MIE Roundtable for Legal Services Executive Directors and Managers

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The MIE Roundtable provides a forum for legal services executive directors and managers to share management concerns and receive peer support and assistance in an informal and confidential setting. This session allows participants to share their most difficult challenges and pressing decisions, and to benefit from the best thinking of their colleagues who share similar concerns and have experience and learning to share, moving the community as a whole forward toward better management and thus better services to clients.

describe pressing issues facing legal aid leaders across the country
understand a variety of approaches to address pressing challenges
connect with similarly situated legal aid leaders for peer support

Maria Thomas-Jones, n/a

Chief Executive Officer

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Maria Thomas-Jones serves as Chief Executive Officer of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT). LANWT provides civil legal services to low-income individuals and organizations in 114 counties in North and West Texas, with offices in both urban and rural service areas. Prior to serving as CEO, Maria held numerous positions with LANWT and its predecessor, Legal Services of North Texas. Maria served as Deputy Director, Supervising Attorney of the Dallas Family Law Unit, and as a LANWT staff attorney at a domestic violence agency. She has concentrated her practice in the area of family law with an emphasis on providing legal services to individuals and families impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse or neglect. Maria enjoys leading her team of excellent administrators, managers and staff as they deliver quality legal services and as they grow professionally. Maria has spent most of her professional career dedicated to public interest work having started her career with a legal aid organization while in law school and securing employment with another legal aid organization in Michigan upon her graduation. Maria transitioned into private practice after moving from Michigan to Texas. Maria enjoyed her years in private practice with both a small and a large firm where she practiced in the areas of employment and commercial litigation. Maria enjoys being back (for over 20 years) doing legal aid work. She is passionate about assisting those who most need a legal champion but are unable to afford one. Maria feels privileged to be able to collaborate with MIE in promoting excellence in management and fundraising. Maria is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.