2026 Equal Justice Conference: Full Schedule

10:00am EDT

Protecting SNAP and Medicaid Access in Light of HR 1 Changes

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

In July 2025, H.R. 1 was passed, making major changes to the SNAP and Medicaid programs. While many people will lose access to SNAP and Medicaid as part of these changes, many more will continue to be eligible but struggle to prove it to their State Agency. This session will discuss appeal rights in both programs and ways this work can be done by existing staff or with pro bono assistance.

Speakers

Skyler M. Rosellini

Skyler Rosellini (he/him) is the Assistant Director of California Policy at the National Health Law Program in Los Angeles, California. Skyler is passionate about advancing health equity for underserved populations and making health access education accessible so people of all backgrounds... Read More →

Lauren Hasen

Staff Attorney, The Public Interest Law Project

Lauren Hansen grew up experiencing poverty in a small rural county in Northern California. She is currently a staff attorney at PILP who works on public benefits, housing, and homelessness cases. Prior to joining PILP, Lauren worked at Legal Services of Northern California providing... Read More →

Jessica Mark

Supervising Attorney, Bay Area Legal Aid

Jessica Mark is a Supervising Attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid. She works in the San Francisco Bay Area, assisting people primarily with their government benefits. She also participates in policy advocacy at the County, State, and Federal levels to improve access to government benefits... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EDT
Mecklenburg 2

Sessions

11:30am EDT

Networking Lunch: Racial equity in the delivery of pro bono legal services

Thursday May 14, 2026 11:30am - 1:00pm EDT

Mecklenburg 2

Thursday May 14, 2026 11:30am - 1:00pm EDT
Mecklenburg 2

Networking Lunch Sessions

1:15pm EDT

Using Evidence to Allocate Scarce Resources

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

Mecklenburg 2

Using interim results from a new randomized control trial and final results from already-completed randomized studies, we’ll investigate two distinct topics: when does full representation matter and does record-clearing make a difference? Reviewing prior research, we’ll uncover when an evidence base exits, and when it doesn’t. We’ll discuss operationalizing evidence-based triage and relevant research in progress. We’ll close with discussion of the broader and interconnected contexts of these distinct topics and hypotheses for change, while also hearing from the audience.

Speakers

D. James Greiner

Faculty Director, The Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School

Renee L. Danser

Associate Director of Research & Strategic Partnerships, the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School

Renee Danser is the Associate Director of Research and Strategic Partnerships at the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School. After a career as a lawyer and court administrator, Ms. Danser now draws on her knowledge of justice system operations and the pressures on the justice... Read More →

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

Sessions

2:45pm EDT

Making your Evaluation Meaningful from Design to Impact

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

Mecklenburg 2

In this energetic and interactive session, participants will use civil justice project examples to collaboratively design an effective and meaningful evaluation plan. By the end, participants will be able to formulate evaluation questions and design a basic evaluation matrix. Participants will leave with practical tools to guide their next evaluation project. They will also understand the internal and relational benefits (and joys!) of evaluation for their organizations and their communities, beyond just meeting funder requirements.

Speakers

Julia Schutt

Manager of Research & Evaluation, A2J Tech

Julia Schutt leads the Research & Evaluation practice area at A2J Tech. In this role, Julia designs, conducts, and consults on assessments to help organizations improve their access to justice outcomes. Julia is an anthropologist with a multidisciplinary background in social science... Read More →

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

Sessions

4:15pm EDT

America's Black Maternal Health Crisis and Disappearing Data

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

Mecklenburg 2

In the United States women of all races and ages are dying at the highest rate in the developed world and the crisis is most severe for Black women and birthing people who are 3-4 times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than their white counterparts across all income and education levels. The racial disparities in our US maternal mortality rates are clearly captured in international, national, and state data. Yet, new federal actions threaten our ability to capture and report this data and ultimately provide justice amidst this healthcare crisis. This presentation will define the maternal health crisis through data, provide updates on new attitudes towards collecting data showing racial disparities, and provide participants with advocacy strategies to support pregnant populations and ensure access to this crucial data.

Speakers

Bernadette Manigault

Director of Litigation, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County

Bernadette Manigault is a Director of Litigation at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA), where she leads and supports impact litigation across the organization. With over ten years of litigation experience, Bernadette has secured more than $50 million in verdicts... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2026 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Mecklenburg 2

Sessions

8:30am EDT

Financing the Future and Strengthening the Law Student to Public Interest Pipeline

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

Mecklenburg 2

Supporting law students to pursue paths to legal services or pro bono partnerships is critical to recruitment and retention in the sector. We will explore how providing financial support from legal services, law schools, the State Bar, and others can encourage students to seek public interest careers while also increasing diversity.

Speakers

Phong Wong

Pro Bono Director, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Phong Wong, Pro Bono Director at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.

Phong oversees the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’ pro bono work and coordinates its pro bono cases and projects, including Disaster Response and the Pro Bono Training Institute. She also oversees the outreach, recruitment, and hiring of volunteers including law students, underg... Read More →

Elizabeth Hom

Program Director, State Bar of Calfornia

Elizabeth A. Hom is a Program Director at the State Bar of California, Office of Access & Inclusion, where she advances the State Bar’s efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system. Elizabeth supports administration of grants to legal aid organizations throughout... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EDT
Mecklenburg 2

Sessions

10:00am EDT

Community-Based Legal Innovation: Research on Justice Worker Programs in Indian Country

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

Mecklenburg 2

This session examines emerging community justice worker (CJW) programs in Indian Country as an evolution from Alaska Legal Services Corporation’s CJW program. Panelists will share research on program design, integration, and impact, highlighting how CJWs expand legal capacity in Alaska Native and American Indian communities and identifying priorities for future study.

Speakers

Cody Nelson

Executive Director, Anishinabe Legal Services

Cody Nelson is the Executive Director of Anishinabe Legal Services, a 501(c)(3) non-profit civil
legal aid law firm providing free legal assistance to low-income Native Americans residing on or
near the Leech Lake, White Earth, and Red Lake Nations in northern Minnesota. Cody
gra... Read More →

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 →

Matthew Burnett

Director of Research and Programs for the Access to Justice Research Initiative, American Bar Foundation

Matthew Burnett is Director of Research and Programs for the Access to Justice Research Initiative at the American Bar Foundation (ABF), a visiting scholar with the Justice Futures Project at Arizona State University, and an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center... Read More →

Sarah Carver

Managing Attorney, Center for Elder Law and Justice

Sarah Carver is Co-Director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation’s Community Justice Worker Resource Center (CJWRC). She started her legal career with ALSC as the sole staff attorney in the rural Nome, Alaska office. Since 2018, she has worked to build up the Community Justice Worker... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EDT
Mecklenburg 2

Sessions

1:30pm EDT

Digital Accessibility and Disability Justice

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

Mecklenburg 2

Digital accessibility ensures that all court users or legal service clients can access legal services and resources. If digital content is not accessible, people with disabilities can be deprived of equal access, legal rights, or basic needs. This session will address legal requirements for digital accessibility and teach participants how to address common accessibility barriers using interactive scenarios. We will close with tips and strategies from courts who are implementing digital accessibility.

Speakers

Gabriella Vazquez

Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts

Gabriella Vazquez, MPA, is a Court Management Consultant with the National Center for State Courts. She works on a variety of access to justice initiatives at NCSC, including supporting eviction diversion programs in state courts, Safe Harbor policy development, user-centered design... Read More →

Grace Spulak

Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts

Grace Spulak, JD, is a Senior Court Management Consultant with the National Center for State Courts where she works on a variety of access to justice issues, including the use of remote hearings, rural justice, process simplification, user-testing, and regulatory reform. Grace is... Read More →

Emily F. Deines

Statewide Manager of Justice Initiatives, Massachusetts Trial Court

Emily Deines has over 21 years of dedicated experience at the Massachusetts Trial Court, primarily within the Probate and Family Court, where she has developed expertise in court operations, technology, and user-centered service delivery. In April 2025, she assumed the role of Statewide... Read More →

Jill Roberts

Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts

Jill Roberts, JD, is a Principal Court Management Consultant at the National Center for State Courts. Her work is focused on expanding access to state courts with a focus on people without lawyers, people with disabilities, and people with limited English proficiency. She works closely... Read More →

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

Sessions

3:00pm EDT

Bridging the Justice Gap with Community Justice Workers: Lessons from Texas & Beyond

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

Mecklenburg 2

Despite growth in attorneys and pro bono services, 92 percent of low-income Americans’ civil legal needs remain unmet. Community Justice Workers (CJWs) offer a scalable model by training non-attorney advocates to provide structured, limited-scope legal support. This session will examine national developments and share lessons from Texas, where CJW projects are being built now, even without formal certification. Participants will leave with practical strategies to responsibly launch CJW pilots in their own states.

Speakers

Nikole Nelson

CEO, Frontline Justice

Nikole Nelson is the founding CEO of Frontline Justice. Prior to joining Frontline Justice Nikole was the Executive Director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation, Alaska’s only statewide provider of free civil aid. During her 25 years in the field, she worked to build community-led... Read More →

Cristian Sanchez

Economic Justice Director, Texas Immigration Law Council

Cristian is the Economic Justice Director at Texas Immigration Law Council where he leads the design and implementation of a program to expand access to civil legal services for low-income Texans through innovation, including Community Justice workers. He is doing this through standing... Read More →

Bethany Carson

Community Justice Worker Coordinator, Texas Immigration Law Council

Bethany Carson is an Equal Justice Works Fellow and the Community Justice Worker Coordinator at the Texas Immigration Law Council, where she supports a statewide cohort of non-attorney fellows expanding access to justice for noncitizen communities. With over a decade of experience... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2026 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT
Mecklenburg 2

Sessions

8:30am EDT

Eyes on Justice: Creative Volunteer Pathways to Strengthen Immigration Due Process

Saturday May 16, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EDT

Mecklenburg 2

Across the United States, immigrants are facing profound barriers to accessing justice. At the same time, many attorneys, students, and community members are eager to help but are unsure how to get involved or cannot commit to full representation. Innovative volunteer models are emerging that allow supporters to contribute meaningfully through “light-touch” engagement that still produces powerful impact. This panel will highlight two initiatives - a court observation project and a legal screening hotline - that expand access to justice through creative volunteer engagement models.

Speakers

Stacey Kim

Staff Attorney, American Bar Association Commission on Immigration

Stacy Kim (she/her/ella) is a Staff Attorney at the ABA Commission on Immigration (COI). Stacy has worked on various projects involving volunteer training, detention hotline work, asylum clinics, and materials development.

Prior to being at COI, Stacy was a fellow/staff attorney... Read More →

Alla Karagodin Holmes

Program Manager, Witness for Justice, Public Education and Engagement, Acacia Center for Justice

Saturday May 16, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EDT
Mecklenburg 2

Sessions

10:00am EDT

11:30am EDT

1:15pm EDT

2:45pm EDT

4:15pm EDT

8:30am EDT

10:00am EDT

1:30pm EDT

3:00pm EDT

8:30am EDT

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