2026 Equal Justice Conference

Discover how Louisiana’s Civil Legal Navigator evolved from vision to statewide infrastructure. This session demonstrates the platform and its integrated screening, intake, and referral tools, then unpacks the collaborative ecosystem—multi-partner capacity-building, coordinated content and resource development, taxonomy alignment and more—that helps Louisiana inform, empower, and connect legal help seekers across the state.

This session will introduce Hazel, New Mexico Legal Aid's facility dog. In conjunction with Assistance Dogs of the West, the presentation will focus on alternative methods to promote an inclusive work environment that addresses both visible and invisible disabilities at legal aid organizations.

Explore what it means for a pro bono program to be truly client-centered in rural and under-resourced communities. This session highlights lessons from successful service-delivery efforts, with a focus on project development, communication, and engagement strategies to expand access to services. Participants will discuss practical methods for training and engaging volunteers, including those from outside rural areas, to expand service delivery. Walk away with concrete tools to strengthen rural pro bono efforts and develop a more robust network of legal advocates.

Many legal organizations aspire to “uplift impacted voices,” but struggle with what that actually looks like in practice. Too often, this leads to tokenism rather than real power-sharing. In this interactive skills-building session, panelists will share concrete strategies for embedding system-impacted leadership at every level of an organization, from governance and compensation practices to leadership pipelines and participatory advocacy models. Participants will gain practical tools, including sample policies, frameworks, and checklists, to guide their own organizations toward authentic power-sharing and will leave with actionable steps for moving beyond rhetoric to meaningful transformation across the legal advocacy field.