2025 Equal Justice Conference

2025 Equal Justice Conference

10:00am EDT

Cultivating Self Awareness to Become a Better Advocate Union Square 22Emmanuel Bonilla • Shonda Mosby • Rachel Schaefer Developing Training and Credentialing Standards for the Future of Justice: Ascendium and Frontline Justice’s Community Justice Worker National Taskforce Continential 8Nikole Nelson • Betty Bali Torres Ethical and Practical Considerations for Deploying a Generative AI Chatbot in Legal Self-Help Websites Continential 2Ayyoub Ajmi • Stephanie McDonald • Katherine Stocks Expanding Access to Justice through Legal Technology Plaza Room ASateesh Nori • Chriseele Raguro • Pablo Ramirez • Jennifer Zelnick Funding the Future: Supporting Law Students to Stay on the Path to Public Interest Careers Plaza Room BNira Geevargis • Ashley Lowe • Sue Schechter • Phong Wong MIE Roundtable for Legal Services Executive Directors and Managers Golden Gate 6Jacquelynne Bowman • Yvonne Mariajimenez Mountainqueer: Returning to Appalachia for Name Changes Golden Gate 7D'lorah Hughes • Molly Russell • Ming Wong Navigating the Digital Landscape Golden Gate 8Katheryn Fanlund • Car Rauscher Pathways to Growth: Building Professional Development for Mission Impact Continential 9Amy Petkovsek • Jared Smith • Julia Wilson Rethinking Recruitment: Attracting and Retaining Today's Volunteers Continential 3Martin Cowling Strengthening Neighborhoods with Pro Bono Support Continential 7Katie Cronin • Kayla Hogan • Katie Nolen The Art of the Ask – Partnering with Board Members to Make Successful Face-to-Face Solicitations Continential 1Emily Wing • Kate Marr What's the Right Amount of Right to Counsel: The Conversation Continues Union Square 17 & 18Bob Glaves • Samira Nazem • John Pollock

1:15pm EDT

Advancing Elder Justice in Older Marginalized Communities Through Estate Planning Tools Union Square 23 & 24Erica Costello • Anna Darr • Bertha Sanchez Hayden • Dominique Sanz-David Advancing the Mission: Leveraging Efficiencies & Automating Tasks with AI Continential 9Russ Bloomquist • Kristi Schulenberg CLIMB: Engaging Pro Bono Lawyers to Aid Low Income Entrepreneurs and Combat Generational Poverty Continential 8Casey Burke • Julian Write Jr. Cy Pres Awards: The Latest News and Tips on an Important Source of Legal Aid Funding Continential 7Bill Boies • Salena Copleland • Bob Glaves Data and Diversion: Lessons Learned from the NCSC Eviction Diversion Initiative Union Square 17 & 18Samantha DiDomenico • Samira Nazem Data is the New Lego: Using Data Analytics to Build Legal Aid Success Continential 3Heidi Behnke • Jessie Campbell • Ashley Oborn • Stacey Zinken • Stacy Zinken Debt Collection Lawsuits in the Courts: Trends, Resources, and Reforms to Make a Difference Continential 1Giulia Duch Clerici • Eshaan Kawlra • Nora Ryan Enhancing Legal Access Through Accessible Kiosks Plaza Room ACandi Rivera • J Singleton • Laura Steinbach Ethics and Pro Bono Delivery Plaza Room BLauren Gillbridge • Jenny Mittelman • Ellyn Rosen Holistic Engagement: Talking Circles Union Square 19 & 20Autumn Smith-Amy Navigating Indigenous Advocacy: Resources for Representing Native American Clients Goldem Gate 7Stephanie Hudson • Cina Littlebird • Cody Nelson Overcoming the Access to Justice Gap For Asylum Seekers and New Arrivals Golden Gate 8Estuardo Cifuentes • Ted Jacobs • Jessica Riley • Jenifer Wolf-Williams Pro Se Support From Pro Bono Attorneys: The Supply and Demand Landscape Continential 2Tali Albukerk • Samantha Biggio • Sharon Goldsmith Rethinking Board Governance: The Core Responsibilities of a Purpose Driven Board Golden Gate 6Monika Varma • Julia Wilson

2:45pm EDT

Advancing Justice Initiatives Through Alternative Dispute Resolution Continential 8Tracey Frischt • Christopher Gibson • Jacqueline Harvey • Greg Kochansky • Jennifer Shack Best Practices: Protecting LGBTQ+ Families from Executive Orders and Providing Legal Safeguards for Clients Facing Challenges Due to Attacks on Federal Law and State Legislative Golden Gate 8Michelle Garcia Building A Feedback Culture: With an Emphasis on the Feedback You Are Afraid to Give Plaza Room AMatthew Canuteson • Melinda Fithen • Maggie Robb Collaborative Models for Pro Bono Engagement and Empowering Librarians to Address Legal Inequities Union Square 17 & 18Pauline Afuso • Stephanie Beaugh • Karen Westwood Combatting the Negative Impacts of Incarceration On Families and Children Continential 7Kathleen Creamer • D'Adre Cunningham • Stephanie Taylor Gen AI for Self-Represented Litigants: the Final Frontier of Access to Justice? Union Square 19 & 20Rodrigo Camarena • Natalie Knowlton • Connor Malloy Harnessing Pro Bono Power to Defend and Advance Racial Equity and DEI Initiatives Continential 1David Daniels • Nikki Endsley • Susan Hoffman • Chriselle Raguro Intake Process Improvement: Enhancing Legal Aid Efficiency and Client Experience Continential 3Fatima Dadabhoy • Jane Ribadeneyra • Cynthia Sadkin • Angela Tripp Responding to the Evolving Funding Landscape for Legal Aid - Federal Funding Panel Discussion Continential 2Luise Stone • Anne Sweeney Supersized Pro Bono: Exploring Pathways to Growing Pro Bono Staff Golden Gate 6Heidi Behnke • Adam Heintz • Matthew Kugizaki The Last “Affordable Housing”: Protecting Mobile and Manufactured Home Communities Before and After Disasters. Union Square 14Sam Abel-Palmer • Kristine Hansen • Andrew Rumbach • Michelle Trunkett Using Data in Advocacy Plaza Room BSteven Fischbach • Farah Majid • Logan Pratico Utility Debt: Its Impact on Low-Income Communities and Strategies for Challenging and Reforming Predatory Practices Union Square 15 & 16Robert Ballenger • Jenifer Bosco • Ellen Degnan • Sylvia Orduno

4:15pm EDT

A Tale of Two Coordinated Intake Systems Union Square 19 & 20Sarah Coffey Bowes • Ashley Graham-Wantanabe • Kirra Jarratt • Karen Wabeke Creating Supportive Work Environments for People with Visible/Invisible Disabilities Plaza Room BSonya Bellafant • Linda Milanesi Design Pro Bono Projects to Create Volunteer Choice: A "Choose Your Own Adventure Story." Continential 7Teresa Mathern • Bobbi Saltzman Fairness and Accountability in an Anti-DEI Jurisdiction Continential 1Megan Connelly • Nathanael Player • Jonathan Puente From Data to Action: Engaging Diverse Stakeholders to Respond Meaningfully to Statewide Civil Legal Needs Assessments Golden Gate 8Hannah Honeycutt • Gretchen Slusser Going For It—Starting a Pro Se Self-Help Center with Resources You Already Have Union Square 15 & 16Kellye Fleming • Amanda Pearl • Meghan Wheeler Grassroots to Fruits: Seeding and Nurturing Change in Partnership with Impacted Individuals and Marginalized Communities Golden Gate 7Nesta Johnson • Ari Vasquez • Venita Veal Harnessing the Power of Collective Action: Lessons (so far) from the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance Union Square 21Brenna DeVaney • Diane Lucas • Rosalyn Nasdor • Ben Weinberg How Legal Services Programs are Innovating with Generative AI to Enhance Client Services Golden Gate 6Scheree Gilchrist • Vivian Hessel • Angela Tripp Legal Help for Kinship Caregivers: Developing Innovative Service Delivery Models to Meet Emergent Client Needs Union Square 17 & 18Molly Russell • Elizabeth Wehner • Angela White • Kate White Tackling Toxicity in Organizations: Building Healthy, Thriving Volunteer Environments Continential 2Martin Cowling

8:30am EDT

Advocating for Sexual and Reproductive Health Access and Expanding Critical Legal Support Union Square 19 & 20Nell Brimmer • Chris Buerger • Jessie Campbell • Amy Checn Amplifying Client Voices: Practical Strategies for Curating and Elevating Client Stories Continential 8Maria Duvuvuei • Kathryn Fanlund • Patrick Maillet Best Practices in Pro Bono Immigration Continential 7Stephanie Baez • Jenna Gilbert • Nareeneh Sohbatian Building and Sustaining Effective Research Partnerships Golden Gate 7Matthew Burnett • Samantha DiDomenico • Rebecca Sandefur Developing and Sustaining Student Loan Practices in Legal Aid Organizations Golden Gate 8Anna Anderson • Carolina Rodriguez How to Create INTERACTIVE, INNOVATIVE, and EQUITABLE (and fun!) Training Sessions Continential 1Christine Daleiden • Patrick Fodell • Judy Hale • Phong Wong Intern to Staff Attorney: Strategies to Building and Maintaining Student to Staff Pipelines Plaza Room BVidhya Ragunathan • Steven Schulman • Michelle Takagishi-Almeida Law School and Order: Special Pro Bono Unit Plaza Room AMaria Almase • Molly Russell • Jennifer Stephens Navigating Change: Leveraging Common Change Styles and Strategic Frameworks Continential 3Kelly Tautges • Julia Wilson Supporting Students to Maintain the Pro Bono Pipeline Union Square 15 & 16Allison Constance • Marissa LaVette • Deborah Schlosberg • Linda Seely Technology and Non-Lawyer Solutions to the Access to Justice Crisis Continential 9Erica Nelson • Sacha Steinberger

10:00am EDT

50 Tech Tips Golden Gate 7LaDierdre Johnson • Jane Ribadeneyra • MJ Smith • Angela Tripp Beyond Natural Disasters: Expanding Legal Aid's Role in Crisis Response Union Square 22Christa Figgins • Josh Gaul • Brittanny Gomez Charitable Giving x Pro Bono. How Can We Help Make the Legal World Thrive? Union Square 15 & 16Marnie Berk • Diego Cartagena • Molly Meltzer • Ben Weinberg Civil Hot Topics Golden Gate 8Radhika Singh Civil Justice Pathways to Foster Civic Culture Union Square 19 & 20Kelsey Ensign • Zachary Kliger • Betsy Super Community Justice Workers: Insights from Emerging Research in Alaska and Beyond Continential 3Matthew Burnett • Sarah Carver • Rebecca Sandefur • Brieanna Watters From Legal Desert to Legal Oasis: Pro Bono Trends, Challenges, and Solutions Continential 1Heidi Behnke • Elsa Gottfried • Ellie Tinsley Managing Remotely in a Post-COVID World Union Square 23 & 24Brad DeJean • Traci Feit-Love Representing LGBTQ+ Clients and Families in a Changing Legal Landscape Continential 2Simone Chriss • Michelle Garcia • L Orozco The 2024 California Justice Gap Study: Utilizing Data and Research to Support Policy Initiatives Plaza Room ALisa Chavez • Elizabeth Hom Transforming Pro Bono Participation: Bridging the Gap Between Community Need and Attorney Interest Continential 9Julie LaEace • Gretchen Slusser Upstreaming Justice: Non-Attorney Interventions and Community-Based Solutions to Civil Legal Gaps Golden Gate 6Ignacio Jaureguilorda • Nikole Nelson

1:15pm EDT

Birds of a Feather: Finding Commonality to Build Impact Continential 7Samantha Howell • Aili Monahan • Ana Reynolds-Sprague Bridging the Divide in Legal Deserts: Data-Driven Solutions through Legal Incubator Programs Continential 8Jessica Bednarz • Kari Burns • Hannah Catt • Ryann Peyton Building Bridges: Enhancing Pro Bono Impact Through Strategic Partnerships with Experts Continential 2Lisa Dane • Samantha DiDomenico • Beth Hofmeister • Lesley Johannesen • Erin Palmer • Dara Sheinfeld DV and Data Security: Common Data Security Assumptions Don’t Reflect Domestic Violence Realities Golden Gate 6Maria Villegas Bravo • Eva Galperin • Jessie Lowell Faith, Pro Bono, and Reproductive and LGBTQ+ Rights: Collaborative Advocacy in Complex Legal and Cultural Landscapes Continential 1Nell Brimmer • Ming Wong Lifting the Veil: What Nonprofits Need to Know When Working with Firms on Direct Representation. Plaza Room BJessie Campbell • Anne Chandler • Emily Heger • Steven Schulman Litigants as Experts: Leveraging User Testing and Feedback in Legal Services Union Square 22Nicole Kiker • Christian Noble Responding to the Evolving Funding Landscape for Legal Aid - Roundtable Discussion Golden Gate 8Shubi Deoras • Jared Smith • Luise Stone Strategies for Managing and Growing Your Outreach Program: Integrating Technology, Representation and Belonging Continential 3Sandra San Emeterio Fair • Aletheia Stratos Strengthening Guardianship Defense: Updated OAA Regulations and Legal Aid Innovations Union Square 15 & 16Jim Berchtold • Emily Jackson-Miller

3:00pm EDT

AI Co-Pilots for Eviction Defense, Reentry Services, and Beyond Union Square 23 & 24Margaret Hagan • Nora al Haider Clerks & Magistrates & Referees, Oh My! Leveraging Pro Bono Volunteers to Drive Fairness and Accountability in Limited Jurisdiction Courts Continential 1Julian Castronovo • Sarah Munro • Mytrang Nguyen • Maggie Niebler-Brown Educating Legislators About Legal Aid 2.0 Golden Gate 6Carol Bergman • Ashley Campbell • Ron Flagg • Betty Bali Torres • Laura Tuggle Ethics: Solve the problem that brought your client to legal aid with interdisciplinary legal services Golden Gate 8Emily Calabrese • Michael Nesbitt • Carmen Wargel Food is Medicine: How Legal Aid Partners with Health Clinics to Improve Food Security Continential 3Alexandra Gay • Christopher Gomez • Lindsay De May • Frank Tamborello Justice Tech: New Horizons in Access to Justice Plaza Room BMaya Markovich • Kelli Raker • Shellie Reid • Joanne Sprague Preserving and Protecting Intergenerational Homes: A Holistic Approach to Tangled Titles Union Square 22Roxane Crowley • Michael Froehlich • James Leonard Recent Developments in Racial Justice Litigation Post Students for Fair Admission (SFFA) v. Harvard Continential 2Nicholas Espirity • Steven Fischbach • Sophia Hall Strategic Assessment Tools for Pro Bono Programs Continential 8Kelly Tautges • Julia Wilson Where are they supposed to sleep? Leveraging Critical Public Defender Data in Non-Carceral Homeless Response Continential 9Elizabeth Cadiz • Grant Hartley • Ester Wilch