2025 Equal Justice Conference: Full Schedule

arrow_back View All Dates

8:30am EDT

Intern to Staff Attorney: Strategies to Building and Maintaining Student to Staff Pipelines

Friday May 16, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am EDT

This session will highlight innovative ideas and practices utilized by legal aid, law firm, and law school partners to build student-to-staff pipelines in order to meet hiring and pro bono demands. These ideas include the creation of internal fellowships, clinics, and innovative summer internships that incorporate mentorship, DEI principles, and public service.

Speakers

Vidhya Ragunathan

Director of Pro Bono, Inner City Law Center

VIDHYA RAGUNATHAN, Director of Pro Bono, Inner City Law Center Vidhya is currently Inner City Law Center’s (ICLC) Director of Pro Bono. Prior to joining ICLC in 2015, she practiced complex commercial litigation at the law firms of Crowell & Moring LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP... Read More →

Steven Schulman

Pro Bono Partner, Akin

Steven Schulman joined Akin as its first full-time pro bono partner in 2006, after serving as Latham & Watkins first pro bono counsel from 2001-2004. He has handled dozens of asylum and other immigration cases, with a particular emphasis on complex matters, such as those involving... Read More →

Michelle Takagishi-Almeida

Director, Public Service Program, Southwestern Law School

Friday May 16, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am EDT
Plaza Room B

Sessions

1:15pm EDT

Lifting the Veil: What Nonprofits Need to Know When Working with Firms on Direct Representation.

Friday May 16, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT

Plaza Room B

Engaging pro bono lawyers can increase your organization’s impact. It can also sometimes feel like more effort than it’s worth. This session will explore the ways in which pro bono lawyers add value while lifting the veil on pro bono practices at firms and legal services organizations to give you tangible practices for recruiting and mentoring pro bono attorneys for the greatest impact.

Speakers

Jessie Campbell

Supervising Attorney - Compliance / Private Attorney Involvement, Lone Star Legal Aid

Jessie G. Campbell is the Supervising Attorney for Compliance and Private Attorney Involvement with Lone Star Legal Aid. Jessie frequently presents to the community on estate planning and probate matters; to pro bono attorneys on cultural competency, pro bono disaster response, and... Read More →

Anne Chandler

Founding Executive Director, Texas Immigration Law Council

Anne Chandler is the Founding Executive Director of Texas Immigration Law Council. Anne’s lifetime work of advocating for the rights of immigrants has been recognized by the State Bar of Texas and the Christian Science Monitor. She served as on the boards of the Houston’s Immigration... Read More →

Emily Heger

Pro Bono Immigration Attorney, Akin

Emily Heger serves as the Senior Pro Bono Coordinator at Akin where she helps facilitate the global pro bono practice with a focus of managing the firm’s humanitarian immigration docket. Emily was a 2019 Equal Justice Works Fellow co-sponsored by AT&T and Akin and hosted at Human... Read More →

Steven Schulman

Pro Bono Partner, Akin

Friday May 16, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Plaza Room B

Sessions

3:00pm EDT

Justice Tech: New Horizons in Access to Justice

Friday May 16, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT

Plaza Room B

How can we break down silos and build resources and community between organizations committed to access to justice? Dive into the transformative impact of legal aid-justice tech collaboration. This session will explore the potential of ethical tech advancements to revolutionize the access to justice landscape.

Speakers

Maya Markovich

Vice President, American Arbitration Association - International Centre for Dispute Resolution Institute

Maya Markovich is Vice President of the AAA-ICDR Institute and Executive Director of Justice Technology Association, bringing bold ideas for justice equity into practice. With a deep understanding of the intersection between technology, business and the legal system, Maya forges strategic... Read More →

Kelli Raker

Associate Program Director for Law, Technology, & Entrepreneurship Programs, Duke University, School of Law

Kelli Raker, MA, serves as the Associate Program Director for Law, Tech & Entrepreneurship Programs at the Duke Center on Law & Technology. She supports multiple initiatives and programs including RAILS - Responsible A.I. in Legal Services, the Duke Law Tech Lab, the Legal Design... Read More →

Shellie Reid

Manager, Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project

Shellie Reid is the Manager of the Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project (LSNTAP). During law school, Shellie sought opportunities to gain experience beyond the normal law school path. As an ATJ Tech Fellow, Shellie learned of the many career options available to students... Read More →

Joanne Sprague

Director, Everlaw for Good, Everlaw

Joanne Sprague is a recognized social impact leader with expertise in scaling programs, partnerships, and campaigns globally. Her current role as the first-ever head of the Everlaw for Good program brings her passion for using the power of markets to address one of the world’s biggest... Read More →

Friday May 16, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT
Plaza Room B

Sessions