2026 Equal Justice Conference

501(c)(3) hospitals must comply with IRS Section 501(r) regarding Financial Assistance Policies and Extraordinary Collection Actions (ECAs). This session is a tactical guide for advocates defending medical debt collection cases by leveraging these federal regulations. Learn to spot violations—like improper billing or illegal ECAs—and use them as powerful counterclaims to secure full debt discharge, enforce charity care, and hold tax-exempt hospitals accountable for aggressive collections.

Join this conversation to discuss how colorblindness is a barrier rather than a solution to achieving equality in society and the courts. Recently a judge said, “I always thought colorblindness was a good thing!” Other judges have stated, “I don’t notice race, I just read what’s in the court reports!” Racial bias will inevitably seep into court decision-making through language in court documents, testimonies, judicial rulings etc. A colorblind court, one in which racism is not acknowledged, can never deliver justice. Understanding interventions to interrupt colorblind courts are more urgent now than ever.

Estate planning tools are not reserved for the wealthy, they can help families create plans to support stabilization and transitions in caregiving and preserve housing and income stability, across generations. Learn how simple estate planning tools can serve vulnerable populations, including preparedness for immigrant or mixed-status households, older adults, and underserved disaster-prone households.

Discover how Hawaiʻi’s Judiciary, Public Defender’s Office, ACLU Hawaiʻi, Volunteer Legal Services of Hawaiʻi, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa - William S. Richardson School of Law, and community partners joined forces to deliver expungement and bench warrant recall clinics for under-resourced communities. This session explores the project’s origins, cultural adaptation, and use of technology to maximize impact, and offers practical tips for creating pro bono clinics through strong community support and with limited budgets.