The Equal Justice Conference is an annual event that brings together members of the civil legal aid community to discuss and address issues related to the delivery of legal services to low-income individuals. Co-sponsored by the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), the 2018 conference was held from May 10 to May 12 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego, California.
The conference featured over 85 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) sessions covering a wide range of topics pertinent to civil legal aid and pro bono services. Key themes included strategies for enhancing access to justice, innovative approaches to legal service delivery, and discussions on policy developments affecting low-income communities. Additionally, pre-conference sessions were offered, such as the "Creating Opportunity through Criminal Record-Clearing" workshop, which focused on establishing and expanding expungement and sealing practices.
Attendees had numerous opportunities for networking, including plenary sessions with inspiring keynote speakers and informal gatherings designed to foster collaboration among legal professionals. The event also featured an expo hall where organizations showcased resources and technologies aimed at improving legal service delivery. Notable speakers and panelists provided insights into current challenges and future directions in the field of legal aid.
The conference was designed for legal aid practitioners, pro bono coordinators, law school faculty, and other stakeholders committed to advancing equal justice. Participants gained valuable knowledge, skills, and connections to enhance their efforts in providing legal assistance to underserved populations.
Speakers(57)
Abby J. Leibman
President & CEO at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Abby J. Leibman leads a national nonprofit advocacy organization inspired by Jewish values and ideals that works to end hunger in the United States and Israel among people of all faiths and backgrounds.
Al Wallis
Executive Director at Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest
Al Wallis leads the Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest, a division of the law firm Brown Rudnick LLP.
Alex Gulotta
Principal at Alex Gulotta Consulting
Alex Gulotta has 33 years of experience as a poverty law advocate and nearly 24 years as a non-profit executive director. He is a nationally recognized leader in the civil justice and anti-poverty movement.
Alexa Giardino
Student at University at Albany School of Social Welfare
As an intern at Prisoners Legal Services, Alexa Giardino assists individuals who will be deported obtain resources abroad.
Amy Horton-Newell
Director at American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness & Poverty
Amy Horton-Newell coordinates ABA policy development and programming related to the special legal needs of people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
Ana Maria Garcia
Vice President of Access to Justice Initiatives at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
Ana Maria Garcia is dedicated to creating solutions and expanding access to justice for all, particularly underserved communities.
Andrea Loney
Ann McGowan Porath
ACT 2 Project Manager at Cleveland Legal Aid
Ann McGowan Porath has been at Cleveland Legal Aid for over 30 years, beginning her career as a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow. She has been Managing Attorney of the Volunteer Lawyers Program and Intake Practice Group since 2004.
Anna Cofell
Deputy Director at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
Ann Cofell supervises two offices that cover primarily rural service areas across Central Minnesota, from the South Dakota to Wisconsin border.
Arielle Altman
Bob Glaves
Executive Director at The Chicago Bar Foundation
Bob Glaves has been Executive Director of The Chicago Bar Foundation since October 1999, leading and overseeing the CBF's work to improve access to justice for people in need and make the legal system more fair and efficient for everyone.
Bonnie Rose Hough
Principal Managing Attorney at Judicial Council of California's Center for Families, Children & the Courts
Bonnie Rose Hough focuses on helping courts meet the needs of litigants who cannot afford counsel, staffing various committees and working on initiatives to improve access to justice.
Brian Longo
Account Manager at Unite Us
Brian Longo works alongside innovative partners to strategize, implement, and sustain coordinated networks supported by Unite Us technology, primarily in the Veteran and Military community.
Catherine Carr
Connie Ritchie
Danielle Hirsch
Assistant Director at Administrative Office of Illinois Courts Civil Justice Division
Danielle Hirsch works closely with judges, court administrators, and other stakeholders to improve access to justice and the efficiency of the court system.
David Daniels
Pro Bono Director at Public Counsel
David Daniels uses his more than 20 years of experience as a practicing attorney to connect private law firms and practitioners to Public Counsel's mission of providing pro bono legal representation to the most vulnerable members of the community.
David Kutik
David Lash
Deborah Coleman
Mediator and Arbitrator at Coleman Law LLC
Deborah Coleman is a mediator and arbitrator with her own firm, Coleman Law LLC. Previously, she was the first female partner at Hahn Loeser & Parks LLC in Cleveland, OH.
Devin Winklosky
Associate at Jones Day
Devin Winklosky coordinates the Allegheny County Military and Veterans Pro Bono Program and serves on the board of Neighborhood Legal Services in Pittsburgh.
Erin Palacios
Project Coordinator, Youth Justice Project at Bay Area Legal Aid
Erin Palacios works with the Alameda County Youth Homeless Project, providing direct representation to youth who are homeless or at extreme risk of becoming homeless.
Geoff Biegler
Gerald Riemenschneider Meader Rachel
Glen Rawdon
Holly Christian
James J. Sandman
John Eidleman
Juliet Holmes-Smith
Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project
Karen Lash
Kate Marr
Kathleen Creamer
Managing Attorney, Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services
Kathleen Creamer represents parents in dependency proceedings and engages in systemic advocacy on behalf of families in the child welfare system. She was a Stoneleigh Foundation Fellow from 2011-2013 and received the 2011 Women's Way Unsung Heroine Award.
Kelly D. Voss
Director, Pro Bono Program at Covington & Burling LLP
Kelly D. Voss oversees Covington's pro bono program, guiding and promoting firmwide participation in providing free legal representation to low-income individuals, charitable organizations, and public interest matters.
Kelly Jarvis
Director of Community Health Research at NPC Research
Kelly Jarvis, Ph.D., works to bridge the gap between science and service by making evaluation research meaningful and accessible to human service systems and organizations.
Kelly Jarvis, Ph.D.
Director of Community Health Research at NPC Research
Kelly Jarvis works to bridge the gap between science and service by making evaluation research meaningful and accessible to human service systems and organizations.
Ken Babcock
Ken Smith
President at The Resource for Great Programs
Ken Smith has over 40 years of experience helping civil legal aid programs, funders, and access-to-justice groups apply strategic research to accomplish their missions.
Latonia Haney Keith
Leslie Starr Heimov
Executive Director at Children's Law Center of California
Leslie Starr Heimov has been with CLC since 1992, serving in various roles including staff attorney and policy director. She is involved in multiple councils and committees focused on child welfare and legal representation.
Lillian M. Moy
Executive Director at Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
Lillian M. Moy has been the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York since 1995.
Linda Britton
Director at American Bar Association Commission on Youth at Risk
Linda Britton served for twelve years as a juvenile court magistrate in Collin County, Texas, hearing both delinquency and dependency cases. She also served as a mediator and is involved in various councils and committees focused on youth at risk.
Lisa Garvin
Lorin Kline
Martin Costello
Maxine Pulliam
Natasha Wilson
Pablo Almaguer
Riddhi Mukhopadhyay
Samantha Howell
Executive Director at NASW-NYS
Samantha Howell is the Executive Director of the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
Samira Nazem
Director of Pro Bono and Court Advocacy at The Chicago Bar Foundation
Samira Nazem leads the CBF's advocacy efforts with the courts and pro bono initiatives, collaborating with lawyers, firms, corporations, and legal aid organizations to maximize the impact of pro bono work.
Shirley Pang
Stephen Hicklin
Attorney at Private Practice
Stephen Hicklin has been practicing law in California since 1988, representing financial institutions in both law firm and in-house settings. He has also been a volunteer attorney for more than thirty years, primarily representing people with HIV.
Thomas Barnard
Tristia Bauman
Will Hornsby
Counsel at American Bar Association's Division for Legal Services
Will Hornsby is a widely recognized author, teacher, and speaker on issues relating to technology, law firm marketing, and legal ethics, including limited scope representation.
William Palin
Access to Justice/Technology Fellow at Harvard Law School
William Palin runs a program called Developing Justice @ HLS, focused on innovation in the clinical sphere.
Zach Zarnow
Program Director at Illinois Equal Justice Foundation
Zach Zarnow oversees grantmaking to legal aid programs and designs and manages access to justice projects.
Event Details
- Date
- May 10-12, 2018
- 3 days
- Location
- 🇺🇸 San Diego, United States
- Hilton San Diego Bayfront
- Pricing
- Varies by tier
- Audience
- Legal aid practitioners, pro bono coordinators, law school faculty, and other stakeholders committed to advancing equal justice.
- CLE Credits
- CLE Credits are offered for most jurisdictions at the Equal Justice Conference.