Bridging the Gap in Veterans Legal Services with Pro Bono Support: LAFLA's Veterans of Color Advocacy Project

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Three years into a first of its kind service project dedicated to removing the barriers associated with criminal records of the state of California's veteran population, we will discuss, what has gone right and lessons learned in our continued efforts to merge race equity goals with the provision of legal services through pro bono support. This workshop will cover the nations first legal services project dedicated to Veterans of Color and discuss the ways we collaborate with Pro Bono Attorney's and students to provide compassionate services to our nation's forgotten heroes.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able identify ways to merge DEI/REI initiatives into the provision of legal services.
Upon completion, participants will be able to identify and create new training pathways including cultural competency for Pro Bono participant
Upon completion, participants will be able to identify new pathways for pro bono recruitment

Tyler Nicole Smith

Managing Attorney

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Tyler Nicole Smith is the Managing Attorney of the Veterans Justice Center at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. For the Veterans Justice Center, Tyler Nicole supervises a group of passionate advocates who lead the charge in fighting for veterans’ advocacy, providing direct representation, and operating legal clinics to help all former service members receive government benefits, overcome barriers to employment and housing, and prevent homelessness. Tyler Nicole is the creator of the Veterans of Color Advocacy Project, the nations first legal services project dedicated to veterans of color and the removal of criminal justice barriers through pro bono support. Following a grant award from LSC's Pro Bono Innovation fund, this project has assisted more than 200 Veterans remove hundreds of barriers caused by their criminal record. Prior to becoming Managing Attorney of the Veterans Justice Center, Tyler Nicole served as a staff attorney in LAFLA’s , Restoring Communities Workgroup's Project imPACT, where she focused on removing legal barriers caused by criminal backgrounds. Prior to joining LAFLA, Tyler Nicole was a staff attorney at the Community Legal Aid of So Cal's Clean Slate Unit where she provided full scope representation to clients seeking assisting with clearing their criminal record. To assist in expanding the work statewide, Tyler Nicole developed CA legal services first Clean Slate Training Manual and supervised UC Irvine’s Clean Slate Clinics. Before beginning her career in nonprofit legal services, Tyler Nicole served as a criminal defense attorney defending adult and juvenile defendants in felony and misdemeanor, DUI, rape, assault, drug, and theft cases. Tyler Nicole obtained her bachelor’s degree in economics from Spelman College in Atlanta, and received her Juris Doctorate with a concentration in trial and appellate advocacy from Suffolk University Law School in Boston.

Alisa Buriel, n/a

Paralegal

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Alisa Buriel is a paralegal at the Veterans Justice Center at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Her work is focused on justice-involved veterans of color and removing the barriers associated with having a criminal record. Her late grandfather was a Vietnam Veteran and takes pride in serving the veteran community. Previously, Alisa worked as a legal assistant at a Lemon Law Firm and interned in Washington D.C. with Brady United Against Gun Violence. Alisa received her B.A. In English, cum laude, from the University of California, Riverside in 2022. She is currently studying for the LSAT as she wants to continue her legal career as a lawyer.

Phong Wong

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 the Pro Bono Training Institute. She also oversees the outreach, recruitment, and hiring of volunteers including law students, undergraduates, paralegals and attorneys. She works closely with law firms, law schools, bar associations, and community groups to develop and implement pro bono projects and trainings. Before becoming Pro Bono Director, Phong worked in slum housing litigation, subsidized housing, housing redevelopment, eviction defense, and access to justice issues.

Patrick Fodell, Program Director at OneJustice.
Patrick dedicates his time to the California Pro Bono Training Institute (PBTI), a new and innovative project created by the Pro Bono Directors of OneJustice, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. The goal of PBTI is to increase efficiency in the statewide pro bono delivery system and expand overall pro bono in the state, offering standardized pro bono trainings that will help attorneys from around the state volunteer their time to secure justice. Prior to PBTI, he has coordinated trainings and outreach efforts at the Watsonville Law Center, Legal Aid Association of California, and the Self-Represented Litigants Network. His past work has helped to expand and support legal aid and court-based programs in California and across the nation.