November 2, 2017
…and now they all help expand access to legal assistance for all Californians!
OneJustice has been growing a lot in these past few months, and our newest team members bring a huge swath of new skills to the organization – in addition to their wonderful and unique personalities, of course. We sat down with them and asked them to share a little something about themselves, including:
- What drew you to OneJustice’s vision, mission, and strategies?
- Tell us a bit about your position at OneJustice and what you hope to achieve?
- What was your path in coming to OneJustice?
- And please tell us something about yourself that not everyone might know.
We think you’ll enjoy hearing their responses below. And we know that you’ll enjoy working with them as they get up and running in their work! Join us in welcoming Xiomara Castro, Semhal Gessesse, Alex Ramsey, Gillian Sonnad, and Jess Temple!
Xiomara Castro – Program Associate, Pro Bono Justice
I was drawn to OneJustice because of the organization’s commitment to bringing legal services to underserved communities and expanding the legal aid landscape through a multi-faceted approach. The Justice Bus is an incredible and unique project in its mission to close the legal services gap in rural communities, where poverty is increasing and access to legal services are few. I was also drawn to OneJustice because it’s an organization that prioritizes diversity and equity among its staff and brings that dynamic to the public in the form of clinics, consulting and policy work.
I hit the ground running in support of the Justice Bus Project in Southern California. My first day at OneJustice was an overnight trip to San Diego for a DACA and Naturalization clinic in Escondido. I look forward to growing my skills to serve clients with a range of issues including naturalization and general immigration, record expungement, and veteran’s issues. As someone with social services experience, I know that many underserved communities face basic legal barriers that prevent them from accessing life-changing services. I am proud of the Justice Bus and its work to remove those barriers and create equity for marginalized people.
I am coming into the legal field with a background in social services, education and community organizing. I have experience organizing with LGBTQ youth of color around various issues, including disability and access, housing, educational equity, and state and interpersonal violence. I also have experience providing direct services and counseling to low-income and undocumented youth and families in the Los Angeles area. I am excited to use my skills to continue serving these and adjacent communities with the Justice Bus Project.
I really love high fives, karaoke and foodie hunts for the best of LA. So far I have found some of the best pizza, takoyaki, fish tacos, and sushi in LA. Next up, ramen.
Semhal Gessesse – Program Associate, Pro Bono Consulting
I w
as drawn to OneJustice by its mission to bring legal services to those most in need and its multifaceted clinic and consulting work to achieve it. I was drawn to my role, specifically, for its emphasis on both building the capacity of California’s pro bono work and improving the way it is delivered.
My core responsibilities here at OneJustice include working closely with the Pro Bono Justice Consulting Team to help both implement new pro bono networks around the Bay Area and strengthen existing mechanisms that have the potential to create long-lasting pro bono relationships. Through my work, I hope to increase access to justice by fostering better community relations between those with legal needs and those who have the resources and expertise to help.
Prior to joining the OneJustice team, I most recently worked on a range of city initiatives at the New York City-based policy and advocacy organization FPWA. The bulk of my work related to equitable workforce development for immigrant populations and it is here that I developed an interest in advocacy and public policy, a background I am excited to bring to OneJustice.
My passion for public interest law and social justice developed intensely during my time at New York University and while working at the Legal Aid Society and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. Working in both spaces within the span of two years allowed me to get a better, more nuanced understanding of justice and sentencing disparities in a large, urban legal system such as New York. Additionally, working directly with clients highlighted to me how external factors such as poverty, education attainment, and national origin can impact the outcome of a case.
I really love pancakes and enjoy eating them as a weekend breakfast or late night snack. I like to think I have the best recipe and technique out so I always welcome some friendly competition!!
Alex Ramsey – Communications Associate
This is my first job out of college, and I was really hoping I could get involved in an organization that’s making a difference. I’m interested in helping to create a more just and equitable justice system, and OneJustice serves a vital role in helping fulfill that dream. After I spoke with Julia, our CEO, I was confident that this would be a place where my work would have an impact.
As the Communications Associate, I’m in charge of managing OneJustice’s social media accounts, helping edit the website, creating graphics for physical mailings and digital campaigns, drafting blog posts and newsletters, and a bunch of other tasks. I’m hoping that I can help to improve our digital presence and expand our following – I want to spread the word about the awesome stuff that’s going on here.
In June I graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in African and African American Studies, with Honors. In the summer of 2016, I was an intern with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in the Communications and Policy Department, where I did some work similar to what I do at OneJustice: I helped with social media campaigns, conducted legal research, and worked on the office’s annual report. While at Stanford, I had a number of pretty different jobs and positions. I was a research assistant with the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, where I helped put together scripts for a digital course; the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis, where I created a website to map all 9/11 memorials outside of the United States; and a student leader in the Stanford Marching Band, where I helped write field shows for football performances and create social media content.
I play the tenor saxophone, and I can recite multiple episodes of Spongebob Squarepants from memory. I know, it’s weird.
Gillian Sonnad – Staff Attorney, Healthy Nonprofits
I’ve worked primarily in local legal services programs, and I know how fundamental their work is to providing access to justice for underserved and underrepresented communities. So OneJustice’s work to strengthen and support the legal services organizations through training, technical support, and advocating for additional funding really drew me in.
I will be running the Executive Fellows program and starting up a new area of consulting for the Healthy Nonprofits (HNP) team. I’m looking forward to providing support and training for the legal services organizations and hope to enable them to do their very important work more efficiently, effectively, and in an inclusive manner.
Prior to my work with OneJustice, I was a Senior Consultant with the Race Equity Project and the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. I was an inaugural fellow for the Shriver Center Racial Justice Training Institute and after completing my fellowship I have served as faculty and coach for the Institute. I also co-authored the Clearinghouse Review article, “Putting Race Back on the Table: Racial Impact Statements.” In addition to my race equity work, I was a supervising attorney with Central California Legal Services and a staff attorney with Legal Services of Northern California where I advised, assisted, and represented hundreds of clients with issues related to public benefits, housing, healthcare, education, consumer rights, estates, and immigration. I earned my J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2008 with a concentration in Public Interest Law. During my time at Hastings I clerked for Bay Area Legal Aid and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, represented clients in both the Individual Rights and the Refugee and Human Rights clinics, and was a Senior Articles Editor for the Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal. I earned my B.A. from the University of California, San Diego with a double major in Political Science and Law and Society.
My husband and I are on a mission to bake everything from our favorite season of The Great British Bake Off!
Jess Temple – Staff Attorney, Pro Bono Clinics
I was drawn to the work of OneJustice because I emphatically agree with a core tenet of OneJustice’s work – that access to justice must not be limited to those that can readily access it. OneJustice is a thoughtful and evolving organization, which skillfully combines intentionality and creativity.
As the Staff Attorney for Pro Bono Clinics, I am predominantly responsible for leading OneJustice’s Northern California Justice Bus. The Justice Bus provides mobile legal services to rural and isolated areas in Northern California by providing one- or two-day legal clinics. I hope to partner with community organizations and legal service providers to identify legal needs in these communities, and to use the Justice Bus as a mechanism by which pieces of these legal needs can be addressed. In preparation for these trips, I am responsible for facilitating all necessary training. To a lesser extent, I am also responsible for contributing to the Rural Justice Collaborative at OneJustice.
In implementing strategic responses to pressing legal needs, I aim to build positive and productive partnerships with pro bono attorneys, law students, legal services nonprofits, and community organizations.
Prior to joining OneJustice, I completed a fellowship with the International Justice Resource Center (IJRC), where my work centered on increasing victims’, and their advocates’, effective use of international human rights law to strengthen individuals’ access to justice. Previously, I worked as a law clerk with a civil rights and human rights law firm in Venice, California and contributed to cases before the Ninth Circuit addressing police misconduct, selective and discriminatory enforcement of the law, human trafficking, child slave labor, and corporate accountability. I also worked in the Justice, Protection, and Social Rights Unit of the Special Procedures branch of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights located in Geneva, Switzerland. Before attending law school, I participated in comprehensive eviction defense work at San Francisco Bar Association’s Homeless Advocacy Project, which sought to connect Bay Area community members to pro bono legal services, social services, and rehabilitative services necessary to address intersecting experiences of poverty, discrimination, mental illness, disability, and substance abuse.
I have always been very drawn to the water, and I’ve been swimming on recreational swim teams since I was 4 years old. There were high hopes that I would be one of the great swimmers of my generation, but sadly, my performance peaked by the time I was 6 years old. Though never the best swimmer, I have enjoyed recreational and outdoor swimming ever since!