October 30
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In this session we will explore the difference between 'burnout" and "moral injury" - highlighting the personal, community, and systemic forces that impact sustainability efforts in social justice work. We will focus on resilience as a foundational component in advocacy work and share experiences and practices that can help build resilience and strengthen our resolve to continue the work in the face of adversity.
Justin Heim
Director of Learning Innovation
National Legal Aid and Defender Association
Justin Heim is the Director of Learning Innovation at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA). Previously, he worked for 12 years at the Wisconsin State Public Defender as a Staff Development Program Specialist in their Training Division and a Mitigation Specialist in the WISPD’s Appellate Division. Before working in Public Defense, Justin held various positions in community mental health in Colorado. Justin received his BA in Psychology from Michigan State University, and his MA in Contemplative Counseling Psychology from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.
Verne Johnson
Liza Merrill
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This panel of speakers from civil legal services, civil rights, immigrants' rights and legal academia will discuss how social justice practitioners are continuing to orient their work around race equity and pursue representation of clients and communities through a racial justice lens, while adapting to the challenges of the current moment.
- Craft specific strategies for expanding their race equity goals that will not jeopardize their funding/security; these goals could be in the areas of advocacy, trainings, communications, development, community collaborations
- Identify connections at other legal services organizations pursuing race equity and justice, so that advocates can collaborate or seek support or advice from each other
Maya Grosz, JD
Director of Training
New York Legal Assistance Group
Maya Grosz, J.D. is the Director of Training at New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG). Maya has spent more than 20 years as a legal educator, facilitator, and legal services lawyer. As Director of Training at NYLAG, Maya oversees and leads NYLAG staff-wide training. Before joining NYLAG she served as a consultant facilitating conversations about antiracism, equity, and inclusion. From 2009-2019 she was a law professor and Director of the Legal Practice Curriculum at Seton Hall Law School, where she supervised the experiential practical skills courses and programs, and she taught in the first year Introduction to Lawyering course. From 2005-2009 she taught Lawyering at New York University Law School. Before she entered teaching, Maya was an attorney at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, where she represented clients in a range of civil cases that were collateral to her clients' arrests or convictions. These included family defense proceedings, eviction matters, and police misconduct cases.Sirine Shebaya
Executive Director
National Immigration Project
Sirine Shebaya is the Executive Director of the National Immigration Project. She is an immigrant rights litigator and advocate who focuses on the intersection of immigration, civil rights, racial justice, and criminal justice. Under her leadership, the National Immigration Project combines movement-centered litigation, policy advocacy, narrative change, and training and education strategies to defend and advance the rights of immigrant communities of color. Sirine has led successful campaigns to disentangle local law enforcement from immigration enforcement, to expand protective policies at the federal level, and to challenge state and local laws that harm immigrants.Chinh Le
Assistant Professor of Law, General Faculty
University of Virginia School of Law
Chinh Le joined the resident faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law in 2025 after visiting for several years as a professor of practice and distinguished fellow with the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy. He teaches courses on systemic impact litigation and advocacy, public interest practice, and civil rights. From 2011 to 2021, he served as legal director of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Le was director of the division on civil rights in the office of the New Jersey Attorney General. Between 2001 and 2006, he served as assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., in New York. Le spent the 2008-09 academic year as a practitioner-in-residence at Seton Hall Law School and an adjunct associate research scholar at Columbia Law School, where he was affiliated with the Center for Institutional and Social Change. He served as a law clerk to Judge Walter K. Stapleton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and has also previously worked as a litigation associate at Jenner & Block. Le is a member of the boards of directors of the Poverty and Race Research Action Council and the Legal Aid Justice Center, and of the advisory council of the Center on Asian Americans and the Law at Fordham Law. He served on the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission between 2020 and 2023, as co-chair of the D.C. Consortium of Legal Services Providers between 2013 and 2016, and as co-chair of the Access to Justice Task Force of the ABA Section of Litigation between 2011 and 2013.Ryan Downer
Legal Director
Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
Mr. Downer brings to the Committee 15 years of experience litigating civil rights cases, primarily focusing on criminal legal system reform and economic justice. Prior to WLC, he served as director of litigation at Civil Rights Corps, where he oversaw cases challenging the criminalization of poverty, particularly in the areas of prosecutor misconduct and wealth-based pretrial detention. Mr. Downerâs direct casework at CRC included a challenge to the New Orleansâ district attorneyâs use of fake subpoenas; a lawsuit targeting Maricopa Countyâs blatant wealth discrimination in its marijuana diversion program; and CRCâs efforts to protect detainees in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Downer also previously served as counsel at Relman, Dane & Colfax, PLLC in Washington, D.C. and as associate counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc. (LDF) in New York. At Relman and LDF, Ryan litigated in the areas of fair housing, employment, environmental justice, and public accommodations at the district court and appellate level, including two of the first cases to challenge blanket criminal records bans imposed by private housing providers. Mr. Downer began his career as a clerk for The Hon. Martha Craig Daughtrey of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.-
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A candid discussion about using AI to streamline legal support and ethical considerations associated with its use.
- Participants will learn how The Legal Aid Society developed HANA, a human-in-the-loop AI tool that enhances staff knowledge and efficiency.
- This session will explore practical strategies for approaching AI as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for human expertise.
- Participants will learn how to experiment responsibly, provide feedback, and adapt workflows to use AI effectively balancing innovation with ethical reflection and a focus on client-centered outcomes.
Jumana Musa
Director - Fourth Amendment Center
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Barbara (Basia) Michalska
Supervising Attorney
The Legal Aid Society
Barbara (Basia) Michalska, Esq. is a Supervising Attorney at The Legal Aid Societyâs Housing Justice Helpline, where she co-created HANA, the AI-powered Information Retrieval Tool that was named a grand prize winner in Robin Hoodâs AI Poverty Challenge. Selected from nearly 200 national applicants, the tool was recognized as a breakthrough solution to expand access to housing justice. Basia developed the tool in partnership with Columbia Law Schoolâs Lawyering in the Digital Age Clinic, blending cutting-edge technology with frontline legal expertise. Since 2017, she has led legal teams across NYC, developed trainings and practice manuals, and continues to drive innovative strategies that serve clients with compassion and impact.-
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A robust conversation around navigating budgets, cuts and layoffs, creative ideas for funding, and retention efforts during this time where Chiefs are called to lead in a space of uncertainty and instability.
Deepak Budwani, n/a
CFAO
Santa Barbraa County Public Defender
Deepak Budwani is the Assistant Department Leader/Chief Financial & Administrative Officer for the Santa Barbara County Public Defenderâs Office, overseeing fiscal, IT, legal support, and administrative operations across all office locations. He manages a $26M annual budget and a staff of 125. With over 18 years of experience in public and private criminal defense, Deepak has led initiatives in budget strategy, policy, digitization, and data integration. He has implemented three paperless case management systems and expanded data capacity to drive funding increases. Deepak is data-driven, analytical, and a strong advocate for using evidence-based decision-making to improve services and outcomes for indigent clients.Omotayo Alli
Executive Director
Georgia Public Defender CouncilÂ
Omotayo B. Alli serves as Executive Director of the Georgia Public Defender Council (GPDC), where she leads the agencyâs statewide mission to provide high-quality legal representation to indigent clients. Appointed by Governor Brian P. Kemp in March 2020, Director Alli brings decades of public-defense experience and a steadfast commitment to fairness, equity, and constitutional rights. Under her leadership, GPDC has strengthened frontline defense services, modernized operations, and expanded holistic support for clients and communities. She oversees 60 offices across Georgia, ensuring that every client receives skilled representation and access to resources addressing the root causes of court involvement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her leadership ensured that no GPDC staff member was furloughed while positioning the agency for long-term success. In 2022, Director Alli achieved historic pay equity between public defenders and district attorneys, a first for Georgia. She increased funding for attorney salaries, raised contract rates, created a traveling-attorney team for underserved areas, launched a Gang and RICO Unit, and established a statewide Social Services Division to support rehabilitation and reentry. She also introduced a leadership program for defenders, modernized case management, and expanded community outreach. Director Alli founded the Ladders Program and Leadership Education Advancement Program (LEAP) to support youth and young adults through GED training, vocational development, and case management. Ladders boasts a 91 percent graduation rate and only 2 percent recidivism among graduates. Before joining GPDC, she served as Chief Administrative Officer for the Fulton County Juvenile Court and as the inaugural Director of Fulton County Child Attorneys. The first female and first African-heritage Executive Director of GPDC, Mrs. Alli holds degrees from Kent State University, Jacksonville State University, and Georgia State University. Her honors include the John Robert Lewis Lifetime Achievement Award (2024), recognizing her enduring dedication to justice, equality, and education.-
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A deep dive into best practices for advising clients in compliance with Padilla v. Kentucky, changes in federal enforcement and prosecutorial discretion, alternatives to incarceration, and more.
Jenny Hernandez
Lead Senior Attorney
City of Atlanta Office of the Public Defender
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Join us for an engaging and interactive panel celebrating The Legal Aid Society's 150-year journey of advancing justice and equity through direct representation, systemic litigation, and transformative law reform. This session will explore how Legal Aid has shaped the legal landscape in New York and beyond, fighting for the rights of marginalized communities, challenging unjust systems, and setting national precedents. Through dynamic conversation, audience Q&A, participants will unpack the strategies behind its dual approach to advocacy and envision the future of legal services in the fight for fairness. Whether you're a legal professional, advocate, or community member, this session invites you to reflect, respond, and contribute to the ongoing dialogue about justice, equity, and the power of public defense.
- Participants will be able to use direct client representation and systemic litigation to drive legal and social change, with examples from landmark cases and reform initiatives.
- Attendees will collaboratively explore emerging challenges and opportunities in public interest law and ways to ensure that community members who are most impacted are centered throughout the work
Tina Luongo, n/a
Chief Attorney
The Legal Aid Society
Tina Luongo has spent over two decades transforming public defense and advancing client-centered advocacy. As Chief Attorney of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Societyâone of the most prominent public defender offices in the countryâTina leads a team that serves more than 200,000 clients annually across trial, appellate, post-conviction, parole, and law reform work. Tinaâs leadership is rooted in a holistic, community-centered approach that prioritizes the dignity, voice, and lived experience of every client. They have championed interdisciplinary teamwork that brings together attorneys, social workers, investigators, and advocates to address the full spectrum of needs facing individuals entangled in the criminal legal system.Adriene Holder
Chief Attorney of Civil Practice
The Legal Aid Society
Adriene Holder (she/her) serves as the Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice at The Legal Aid Society, where she leads the largest and most comprehensive civil legal services program in the nation. She directs a network of neighborhood offices and specialized citywide units providing critical legal representation and advocacy to low-income and marginalized New Yorkers across all five boroughs. With a staff of 600 attorneys, paralegals, and social workers handling nearly 60,000 cases each year, Adriene leads efforts to preserve housing, protect families, secure income and benefits, support survivors of domestic violence, safeguard workersâ rights, defend immigrants, and ensure access to healthcare, education, and community stability. A lifelong advocate for racial and economic equity, Adriene has devoted her career to challenging poverty and injustice. Prior to her current role, she served as Attorney-in-Charge of the Harlem Office, practiced in the Law Reform Unit, and began her career as a staff attorney in the Harlem Housing Law Unit. Beyond her leadership at Legal Aid, Adriene helps shape access to justice statewide. She serves on the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice, the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates and Presidentâs Committee on Access to Justice, and the Executive Board of Housing Court Answers. She previously served as a Tenant Representative on the New York City Rent Guidelines Board and has taught as an adjunct professor at The New School and volunteer instructor at Columbia Law School. Called upon to advance Legal Aidâs legislative and policy agenda, Adriene frequently testifies before city and state legislative bodies and is a trusted voice for policymakers, the media, and academic institutions on issues affecting low-income and marginalized communities. Adriene earned her B.S. in Political Science from Spelman College and her J.D. from Columbia Law School.Dawne Mitchell
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Public defenders often face burnout and high turnover due to the emotional and mental toll of working with highly triggered, emotionally volatile clients. These tensions are a symptom of a deeper issue: a lack of communication skills needed to navigate inherent client distrust and systemic conflict. This breakout session will provide a foundational framework of effective communication principles designed specifically for the unique challenges of public defense. With proven results from training public defenders across Ohio, this training will teach participants how to leverage emotional intelligence to de-escalate tense situations, set clear boundaries, and regulate their own emotions to build trust with their clients, coworkers, and other legal professionals. By practicing these skills through live interactive exercises and real-life scenarios, attendees will be able to move beyond conflict to build genuine trust and connection. This enables them to not only reduce personal stress and job dissatisfaction but, more importantly, to create a safe space for clients to share their stories. The session is a critical opportunity for defenders to expand their narrative-building skills by truly recognizing and respecting the different voices and viewpoints of the people they serve.
- Upon completion, participants will be able to utilize a framework of effective communication to build trust and turn client conflict into a trusting, productive team connection.
- Upon completion, participants will be able to apply de-escalation techniques and emotional regulation principles to navigate emotionally charged client interactions.
- Upon completion, participants will be able to set a foundation of trust with their clients from their very first meeting.
Jolie Higazi, BA, CDCA
Professional Communication Coach
Jolie Higazi Coaching, LLC
Jolie Higazi is a Certified Communication Coach and an expert in emotional intelligence and addiction/recovery. Her career is built on a foundation of impeccable communication skills, which she honed in high-stakes corporate environmentsânavigating tense conflicts, de-escalating emotionally charged situations, and delivering hard truths with poise. As a dedicated coach, Jolie now distills these elite communication fundamentals for professionals facing their own unique challenges. Drawing from her deep understanding of human psychology, negotiation skills, and emotional intelligence, she empowers public defenders to transform contentious interactions into meaningful connections.-
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Through an intentional community-centered planning process, the Cook County Public Defender's Office successful launched 2 Freedom Defense Centers in the South and West side of Chicago. Building a long-term inclusive community driven planning process led to the design and ultimately creation of these centers serving as a hub for legal representation, legal education and client services. Participants will learn how to create an inclusive planning process that centers and celebrates community perspectives and voices.
- Presenters will describe the roadmap for building out the centers including hosting community planning circles, agendas, participants and other tools for building inclusion.
- Participants will understand how community voices made critical decisions about each step of the planning process and completion of the centers.
- Participants will explore navigating innovation in a system such as the Public Defender's Office.
Emmanuel Andre
Deputy of Policy & Strategic Litigation
Alex Santistevan
Director of Community Engagement
Cook County Public Defender's Office
Alex Santistevan is the Community Engagement Manager at the Cook County Public Defender's Office, where she has served for the past three and a half years. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Alex identifies as a Chicana with Mexican and Indigenous roots. Alex is community lawyer by training and is dedicated to increasing accessibility to the law and removing barriers that prevent people from living safe and healthy lives. At the Public Defender's Office, Alex has helped lead the planning for the opening of two Freedom Defense Centers on Chicago's Far South Side and West Side. Prior to her current role, Alex was the Program Director at First Defense Legal Aid where she oversaw community legal education initiatives such as Know Your Rights programming. Her work also includes advocating for farmworkers, landscapers and other laborers on wage and hour issues.Vichal Kumar, JD
Director
Partners for Justice
Vichal Kumar is PFJ’s Director of Capacity-Building, where he support public defenders throughout the country by utilizing his technical expertise in holistic and collaborative defense, and experience implementing holistic practices in public defender offices. Vichal formerly served as the Managing Attorney of the Civil Defense Practice at Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem, where he created a practice representing clients in the enmeshed penalties of criminal legal contact. Previously, while attending law school part-time, Vichal worked as a Civil Legal Advocate, Staff Attorney and Supervising Attorney at The Bronx Defenders. VIchal also served as the President of the South Asian Bar Association of North America and the South Asian Bar Association of New York.-
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Learn from this session about tactics, tools, and legal ways to challenge the criminalization of homelessness on the individual, local, state and federal levels. Join the conversation and find out how you can plug in to ongoing efforts and what you can do to stop the criminalization of homelessness and poverty. Participants will learn about existing tools and resources to combat criminalization and will have the opportunity to share best practices and successful challenges to the growing criminalization in their communities.
- Participants will learn about existing tools and resources to combat criminalization.
- Participants will have the opportunity to share best practices and successful challenges to the growing criminalization in their communities.
- Participants will understand strategic considerations in addressing criminalization of homelessness in their community.
Kirsten Anderson
Deputy Legal Director - Economic Justice
Southern Poverty Law Center
Kirsten Anderson is the Southern Poverty Law Centerâs deputy legal director for its Economic Justice legal team. She manages a dedicated team of attorneys and other legal professionals and is responsible for the overall vision, strategic planning and leadership of the SPLCâs economic justice work across the Deep South. Anderson is an experienced civil rights litigator whose cases have set precedents advancing legal protections for people experiencing homelessness. She is a founding member of the national âHousing Not Handcuffsâ campaign committed to ending the criminalization of homelessness. She serves on the American Bar Association's Commission on Homelessness & Poverty.Joy Johnson
Board Vice President
Legal Aid Justice Center
Ramina Davidson
Vice President of Field Strategy & Innovation
National Low Income Housing Coalition
Ramina Davidson is the Vice President of Field Strategy & Innovation at the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). In this role, she leads NLIHC's movement building efforts to achieve racially and socially equitable public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes have quality homes that are accessible and affordable in communities of their choice. Over the last decade, Ramina has combined organizing, legislative, and legal strategy with data and technology tools to achieve policy wins across the US for people experiencing homelessness and housing instability. Previous to her work at NLIHC, she led multi-disciplinary advocacy efforts at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law and the National Coalition for the Homeless. Prior to that, she designed a variety of metrics and data tools for the Built for Zero initiative at Community Solutions. Ramina holds a BS in mathematics from UCLA and a JD from Georgetown University. She is a member of the Virginia State Bar.Tiffany Hickey
Staff Attorney, Equal Access and Housing
Disability Rights California (DRC)
Tiffany Hickey is a civil rights attorney specializing in housing justice and disability rights. With over a decade of experience serving low-income communities across California, she currently works as a Staff Attorney at Disability Rights California, where she provides legal advocacy and education to tenants with disabilities. Tiffanyâs career spans a decade of impactful roles in legal aid, where she worked on housing and public benefits and led efforts to improve language access and support immigrant communities. She holds a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and is a member of the California Bar. Tiffany received her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2013.Michael Santos
Associate Director
RESULTS Educational Fund
Michael Santos is the Associate Director at RESULTS Educational Fund. He works with passionate grassroots advocates who use their voices to influence political decisions on critical federal housing policies that will bring an end to poverty. Prior to joining RESULTS, Michael was an eviction defense attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid. His prior work focused on advocating for homeless youth access to education through public education, impact litigation, and policy advocacy. Michael Santos has had a long history of working on the rights of low-income and underrepresented communities through the Department of Health and Human Services, the Clinton Foundation, and various non-profit organizations. He currently chairs the American Bar Associationâs Commission on Homelessness & Poverty. Michael graduated from Brown University with a double concentration in Biomedical Engineering and Ethnic Studies. He received his JD from University of Southern California Gould School of Law. He is admitted to the California, New York, and District of Columbia state bars. He is based in Washington, DC.-
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Three former chiefs from the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division will discuss public information regarding changing priorities within the Civil Rights Division and engage with the audience on what is on the line for client communities, civil rights advocates, grant recipients, and others working for access to equal justice.
- Describe changes in Civil Rights Division priorities and how those changes may impact their client communities.
- Consider what steps can be taken to protect civil rights for client communities.
R. Tamar Hagler
Former Chief, Civil Rights Division
Former Chief, Civil Rights Division, USDOJ
Ms. Hagler spent 25 years at the Justice Departmentâs Civil Rights Division enforcing federal laws protecting the right to vote and prohibiting discrimination in housing, land use and zoning, public accommodations, andâ¨lending. Until May, she was Chief of the Divisionâs Voting Section, and before that was a Deputy Chief in the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section. Ms. Hagler graduated from the George Washington University Law School and received her B.A. in Law and Society, Criminal Justice, from the University of California at Santa Barbara.Shaheena Simons
Senior Advisor for Strategy & Programs
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Shaheena Simons is Senior Advisor for Strategy & Programs at the Lawyersâ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Before joining the Lawyersâ Committee in 2025, she served for nearly 18 years in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. For nine years (2016-2025), she was Chief of the Educational Opportunities Section, leading DOJâs enforcement to protect students from discrimination based on race, national origin, sex, religion, and disability. Under her leadership, DOJ worked to fulfill the promise of Brown v. Board by combating segregation, harassment, and discriminatory discipline, among other practices that deny students equal dignity and opportunity. Before joining EOS, Shaheena led police accountability and juvenile justice cases as an attorney in DOJâs Special Litigation Section. Before DOJ, Shaheena worked at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, first as a litigator and then as Acting Regional Counsel of MALDEFâs National Policy Office. She began her career as a Civil Rights Fellow at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson and is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School.Christine Stoneman, n/a
Law and Public Policy Fellow
Northeastern University
Christine Stoneman is the former chief of the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section of the Civil Rights Division, USDOJ, where she worked for 25 years. She is currently a Law and Policy Fellow with the Northeastern Schools of Law and Public Policy. She is a longtime collaborator with NLADA and supporter of Legal Aid, and began her career at Legal Action of Wisconsin. During her time in government, Christine led a nationwide program designed to address and prevent discrimination by recipients of federal funds. This effort included Title VI and Equal Protection actions involving race, national origin, and sex discrimination in a range of contexts, including law enforcement, environmental justice, language access, health and social services, and more.-
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