Michael Forton has served as Director of Advocacy for Legal Services Alabama (LSA) since 2016. Prior to taking this position, Mr. Forton served as Managing Attorney of the Huntsville Office for six years. Forton has represented clients in a wide range of cases including: housing, consumer, domestic and appellate issues in both state and federal courts. Prior to joining LSA, Forton served as Staff Attorney with Florida Rural Legal Services and clerked with the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP). Forton received a B.A., with honors, from Michigan State University and a J.D. from The University of Alabama School of Law, where he was in the Bench and Bar Legal Honor Society. Forton previously served on the Board of Directors for the Public Interest Advisory Board at The University of Alabama. Forton won Legal Services Alabama Advocate of the Year in 2008 and the Public Interest Lawyer of the Year from the Alabama State Bar in 2024.

Karen Merrill (Tjapkes) Diesing, J.D. is the Director of Advocacy at Legal Aid of Western Michigan in Grand Rapids. As Director of Advocacy, she identifies goals and strategies for LAWM’s legal advocacy, oversees LAWM’s intake and service delivery systems, consults on litigation and develops and maintains protocols for legal work supervision in compliance with LSC regulations and best practices. She advises LAWM’s executive team and Board on emerging needs and service delivery. Additionally, she oversees staff professional development and training. Ms. Diesing works with local, statewide, and national partners to further effective advocacy and service delivery. At LAWM, she assists with grant applications, management and compliance. In her legal practice, she represents low income and elderly clients with housing law, foreclosure, consumer, bankruptcy and public benefits matters, in administrative tribunals and state, bankruptcy, federal and appellate courts. Ms. Diesing served as the Co-Chair on the Michigan Supreme Court's Justice for All Commission Summary Proceedings Improvement workgroup. She also serves on the advisory board for the Michigan Poverty Law Program and the Committee on Regional Training. She previously served as an Expert Advisor with the Center for Survivor Agency and Justice concerning consumer law rights for domestic violence survivors. Ms. Diesing has taught Consumer Law as an adjunct professor and has been a guest lecturer in the clinical program at Cooley Law School in Grand Rapids. She is a past chair of the Consumer Law Section Council of the State Bar of Michigan. Ms. Diesing also sits on the Steering Council of the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness. She earned her B.A., with honors, from James Madison College at Michigan State University in 1997, and her J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2000.

As Director of Litigation, Brenda Star Adams (she/her) oversees the strategic vision and priorities of BayLegal’s impact litigation. Brenda partners with staff to bring affirmative litigation challenging systemic inequities and legal barriers identified through BayLegal’s direct legal services to improve the lives of low-income California residents. Brenda also provides litigation training and support to attorneys across the firm. Brenda began her career at the Eviction Defense Center, where she spent four years defending low-income tenants from eviction in jury trials and organized affirmative lawsuits. She then spent seven years as a staff attorney with BayLegal, representing survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse in family law and immigration matters. She spent the next four years at Equal Rights Advocates, where she led ERA's education equity work and sexual violence impact litigation, oversaw the direct services programs, and managed the queer justice project. Prior to re-joining BayLegal in 2024 as Litigation Director, Brenda led impact litigation at the National Center for Youth Law to dismantle systems of oppression for youth. Brenda is the 2021 recipient of the Fay Stender Award from the California Women Lawyers, an award given to "a feminist attorney" who "is committed to the representation of women, disadvantaged groups and unpopular causes, and whose courage, zest for life and demonstrated ability to effect change as a single individual makes her a role model for women attorneys." In her spare time, Brenda is also a lecturer at UC Berkeley Law School and coaches a high school mock trial team. Brenda loves spending time with her moms, husband, daughter, and 3-legged dog. Born and raised in San Francisco, Brenda brings a fierce passion for social justice and over 18 years’ experience litigating cases on behalf of youth, low-income families, the LGBTQI+ community, and survivors of abuse.

Lisa Ruby graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and began working at Legal Services of South Central Michigan in 1992. She worked there for eight years before moving to the Michigan Poverty Law Program, where she specialized in Social Security law and other public benefits, including unemployment insurance, Medicaid, food assistance and disability-based programs. She is currently the Director of Advocacy with the Michigan Advocacy Program.