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2019 NLADA Annual Conference-Innovative Justice has ended
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Thursday, November 7
 

10:30am EST

Civil Caucus: Environmental Injustice: Intersecting Issues, Responses, and Remedies
Feedback Survey
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
BK

Bonsitu Kitaba

Deputy Legal Director, ACLU of Michigan
MP

Michael Pitt

Founding Partner, Pitt McGehee Palmer & Rivers
JN

Jill Nylander

Executive Director, Legal Services of Eastern Michigan
TL

Tony Lasher

Regional Disaster Officer, American Red Cross - Michigan Region

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

2:15pm EST

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

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 →
avatar for Nalani Fujimori Kaina

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 →
avatar for Susan Choe

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 →
avatar for Angela Tripp

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Joann Lee

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 →
BR

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 →
DS

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 →
avatar for Paul Uyehara

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Jim Sandman

Jim Sandman

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

Speakers
avatar for Carol Bergman

Carol Bergman

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

Colleen Cotter

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Colleen Cotter (she/her) is Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.  Legal Aid’s staff of 145+ (including 75+ lawyers) secures secure justice, equity, and access to opportunity for and with people who have low incomes through passionate legal representation and... Read More →
NN

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
avatar for Betty Balli Torres

Betty Balli Torres

Executive Director, Texas Access to Justice Foundation
Betty Balli Torres has served as the Executive Director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the largest Texas-based funder for legal services to the poor, since October 2001. Betty has a career dedicated to public interest work. Betty started as a staff attorney at Legal Aid... Read More →

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
Feedback Survey
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
SA

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 →
RA

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 →
MF

Mark Fessler

Deputy Director of Litigation and Training, 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 →
NH

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 →
GS

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Daniela Dwyer

Daniela Dwyer

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

Bristow Hardin

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

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
Feedback Survey
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
SF

Sally Friedman

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

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 →
SD

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
Feedback Survey
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
NM

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 →
avatar for Nick Parker

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 →
avatar for John Pollock

John Pollock

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

Shira Wakschlag

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

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

4:15pm EST

Are You Ready for the Next Disaster: A Roundtable Discussion
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Andrew VanSingel

Andrew VanSingel

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

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Robert Barge

Robert Barge

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

Bristow Hardin

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

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
Feedback Survey
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
SA

Shelly Agarwala

Director of Intake, Legal Services NYC
avatar for Rex Chen

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 →
avatar for Tobi Erner

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 →
ST

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Matt Currie

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 →
AS

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 →
AS

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
Feedback Survey
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
AM

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 →
avatar for Kimberly Sanchez

Kimberly Sanchez

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

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Emily Campbell

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 →
avatar for Colleen Cotter

Colleen Cotter

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Colleen Cotter (she/her) is Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.  Legal Aid’s staff of 145+ (including 75+ lawyers) secures secure justice, equity, and access to opportunity for and with people who have low incomes through passionate legal representation and... Read More →
avatar for Steven McGarrity

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for David Bonebrake

David Bonebrake

Program Counsel, Legal Services Corporation
David Bonebrake is a Program Counsel at Legal Services Corporation and is responsible for helping manage LSC’s Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) Program. TIG funds innovative technology projects that improve quality and access to legal services across
avatar for Alison Paul

Alison Paul

Executive Director, Montana Legal Services Association
Alison Paul has been the Executive Director of the Montana Legal Services Association in Helena, Montana since 2011, and with the program since 1998. Alison attended law school at the University of Kansas, and was in private practice in Chicago, Illinois, primarily advising tax-exempt... Read More →
avatar for Ilenia Sanchez-Bryson

Ilenia Sanchez-Bryson

Chief Program & Innovation Officer, Legal Services of Greater Miami
Ilenia has been at LSGMI for over 18 years with experience in managing teams, project management, using technology to improve internal operations and client services, and grant writing & oversight. Ilenia can be reached at isanchezbryson@legalservicesmiami.org.
avatar for Angela Tripp

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
Feedback Survey
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
MD

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.
NH

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 →
LJ

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 →
JM

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
Feedback Survey
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
DL

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 →
JN

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 →
JP

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
 
Friday, November 8
 

8:30am EST

Changing the Unauthorized Practice of Law Rules in More Than a Few Ways, Now
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Nicole Bradick

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 →
avatar for John Pollock

John Pollock

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

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
avatar for David Udell

David Udell

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

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

8:30am EST

Emerging Leadership: Developing Skills to Lead
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Colleen Cotter

Colleen Cotter

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Colleen Cotter (she/her) is Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.  Legal Aid’s staff of 145+ (including 75+ lawyers) secures secure justice, equity, and access to opportunity for and with people who have low incomes through passionate legal representation and... Read More →
avatar for Nalani Fujimori Kaina

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 →
avatar for Alison Paul

Alison Paul

Executive Director, Montana Legal Services Association
Alison Paul has been the Executive Director of the Montana Legal Services Association in Helena, Montana since 2011, and with the program since 1998. Alison attended law school at the University of Kansas, and was in private practice in Chicago, Illinois, primarily advising tax-exempt... Read More →

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
Feedback Survey
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
CC
AG
KS

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

8:30am EST

Language Justice in Legal Services
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Joann Lee

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 →
avatar for Ana Paula Noguez

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 →
avatar for Alena Uliasz

Alena Uliasz

Manager Language Justice Initiative, 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
Feedback Survey
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
PP

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
Feedback Survey
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
JE

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 →
avatar for Amie Lewis

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 →
CC

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 →
BW

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Christa Figgins

Christa Figgins

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

Stephanie Hudson

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

Shirley Peng

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

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

8:30am EST

State Funding Roundtable
Feedback Survey
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
JB
SD
DS

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
Feedback Survey
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
ME

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 →
JT

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
Feedback Survey
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
AR

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 →
RD

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 →
AR

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 →
RS

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

10:30am EST

All Rise for Civil Justice: Using Stories to Advance Reform
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Martha Bergmark

Martha Bergmark

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

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

10:30am EST

Board Self-Evaluations
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Raymond Macchia

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 →
JK

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Stuart Axenfeld

Stuart Axenfeld

Deputy Directory (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). Stuart was the Assistant Inspector General for Audit at the CNCS-OIG (Corporation for National & Community Service-Office of Inspector... Read More →
avatar for April Jung

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
Feedback Survey
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
ML

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
avatar for Alyson Robbins

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 →
AS

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 →
CB

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
Feedback Survey
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
AK

Alex Kornya

Litigation Director / General Counsel, Iowa Legal Aid
LN

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 →
MH

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 →
AJ

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 →
avatar for Allie Yang-Green

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
Feedback Survey
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
TH

Theodore Howard

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

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

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

2:30pm EST

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

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 →
JF

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 →
avatar for Rebecca Henry

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 →
NN

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

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

2:30pm EST

Cross-System Collaboration: Powerful Partnering!
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Monica Walker

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 →
avatar for Diane Welborn

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 →
avatar for Gary Weston

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
Feedback Survey
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
JW

Janet Welch

Executive Director, State Bar of Michigan
avatar for Maria Thomas-Jones

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 →
avatar for Betty Balli Torres

Betty Balli Torres

Executive Director, Texas Access to Justice Foundation
Betty Balli Torres has served as the Executive Director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the largest Texas-based funder for legal services to the poor, since October 2001. Betty has a career dedicated to public interest work. Betty started as a staff attorney at Legal Aid... Read More →
DS
CB

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Tali Albukerk

Tali Albukerk

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

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
Feedback Survey
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
KA
NK

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

2:30pm EST

Statewide Approach to Eviction Prevention
Feedback Survey
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
KB

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 →
avatar for Heidi Behnke

Heidi Behnke

Georgia Legal Services Program
Heidi E. Behnke is the Statewide Pronect Manager for 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 →
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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 →
avatar for Susan Reif

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
Feedback Survey
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
CD

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 →
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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

4:15pm EST

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

Speakers
avatar for Nalani Fujimori Kaina

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 →
avatar for Angela Tripp

Angela Tripp

Co-Executive Director, Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services
BG
AK

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”
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Stuart Axenfeld

Stuart Axenfeld

Deputy Directory (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). Stuart was the Assistant Inspector General for Audit at the CNCS-OIG (Corporation for National & Community Service-Office of Inspector... Read More →
avatar for Corrine Campbell

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 →
MW

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Kathleen Creamer

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 →
avatar for Maria Thomas-Jones

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 →
CC

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Meaghan McDermott

Meaghan McDermott

Chief Attorney, Maryland Legal Aid
Meaghan McDermott is the chief attorney for the Community Lawyering Initiative at Maryland Legal Aid. The Initiative conducts legal clinics in community spaces across the state. Meaghan has been with Legal Aid since February 2017. Prior to Legal Aid, she worked for eight years as... Read More →
AP

Amy Petkovsek

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

Friday 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
Feedback Survey
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
LT

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 →
ES

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 →
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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 →
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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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Alyson Robbins

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 →

Speakers
LR

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 →
avatar for Sarah Munro

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 →
CO

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
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Joann Lee

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 →
avatar for Lillian Moy

Lillian Moy

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

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
 
Saturday, November 9
 

8:30am EST

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

Megan Lacchini

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

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

10:30am EST

Hot Topics in Civil Legal Aid
Feedback Survey
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
avatar for Casey Chiappetta

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 →
DM

David Miller

Director, Policy, NLADA
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 many issues... Read More →
CB
DS
RS

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