospital Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan. She completed her undergraduate degree in Cultural Anthropology at Kenyon College and her medical degree at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine... Read More →

Sarah Munro

Pro Bono Manager, Michigan Advocacy Program

Sarah Munro is the Pro Bono Manager for Michigan Advocacy Program, a recipient of the PBIF Transformation Grant. As Pro Bono Manager, she is responsible for launching and developing a new, robust pro bono department, which will facilitate pro bono case placement and programs in Legal... Read More →

Christina Ochoa

Staff Attorney, Maryland Legal Aid

Christina Ochoa is a staff attorney with Maryland Legal Aid's Community Lawyering Initiative. Christina travels throughout the state of Maryland to deliver legal services to low income individuals in underserved communities. She advises and represents people in civil matters including... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Joliet AB 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Optimizing Language Translation in the Age of Machine Learning: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This workshop will address advances in Artificial Intelligence and the impact of Machine Translation, including the allure of Machine Translation for under-resourced legal groups and agencies, including courts. We will provide examples of when and how using machine translation fails with legal language, and we will offer best practices and examples when it might be the exception to use these newer tools as a standard source for interpretations or translations. We will incorporate notions of cultural competency, implicit bias, and race equity to explain the harm of poor translation on those who speak a language other than English at home. The discussion will discuss how this community can create a standard of practice in the civil legal aid and public defender community that honors our ethical and legal obligations to provide competent and candid communication and representation. We hope to explore best practices of using AI responsibly, including voice recognition technology and simultaneous interpreter tools.

Speakers

Joann Lee

Special Counsel on Language Justice, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Lillian Moy

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of NE New York

IV Ashton

Founder and President, LegalServer and Houston.AI

Mr. Ashton has a proven track record of providing technical assistance to nonprofit organizations with regard to designing, developing, and implementing vital information and knowledge management solutions. As the co-founder of the Illinois Legal Aid Online, Mr. Ashton developed the... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Marquette A 5th Floor

Civil

4:15pm EST

Centering the Voices of Directly Affected People

Speakers

Ronald Simpson-Bey

Director of Outreach and Alumni Engagement, JustLeadershipUSA

Ronald D. Simpson-Bey is a national leader in the movement to decarcerate America, currently working as the director of outreach and alumni engagement for JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA). He is also a 2015 Leading with Conviction (LwC) Fellow with JLUSA. Ronald is an LPI-trained Leadership... Read More →

Doug Smith

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom West 5th Floor

Client

4:15pm EST

Calling All Advocates: What To Do about Court-Ordered Debt

Nearly two centuries ago, the U.S. ended the use of debtors’ prisons, yet today countless Americans are incarcerated simply because they cannot afford to pay court-ordered fines and fees. Thanks to renewed focus on these practices in recent years, civil and defender advocates, judges, and researchers across the country have been leading efforts to change or end these practices that burden underserved and marginalized Americans, and sometimes result in the loss of liberty for our clients. This panel discussion will take an in-depth look at successful reform efforts across the country, which can be replicated in your jurisdiction, from a diverse array of subject-matter experts.

Speakers

Alex Kornya

Litigation Director / General Counsel, Iowa Legal Aid

Mary Pattillo

Harold Washington Professor of Sociology and African American Studies, Northwestern University

Mary Pattillo is the Harold Washington Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University. Her pathbreaking work uses Chicago as a laboratory to explore the entanglements of racial, ethnic, and class inequities as these intersect with urban space and gentrification... Read More →

Larry D. Williams, Jr.

Judge, 36th District Court

Judge Larry D. Williams, Jr. has served the 36th District Court since 2016. He is a graduate of both the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School and currently presides over the Traffic/Criminal docket. He was an assistant prosecutor for Wayne County from 2004... Read More →

Brandy Robinson

Supervising Attorney, Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit

Brandy Robinson is a supervising attorney at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit (NDS). Before joining NDS, she worked as a deputy defender at the Federal Defender Office, where she represented indigent clients at all stages of the criminal process. She appeared regularly... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

4:15pm EST

Appearance Advocacy: Using Technology to Engage Clients, Secure Better Dispositions, and Support Bail Reform

Court appearance by clients has become critically important. Historically, appearance has always been significant, as a failure to do so often subjects a client, once at liberty, to pre-trial incarceration. Recent studies completed by Bail Fund’s across the country have shown how significant being at liberty pre-trial is in regard to case dispositions – more dismissals and non-jail dispositions for out of custody client. Given these results, ensuring a client’s presence in court should be an important part of client representation, but it is one often overlooked by attorneys. Additionally, on a more macro scale, the success of the bail reform movement is dependent on individuals at liberty pre-trial making their court appearances. Skeptics of bail reform are watching closely, at the ready to turn back the progress that has recently been accomplished with any increase in a jurisdiction's Failure to Appear rate. A return to the days where pre-trial incarceration is the default and not the exception yields no winners, both in terms of the financial cost and, more significantly, the damage incarceration inflicts on individuals and communities. The workshop will focus on an often overlooked part of client representation – appearance advocacy. Given the current findings regarding favorable outcomes for non-incarcerated clients and the serious consequences for missing court, public defenders need to give attention to getting clients to court. Given high caseloads and inadequate funding, public defenders are constrained in terms of time and resources. The workshop examines how technology can be used by public defenders as a time-saving, representation-enhancing tool to engage clients, strengthen communication, and remind clients of their appearance obligations. A discussion of the science behind text message reminders, participants will have a better understanding of the issues preventing clients from getting to court and how to best engage clients, thus increasing the likelihood a client will appear in court. The workshop will be led by a former public defender/manager of a holistic defender office with 17 years’ experience in the field and who currently works for a tech start-up focused on technological solutions public defenders can use as part of their representation of clients. Co-leading the panel will be a manager from a public defender office currently using text message reminders and who can discuss the positive impact technology has on client representation. Both presenters will discuss how public defenders should consider using technology to enhance their client representation and to support bail reform movements.

Speakers

Seann Riley

Director of Partnerships, Uptrust

Ellen McDonnell

Deputy Public Defender, Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Richard A 5th Floor

4:15pm EST

Reentry in Rural Areas: How to Advance Holistic Defense

As several public defender offices are now being created in Michigan, many indigent clients live in rural areas that do not have the resources or accessibility to services that are key components to implementing holistic defense. This workshop will discuss the barriers that have been encountered by the Muskegon, Allegan, and Van Buren County Public Defenders Offices and how the offices have worked to resolve the barriers. We will share experiences of overcoming barriers, including the struggles faced with stakeholder buy-in, client engagement, and creating community partnerships.

Speakers

Chad Catalino

Director, Allegan/Van Buren County Public Defender's Office

Manda Mitteer

Holistic Defense Director/Family Division Chief, Muskegon County Office of the Public Defender

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Nicolet A 5th Floor

4:15pm EST

Revising the ABA Ten Principles

A Working Group of the ABA's Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense has been drafting a proposed update of the ABA Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System. Members of the Working Group will present at this listening session to discuss the proposed revisions and hear comments and concerns from the community.

Speakers

Brendon Woods

Chief Public Defender, Alameda County Public Defenders

Malia Brink

Counsel for Indigent Defense, ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense

Malia N. Brink has spent 20 years working on criminal justice reform issues with a focus on public defense reform. She currently serves as the counsel for indigent defense to the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense (ABA SCLAID). Brink also serves as the deputy... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Duluth AB 5th Floor

4:15pm EST

The A-B-Cs of Fundraising for Board Members

Being a board member for a nonprofit organization is an honor and a huge responsibility. Many board members don’t understand that they must play an active role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the organization. Boards play a vital role in fundraising for their organizations. Unfortunately, many of them want to avoid the “F” word. This session will walk participants through the ABCs of fundraising for board members and provide actionable steps on how a board member can be an ambassador, benefactor, and campaigner.

Speakers

Charmaine S. Torma

President & Founder, Charmaine Torma Consulting LLC

Charmaine Torma is the founder and president of Charmaine Torma Consulting LLC (CTC), a boutique consulting firm empowering not-for-profits to advance their missions through strategy and innovation. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), and, for the past 20 years, she has... Read More →

Friday November 8, 2019 4:15pm - 5:45pm EST
Cadillac A 5th Floor

6:00pm EST

Black Public Defender Association (BPDA) Section Meeting

Friday November 8, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Marquette B 5th Floor

6:00pm EST

Latino Advocates Section Meeting

Hear about the top issues our group is addressing now.

Friday November 8, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Joliet AB 5th Floor

6:00pm EST

Native American Section/National Association of Indian Legal Services (NAILS) Meeting

Hear about the top issues our groups are addressing now.

Friday November 8, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Duluth AB 5th Floor

6:30pm EST

Free To Ride: The Documentary

Attend this screening of the documentary produced by the Ohio State University's Kirwan Institute that seeks to address the question of whether or not public transportation is a civil rights issue.

Friday November 8, 2019 6:30pm - 7:30pm EST
Richard B 5th Floor

7:00pm EST

African American Project Directors Association (AAPDA) Meeting

Friday November 8, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Marquette B 5th Floor

7:30pm EST

BPDA Member Reception

Friday November 8, 2019 7:30pm - 8:30pm EST
NDS-Detroit 500 Griswold Street, 29th Floor

7:30am EST

Continental Breakfast

Get your day started right! Have a bite and visit with our exhibitors.

Saturday November 9, 2019 7:30am - 8:30am EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

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 November 9, 2019 7:30am - 10:30am EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

7:30am EST

Registration

Check-in with NLADA's registration staff to get your name badge, conference program, and other materials.

Saturday November 9, 2019 7:30am - 10:30am EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

8:30am EST

LSC Compliance Oversight: What Every Grantee Should Know about Common Compliance Concerns and Expected Changes to Oversight in 2020 and Beyond

This session will focus on 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. There will also be a discussion of recent LSC regulatory revisions and the impact those changes have had on LSC oversight. Finally, attendees will learn about changes to OCE visit reports and the ongoing increase in training and technical assistance provided to grantees.

Speakers

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 →

Lora Rath

Director, Office of Compliance and Enforcement, Legal Services Corporation

Lora M. Rath is the director of the Legal Service Corporation’s (LSC) Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE). LSC, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans in the nation. LSC promotes equal access... Read More →

Saturday November 9, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Mackinac Ballroom 5th Floor

Civil

8:30am EST

Raid Response: Know Your Civil and Family Law Rights Relating to Immigration Law Enforcement

This workshop discuss how client board members and communities can coordinate with legal aid programs to provide Know Your Rights trainings about individuals’ civil rights against illegal law enforcement actions, including overzealous immigration raids. The workshop will also cover how to provide coordinated civil legal assistance to affected immigrant communities in the areas of family law, protection of private property, and how to access social services for those affected by raids.

Speakers

Emma Alaniz

Client Representative, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid

Emma Alaniz is a client representative on the board of directors of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid in Edinburg, Texas.

Carlos Blanco

Client Board Member, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Ralph Carrasco

Client Board Member, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Ramona Casas

Client Representative, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc.

Daniela Dwyer

Farmworker Attorney, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid

Daniela Dwyer is a farmworker attorney at Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid in Mercedes, Texas.

Ofelia Zapata

Client Representative, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc.

Saturday November 9, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Brule AB 5th Floor

Client

8:30am EST

What You Should Know about Mass Incarceration and Why It Matters To Your Practice

More than 1 out of every 20 people in the United States have been to prison. One-third have criminal records. Among Black Americans, the rates are much higher: 15 percent have been to prison and fully HALF of Black men have a criminal record. This workshop explores how involvement in the criminal (in)justice system affects clients represented by civil legal services attorneys and explores some of the collateral consequences of a conviction of which public defenders should be aware.

Speakers

Alan Mills

Nicole Schult

Marie Claire Tran-Leung

Saturday November 9, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Cadillac B 5th Floor

8:30am EST

Discussion Group: Oppression & Privilege: Black, White, Latino, LGBTQ- What can you do from your place of privilege?

This session will be an interactive discussion and exploration of the ways in which race, class, privilege, and oppression affect advocates' work in the office, the courthouse, and the relationships with/advocacy of our clients.

Speakers

Michael Carter

Supervising Attorney, Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit

Michael Carter is a supervising attorney at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit. He is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School and the University of Michigan, where he received a B.A. in English. Before joining the Neighborhood Defender Service, he worked as a deputy... Read More →

Porsha Venable

Staff Attorney, The Bronx Defenders

Born, raised, and still residing in the Bronx, Porsha-Shaf’on received her J.D. from California Western School of Law and her MSW from New York University School of Social Work. She initially worked at the Bronx Defenders as a forensic social worker. During law school, she returned... Read More →

Saturday November 9, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Richard A 5th Floor

8:30am EST

How to Impeach a Cop on Racial Bias

Cross-examination is a fundamental tool in the trial lawyer's toolbox, and there is no part of trial practice that can be more difficult or rewarding. This session will focus on techniques and paradigms for crossing a cop and how to introduce racial bias into your technique. This session will be led by a nationally recognized duo who will share their proven and time-tested methods for cross-examining. You will hone your cross-examination skills through this advanced course and learn to apply them in the small group exercises.

NOTE: Attendees are strongly encouraged to do all of the 3-part series with lecture and small group exercises.

Speakers

Heather Pinckney

Partner, Harden & Pinckney LLC

Heather Pinckney is currently a partner at Harden & Pinckney, PLLC, a boutique law firm located in downtown Washington, D.C. Harden & Pinckney, PLLC, specializes in criminal defense litigation, contract, divorce, and family law. Before entering into private practice, Ms. Pinckney... Read More →

Heather Pinckney

Trial Attorney, Harden & Pinckney, PLLC

Saturday November 9, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Richard B 5th Floor

8:30am EST

Cultivate a Culture of Philanthropy Within Your Legal Services Agency

Developing a philanthropic culture within your legal services organization is not difficult, but it does take time and work. Building and maintaining relationships is quite rewarding, and it is much easier than “raising funds” from individuals who do not believe in your mission. Understand the major players in cultivating a philanthropic culture and learn easy-to-implement strategies to increase donations to your organization. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: (1) Define and explain the importance of philanthropic culture within an organization; (2) Understand the major players in cultivating a philanthropic culture; and (3) Provide easy-to-implement strategies to cultivate a philanthropic culture.

Speakers

Charmaine S. Torma

President & Founder, Charmaine Torma Consulting LLC

Saturday November 9, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

10:00am EST

Break

Catch up with old friends and new. Visit our exhibitors.

Saturday November 9, 2019 10:00am - 10:30am EST
Renaissance Foyer 4th Floor

10:30am EST

Hot Topics in Civil Legal Aid

This session will feature an interactive conversation among NLADA staff and others with the audience around a number of current developments related to civil legal aid. Among the issues to be discussed will be: (1) LSC legislative, board, and regulatory matters; (2) non-LSC federal funding; (3) legal challenges to integrated state bars; (4) Public Services Loan Forgiveness; (5) NLADA’s research on legal technology; (6) 2020 decennial census; and (7) other matters of interest to the civil legal aid community.

Speakers

Casey Chiappetta

Senior Program Associate, National Legal Aid & Defender Association

David Miller

Deputy Director, Policy Initiatives, National Legal Aid & Defender Assc

Chris Buerger

Don Saunders

Radhika Singh

Saturday November 9, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Mackinac Ballroom 5th Floor

Civil

10:30am EST

Persevering Through Your Past, Living with a Purpose, and Working with a Passion!

Speakers

Ed Burnette

Consultant, Inspired Vision

LaTonya Myers

Saturday November 9, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Brule AB 5th Floor

Client

10:30am EST

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Using Public Health and Legal Advocacy to Fight for and Release Detained Immigrants

Al Otro Lado’s Otay Mesa Detention Center Release Project has partnered with public health professionals to incorporate medical advocacy with legal arguments, creating a collaborative method to free detained individuals from migrant prisons and preserve due process. This joint effort has received national attention for its innovative and successful work releasing people from detention on their own recognizance through bond or parole. The workshop will focus on showing others how to create their own project through examples, case studies, tips, and recommendations.

Speakers

Anne Rios

Kaylin Rosal

MPH Candidate, University of San Francisco

Saturday November 9, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Cadillac B 5th Floor

10:30am EST

When CPS Knocks: Leveraging the Family First Act to Support Holistic Legal Advocacy

When CPS arrives at a family’s doorstep, its legal aid attorney or public defender may be the first line of support. How might practitioners help clients navigate this often scary and daunting process? To provide effective advice and assistance, practitioners must be familiar with the recently passed Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) and its implications for parents, kinship caregivers, and youth. The presenters will introduce the FFPSA legal framework, with particular attention to new incentives for child protection agencies to prioritize research-based prevention strategies and family integrity. Attendees will learn practice resources for integrated legal advocacy, including a Legal Guide to FFPSA. The workshop will also review FFPSA elements relevant to older youth experiencing child welfare systems – including restrictions around use of congregate care. This discussion will be particularly applicable to advocates interested in an aligned effort to keep court-involved youth living with family and out of harmful placements.

Speakers

Allison Greene

Legal Director, National Association of Counsel for Children

Beth Kurtz

Attorney, ABA Center on Children and the Law

Beth Kurtz joined the ABA Center on Children and the Law in March 2019. Before that, she was a supervising attorney at Children’s Law Center in Washington, D.C., where she managed attorneys representing children in abuse and neglect cases and carried a limited caseload herself... Read More →

Jeyanthi Rajaraman

Chief Counsel, Legal Services of New Jersey, Inc.

Jeyanthi Rajaraman is the chief counsel and chief attorney of Legal Services of New Jersey’s Family Representation Project (FRP). The FRP provides parents in child abuse or neglect and termination of parental rights litigation with information, advice, and representation. Additionally... Read More →

Saturday November 9, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Nicolet B 5th Floor

10:30am EST

Advanced Cross: Small Group Exercises

This session will be a small group exercise for attendees to practice advance cross examination. Each small group will have an experienced litigator to train them and give individual feedback. This session will be a skills practice application of the principles from the earlier lecture, “Impeaching a Cop!”

Speakers

Heather Pinckney

Partner, Harden & Pinckney LLC

Heather Pinckney

Trial Attorney, Harden & Pinckney, PLLC

Saturday November 9, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Richard B 5th Floor

10:30am EST

Movement Lawyering: How to Increase Power & Justice for Communities Affected by the System

Movement lawyering is a concept being used by grassroots organizations, attorneys, and advocates that ground the work in the leadership and lived experiences of communities most directly affected. The strategic goal is not just litigation, but rather holistic strategies that center and support the genius of ordinary people to attack systems and build long-term power. This session will include the voices from the directly affected community, local advocates, and defenders who are committed to this new movement of lawyering.

Speakers

Bryon Conway

Assitant Federal Defender, Federal Defender Program, Inc.

Byron L. Conway Jr. is a criminal defense attorney with a passion for advocating for the most marginalized in our society – those who are often unheard, disregarded, and disrespected by a system that every day fails to see their basic humanity. Byron’s passion for the work he... Read More →

Regina Kelly

NLADA Board of Directors, Client Advocate, Hearne, TX

Desiree Ferguson

Legal Director & Senior Staff Attorney, Detroit Justice Center

Desiree M. Ferguson is the legal director and senior staff attorney of the Detroit Justice Center. Before joining DJC, Desiree retired after serving for more than 26 years as an assistant defender at the State Appellate Defender Office, where she specialized in handling criminal defense... Read More →

Saturday November 9, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm EST
Richard A 5th Floor

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.

Saturday November 9, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBD Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center

1:00pm EST

Advanced Cross: Small Group Exercises

Speakers

Heather Pinckney

Partner, Harden & Pinckney LLC

Heather Pinckney

Trial Attorney, Harden & Pinckney, PLLC

Saturday November 9, 2019 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST
Richard B 5th Floor

1:00pm EST

Voir Dire + Race

The selection of a jury is one of the important components to trying a case, and the role of race in that process cannot be overlooked. Many defenders struggle with developing effective strategies on how to raise issues of racial bias with potential jurors and how to challenge preemptory strikes from prosecutors. This session will provide an in-depth discussion about effective ways to tackle these issues in the courtroom, and attendees will walk away with practical tips to apply to their practice.

Speakers

La Mer Kyle-Griffiths

Director of Training and Complex Litigation, Still She Rises

Saturday November 9, 2019 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST
Cadillac B 5th Floor