2025 Equal Justice Conference: Full Schedule

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10:00am EDT

Beyond Natural Disasters: Expanding Legal Aid's Role in Crisis Response

Friday May 16, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am EDT

Legal aid organizations in Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma have long supported low-income clients affected by natural disasters. Their expertise is now crucial for addressing legal needs from crises like mass shootings, building collapses, and industrial accidents. This session explores how legal aid adapts strategies, develops scalable models, fosters collaborations, and provides holistic support to affected communities.

Speakers

Christa Figgins

Josh Gaul

Managing Attorney, Iowa Legal Aid

Josh Gaul has worked for Iowa Legal Aid since August 10, 2009. He has served in the role of Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney, and was promoted to Managing Attorney in 2020. He currently manages Iowa Legal Aid’s Disaster Project and Rural Justice Project for Older Iowans. Josh... Read More →

Brittanny Gomez

Friday May 16, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am EDT
Union Square 22

Sessions

1:15pm EDT

Litigants as Experts: Leveraging User Testing and Feedback in Legal Services

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

Union Square 22

Litigants are perceived as lacking knowledge, but they possess crucial insights into process barriers that service providers might not see. Through user feedback and testing, service providers can redesign processes and empower litigants. This session will share lessons from Maryland Justice Passport to enhance service effectiveness by leveraging litigants' expertise.

Speakers

Nicole Kiker

Maryland Justice Passport Program Manager, Civil Justice, Inc.

Nicole Kiker has been the program manager for the Maryland Justice Passport (MJP) at Civil Justice, Inc. for over two years. She began her career as a Research Program Coordinator for the Poverty and Inequity Research Lab at Johns Hopkins University, where she focused on researching... Read More →

Christian Noble

Special Counsel for Technology Initiatives, Maryland Judiciary

Christian Noble Esq., Special Counsel for Technology Initiatives, Access to Justice, Maryland Judiciary Christian is a Maryland-based attorney and amateur programmer who is always looking for creative and innovative technical solutions to enrich the lives of low-income people and... Read More →

Friday May 16, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Union Square 22

Sessions

3:00pm EDT

Preserving and Protecting Intergenerational Homes: A Holistic Approach to Tangled Titles

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

Union Square 22

News about "Tangled Titles", aka "Heirs Property", seems to be everywhere these days. Learn how a coalition of legal services programs, volunteer attorneys, research and policy organizations, and the City of Philadelphia joined forces to preserve and protect inter-generational homes.

Speakers

Roxane Crowley

Attorney, Philadelphia Legal Assistance

Roxane Crowley (she/her) is an attorney in the Consumer Housing Unit at Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) where she supervises the Tangled Title Team. The majority of her career has involved working on tangled title and heirs’ property issues. Her client work focuses on representing... Read More →

Michael Froehlich

Michael Froehlich (he/him) is the Managing Attorney of Community Legal Service’s Homeownership and Consumer Rights Unit. He leads CLS’s work on behalf of homeowners and victims of predatory consumer scams. He represents clients in court and advocates before regulatory agencies... Read More →

James Leonard

Commissioner of Records, City of Philadelphia

Jim Leonard is a lifelong resident of Philadelphia, who has spent most of his career in public service on behalf of the City of Philadelphia. He has served as the Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia Department of Records since 2016. As Commissioner, Jim serves as the Recorder... Read More →

Friday May 16, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT
Union Square 22

Sessions