2026 Equal Justice Conference: Full Schedule

8:30am EDT

New Pro Bono Managers Nuts and Bolts

Wednesday May 13, 2026 8:30am - 5:00pm EDT

Symphony 3

Wednesday May 13, 2026 8:30am - 5:00pm EDT
Symphony 3

Pre-Conference

10:00am EDT

Justice Metamorphosis: Courts Innovating e-Filing Technology to Provide Access and Empower Survivors

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

Symphony 3

Drafting a petition is a vital first step for survivors seeking protection orders. Yet, the petition process is often confusing and time-consuming—particularly for pro se survivors navigating this process without the guidance of an attorney or advocate. E-filing offers a meaningful solution to many of these challenges. This session will highlight lessons learned by courts involved in a national technical assistance initiative, best practices for trauma-informed e-filing design, advocacy engagement strategies, and real-world success stories.

Speakers

Sarah Mauet

UX4Justice Director and Professor of PracticenDirector of System and Technology Design, Innovation for Justice (i4J)

Sarah Mauet (she/her) is an award-winning technologist, researcher, designer, and educator whose work centers on social impact technology and justice-system innovation. She is the Director of System and Technology Design for Innovation for Justice (i4J) where she is also a Professor... Read More →

Sarah Hoskinson

Chief of Access to Justice Initiatives, Kansas Judicial Branch

Sarah Hoskinson is the Chief of Access to Justice Initiatives for the Kansas Judicial Branch and serves as Special Projects Counsel to Judicial Administrator Stephanie Smith. In her role she advances programs that reduce barriers to equitable and effective access to the court system... Read More →

Amy Borman

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Legal Officer, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Palm Beach County

Thursday May 14, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EDT
Symphony 3

Sessions

11:30am EDT

California LSC Project Directors

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

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California LSC Project Directors for discussion of LSC grantee forum

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

1:15pm EDT

Reimagining Access: A Case Study in AI-Powered Online Intake Portals

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

Symphony 3

This session showcases an innovative intake portal developed in collaboration with Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) and A2J Tech. Attendees will learn how to build AI-enabled portals while also gaining strategies for collaborating with tech partners and ensuring meaningful user adoption through iterative development, testing, and outreach.

The session will highlight key lessons learned from this project, emphasizing the vital role of requirement gathering, rigorous user testing, and collaborative partnerships in achieving impactful outcomes.

Speakers

Scheree M. Gilchrist

Chief Innovation Officer, Legal Aid of North Carolina

Scheree Gilchrist is the Chief Innovation Officer at Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC).In this position, she oversees the development of a sustainable, strategic plan for innovation that will improve access to justice for clients and improve the way staff works to deliver services... Read More →

Mauricio Duarte

Chief Operating Officer, A2J Tech PBC

Mauricio is a lawyer from Guatemala with an LL.M. from St. Thomas University in Minnesota. He worked for five years in international arbitration before shifting his work to technology and legal innovation. He is the Chief Operating Officer and a Justice Entrepreneur at A2J Tech, a... Read More →

Megan Hennings

Staff Attorney & Program Manager, Innovation Lab, Legal Aid of North Carolina

Megan Hennings is the Innovation Lab’s Program Manager & Staff Attorney. In this role, she oversees internal design processes, staff and community engagement, and technology-driven solutions to enhance legal service delivery, particularly in rural communities. She previously served... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2026 1:15pm - 2:30pm EDT
Symphony 3

Sessions

2:45pm EDT

Building and Sustaining Effective Partnerships for Serving LGBTQ+ Low Income Clients

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

Symphony 3

This session will provide information on how building and sustaining partnerships between legal aid organizations and local, state, and national community organizations can help improve legal services for low-income LGBTQ+ clients. Attendees will learn about successful ongoing and past partnerships as well as learn some principles and tips for building new partnerships and deepening existing partnerships with community organizations.

Speakers

Shinming (Ming) Wong

L. Orozco

Kate Mozynski

Thursday May 14, 2026 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Symphony 3

Sessions

4:15pm EDT

Building Tenant Power to Preserve Subsidized Housing

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

Symphony 3

As the federal government has slashed investment in subsidized housing, preserving existing housing and their subsidies is more important than ever. Using a case study of representing public housing residents in Savannah, Georgia, who are facing the demolition of their homes, the session will teach advocates how to identify housing subsidies at risk and leverage tenant power to advocate for preserving subsidized housing in their community. The session will also discuss potential legislation and regulations which impact preservation work.

Speakers

Korey C. Lundin

Senior Staff Attorney, National Housing Law Project

Korey Lundin is a Senior Staff Attorney at the National Housing Law Project and focuses his work on the preservation of federally assisted housing. Prior to joining NHLP, Korey worked for over two decades as a housing and family law attorney with Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. in... Read More →

Bridgett A. Simmons

Staff Attorney, National Housing Law Project

BRIDGETT A. SIMMONS is a Staff Attorney with the National Housing Law Project (NHLP). Bridgett’s work focuses on the preservation of HUD-subsidized multifamily housing, healthy housing and tenants’ right to organize. Bridgett joined NHLP in September 2017 as the second David B... Read More →

David Sunshine Hamburger

Staff Attorney, Georgia Legal Services Program

David Sunshine Hamburger is a Staff Attorney at Georgia Legal Services Program's Savannah office where he works as the single non-profit housing lawyer for an eleven-county region of Southeast Georgia. David's practice focuses on representing low-resourced tenants in eviction hearings... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2026 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Symphony 3

Sessions

8:30am EDT

From Collaboration to Code: Building a Statewide Civil Justice Infrastructure

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

Symphony 3

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.

Speakers

Laura Tuggle

Executive Director, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services

Laura Tuggle has been the Executive Director of Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) since May 2014 after beginning her career in 1993. She managed SLLS’ Housing Law Unit following Hurricane Katrina from 2005-2010. Laura's work includes direct services, systemic work and policy... Read More →

Amanda Brown

Rachel Mills

ATJ Projects Counsel, Louisiana State Bar Association

Rachael Mills, Esq. currently works with the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Access to Justice Program where she serves as ATJ Projects Counsel. In this role she works to manage, administer and direct various projects of the LSBA ATJ Program, which strengthens relationships and... Read More →

Stephanie Beaugh

Access to Justice Projects Counsel, Louisiana State Bar Association

Stephanie Beaugh is the Access to Justice Projects Counsel at the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA), where she serves as staff liaison to the Self-Represented Litigation, Technology, and Community Outreach & Education Committees of the Access to Justice Commission. In this role... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EDT
Symphony 3

Sessions

10:00am EDT

Meet Hazel to Learn About Approaches to Inclusive Work Environments

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

Symphony 3

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.

Speakers

Sonya Bellafant

Executive Director, New Mexico Legal Aid

Sonya G. Bellafant, Esq., is a transformational Chief Executive Officer and attorney with more than 20 years of leadership experience advancing mission-driven organizations through strategic growth, financial stabilization, and operational excellence. She has led complex, multi-site... Read More →

Linda Milanesi

CEO/President, Assistance Dogs of the West

In 2006, Linda Milanesi began her career with Assistance Dogs of the West when she apprenticed to become an instructor/trainer in the school programs. She served as Vice President of the ADW board until 2011, when she was named ADW’s Executive Director. Linda oversees a whole-systems... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EDT
Symphony 3

Sessions

1:30pm EDT

Centering Clients, Expanding Reach: Pro Bono in Rural Communities

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

Symphony 3

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.

Speakers

Anais Taboas

Program Counsel, Legal Services Corporation

Anais Taboas is program counsel for Pro Bono Innovation and Veterans Grant Administration in the Office of Program Performance. Anais previously served as the pro bono program director at Maryland Legal Aid, where she developed statewide standards for pro bono practice and supervised... Read More →

Matt Kgizaki

Bethanie Mettling

Jerri Shick

Friday May 15, 2026 1:30pm - 2:45pm EDT
Symphony 3

Sessions

3:00pm EDT

From Tokenism to Transformation: Centering System-Impacted Leaders in Legal and Policy Work

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

Symphony 3

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.

Speakers

Paul Briley

Executive Director, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children

Paul Briley emerged as the newest Executive Director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children in over 20 years and rose quickly in his leadership as an influential driver of the national network for All of Us or None. His ability to draw from the past and present through a prism... Read More →

Sonja Tonnesen-Casalegno

Advocacy Director, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children

Sonja Tonnesen-Casalegno, Esq., Advocacy Director, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children

Sonja is a movement lawyer and lifelong advocate for racial and gender justice who has spent over 15 years working to transform the carceral system. Born and raised outside Milwaukee, WI, Sonja grew up in a family deeply committed to social justice and with loved ones directly impacted... Read More →

Daryl V. Atkinson

Founder & Executive Director, Second Chance Federation

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

Sessions

8:30am EDT

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

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