2026 Equal Justice Conference: Full Schedule

10:00am EDT

Rethinking Brief Services Evaluation – A Strategic Approach to Understanding the Impact of Brief Services

Thursday May 14, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EDT

The Cook County Early Resolution Program is believed to be the nation’s largest sustained program providing brief services to people facing eviction. This session will review prior literature on the assessment of brief services programs and propose an innovative framework and methodology using intake information, attorney assessment of services provided, and post-service survey feedback from clients to assess various measures of effectiveness and impact – and how those measures inform iterative development of program design.

Speakers

Neil Steinkamp

Managing Director, Stout

Neil Steinkamp is a well-recognized expert and consultant on a broad range of strategic, organizational, and financial issues to government, business, court and community leaders. He has 20 years of experience providing transformative change strategies; complex structured and unstructured... Read More →

Melanie MacBride

Chief Grants & Operations Officer, The Chicago Bar Foundation

Melanie MacBride is the Chief Grants & Operations Officer at The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF), where she oversees and directs the CBF’s grants program and related programs and projects. In addition, she oversees the administrative operations of the CBF, with a lead role in directing... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EDT
Mecklenburg 1

Sessions

1:15pm EDT

(ETHICS) Automating Solutions for the Sh&! You Don’t Want to Do but Must Do to Keep Your License

Thursday May 14, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT

Mecklenburg 1

This session equips leadership, supervisors and attorneys with tools to conduct an Ethics Audit for client, case, and organization management. Participants will learn how to identify risk areas, strengthen internal systems, and comply with professional responsibility obligations by integrating these solutions into day-to-day legal operations, practice management, and supervision. Focus areas include conflicts, client confidentiality and data security, case acceptance procedures, case file management, attorneys’ fees and time tracking, trust accounts, and insurance considerations.

Speakers

Maggie R. Robb

Chief Legal Office, Empire Justice Center

Maggie R. Robb, Esq., is the Chief Legal Officer of Empire Justice Center where she oversees the legal practice, compliance, human resources and serves as general counsel to the organization. She is also a member in the Civil Rights Practice Group where she primarily focuses on impact... Read More →

Melinda Fithen

Litigation Director, Empire Justice Center

Melinda Fithen is the Litigation Director and a member of the Civil Rights Practice Group at Empire Justice Center. Melinda directs and advances the organization’s mission through impact litigation and provides technical assistance, co-counseling, training and strategic support... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Mecklenburg 1

Sessions

2:45pm EDT

Community Legal Needs Assessments Post-pandemic: Trends & Emerging Needs

Thursday May 14, 2026 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Mecklenburg 1

The pandemic has passed but our housing crisis persists. The senior population is growing. The future of public benefits is unsure. Let’s learn about changing needs in legal aid client communities. We’ll review results from five post-pandemic legal needs assessments conducted in rural and urban areas. Then we’ll lead discussion of how to use quantitative and qualitative data to uncover local needs, refine your service priorities, and begin strategic planning for challenges and opportunities ahead.

Speakers

Jeffrey Harvey

CEO, Community Legal Services

Jeff was appointed to the Chief Executive Officer position in April 2020 but is no stranger to leadership or public service.

He graduated from Boston College in 2001 with his BA in Political Science and Theology. After college, Jeff was commissioned as an officer in the US Army where he completed training as a Ranger. While in the Army, Jeff completed his Master’s in Human Development and Leadership... Read More →

Steve Grumm

Consultant, thredpartners

Steve Grumm is a consultant with thredpartners. He is a career-long advocate for improving civil access-to-justice systems and advancing public service in the legal profession. At thredpartners, Steve provides program assessments, strategic planning, and other services to help his... Read More →

Jen Lee

Executive Director, Legal Services of North Dakota

Jen Lee has been the Executive Director of Legal Services of North Dakota (LSND) since October 2022, bringing with her over a decade of experience in law, business management, and innovative legal service delivery. Under her leadership, LSND has secured a 100% increase in funding... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2026 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
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Sessions

4:15pm EDT

State Court Leadership Views on Authorized Justice Workers

Thursday May 14, 2026 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

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This session will share preliminary findings from a multi-state study of state court leadership perceptions on authorized justice workers. Encouraged by resolutions passed by both the ABA House of Delegates and the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ)/Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) to study and explore community justice worker models in each state, this research project engages both the judiciary and court administrators in jurisdictions that have both already adopted justice worker reforms and states that have not.

Speakers

Rebecca Sandefur

Professor, Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University

Dr. Rebecca Sandefur is the Director of the Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University and a Faculty Fellow at the American Bar Foundation, where she founded and leads the Access to Justice Research Initiative. In 2018 she was named a MacArthur Fellow... Read More →

Elizabeth Chambliss

Henry Harman Edens Professor of Law and Director, NMRS Center on Professionalism, University of South Carolina Rice School of Law

Elizabeth Chambliss is the Henry Harman Edens Professor of Law and Director of the NMRS Center on Professionalism at the University of South Carolina Rice School of Law. She received her JD and PhD in sociology from the University of Wisconsin. Her scholarship focuses on civil access... Read More →

Cassie Chambers Matthew Burnett

Professor of Law, University of Louisville School of Law

Professor Cassie Chambers Armstrong’s research explores access to justice, rural courts, domestic violence and housing law. She uses empirical methods to study how courts function across geographic regions and areas of law. Professor Armstrong graduated from Harvard Law School... Read More →

Alyx Mark

Professor, Wesleyan University

Thursday May 14, 2026 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Mecklenburg 1

Sessions

8:30am EDT

San Diego Participatory Defense (FREE SD), Bringing the Racial Justice Act to Life

Friday May 15, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EDT

Mecklenburg 1

FREE-SD works to turn the promise of California’s Racial Justice Act into practice by building power, transparency, and accountability in the legal system. Through court watching, public records requests, data analysis, community organizing, education, and media advocacy, FREE-SD strengthens RJA cases and advances racial justice. This presentation highlights partnerships with the San Diego Public Defender’s Office, UC San Diego, and Pillars of the Community, showing how collaboration equips families and attorneys to challenge systemic racism and fight to free loved ones.

Speakers

Mitchelle Woodson

Legal Director, Pillars of the Community

Mitchelle is Legal Director at Pillars of the Community, overseeing Police Accountability and Law Office Study programs. She is a founding member of FREE-SD and the DeDe McClure Community Bail Fund, a national speaker on justice issues, and an award-winning advocate. She earned her... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EDT
Mecklenburg 1

Sessions

10:00am EDT

From Evidence to Engagement to Action: Leveraging Research, Convening, and Direct Services for Stronger Domestic Violence Protections

Friday May 15, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EDT

Mecklenburg 1

Domestic violence survivors often face complex, system-level barriers to obtaining and enforcing orders of protection and related civil legal remedies. To address these challenges, three South Carolina groups joined forces to create a cycle of research, convening, and service delivery to expand access to legal protections for survivors. This session will share lessons learned and practical guidance for making academic research accessible and actionable, convening stakeholders to build consensus and commitments around evidence, and translating those commitments into real service improvements.

Speakers

Lisa Martin

Professor of Law, University of South Carolina Rice School of Law

Lisa Martin is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Domestic Violence Clinic at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law and a member of the South Carolina Access to Justice Commission. Throughout her career, Professor Martin’s research and practice has... Read More →

Shunna V. Jeter

Shunna Jeter is the Executive Director of South Carolina Legal Services (SCLS), a statewide nonprofit law firm providing civil legal assistance to low-income South Carolinians. She is also a member of the South Carolina Access to Justice Commission. Her professional background is... Read More →

Hannah Honeycutt

Executive Director, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission

Hannah has served as the SC Access to Justice Commission’s executive director since June of 2019. She is a 2007 graduate of Wagner College in Staten Island, New York with a B.A., magna cum laude, in English and Spanish, and a 2013 graduate of the University of South Carolina School... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EDT
Mecklenburg 1

Sessions

1:30pm EDT

50 Tech Tips: Tools to Boost Everyday Practice

Friday May 15, 2026 1:30pm - 2:45pm EDT

Mecklenburg 1

This lively, rapid-fire session will showcase 50 practical technology tips designed to help legal aid and pro bono staff work smarter every day. Panelists will highlight free and low-cost tools, AI-powered resources, collaboration platforms, accessibility solutions, and strategies for managing information securely. Attendees will leave with an array of easy-to-use apps, add-ons, and shortcuts they can immediately put into practice to save time, improve efficiency, and better serve clients.

Speakers

LaDierdre Johnson

Program Officer, Legal Services Corporation

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 →

Jane Ribadeneyra

Senior Program Officer for Technology, Legal Services Corporation

Jane Ribadeneyra joined the Legal Services Corporation in 2009 and is a Senior Program Officer for Technology. She oversees technology initiative grants that improve access to high-quality legal assistance for low-income people throughout the United States and its territories. She... Read More →

Angela Tripp

Program Officer for Technology, Legal Services Corporation

Friday May 15, 2026 1:30pm - 2:45pm EDT
Mecklenburg 1

Sessions

3:00pm EDT

Fighting Against LGBTQ+ Bias in the Legal System to Preserve Democracy

Friday May 15, 2026 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT

Mecklenburg 1

Fair courts and an independent judiciary are foundational to our democracy. Young LGBTQ+ people in foster care are required to engage with numerous systems to meet basic needs. Also, research shows that LGBTQ+ people face disproportionate rates of incarceration and interactions with law enforcement. This workshop is for advocates to learn skills and tools to affirm and enforce the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and people living with HIV in the legal system through the provision of legal services.

Speakers

Ethan Rice

Senior Attorney, Lambda Legal

Ethan Rice is the Senior Attorney for the Fair Courts Project at Lambda Legal. Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the rights of LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV. The Fair Courts Project focuses its... Read More →

Luna Isaiah Floyd

Equal Justice Works Fellow, Lambda Legal

Luna Isaiah Floyd (they/he) is an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Lambda Legal. Their work with Lambda Legal's Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project centers the needs of transgender youth in foster care and juvenile justice settings, as well as transgender youth experiencing homelessness... Read More →

Richard Saenz

Counsel, Lambda Legal

Richard Saenz (he/him) is Counsel and the Criminal Legal System Strategist at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV. He is the project manager of Protected... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2026 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT
Mecklenburg 1

Sessions

4:30pm EDT

NAPBPRO Annual Meeting

Friday May 15, 2026 4:30pm - 7:00pm EDT

Mecklenburg 1

Friday May 15, 2026 4:30pm - 7:00pm EDT
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10:00am EDT

1:15pm EDT

2:45pm EDT

4:15pm EDT

8:30am EDT

10:00am EDT

1:30pm EDT

3:00pm EDT

4:30pm EDT

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