What do a gymnast, board game addict, and foodie have in common?

They all believe passionately in removing barriers to justice – and so they just joined the staff team at OneJustice!

Meet Lauren Roberts, Stephen Downey, and Renae Getlin – the newest members of the OneJustice team – and they also happen to be a foodie, former gymnast, and board game addict!  Which one is which?  Continue reading to find out!  (And you can always see our entire staff team on our website!).

Meet Lauren Roberts, new Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Fellow, working on the Justice Bus Project in Northern California!

Lauren Roberts

Lauren will be leading Justice Bus trips all over Northern California, bringing free legal services to rural areas!

Q:  Lauren, what drew you to the work of OneJustice?
A: I was aware of OneJustice’s great work throughout law school – in fact I got my summer 2L job through OneJustice’s annual Public Interest/Public Sector Career Day! OneJustice is uniquely positioned to assess legal needs in rural and isolated areas of California and to connect law students and pro bono advocates to legal services organizations in order to meet that need.  I was thrilled to become a part of the OneJustice team after graduating from law school, since my position at OneJustice perfectly combines my passion for public interest legal work and organizing.

Q: What will you be responsible for at OneJustice – and what do you hope to achieve?
A:  I will be responsible for running the Justice Bus Project in Northern California. Through this position, I will continue to connect pro bono legal advocates with legal services in Northern California to help meet legal needs in rural and isolated areas of the state. This year, I plan to bring the Justice Bus project to new areas of Northern California and continue to expand OneJustice’s law school and pro bono partnerships.

Q: What did you do before coming to OneJustice?
A: I graduated from UC Davis School of Law in May 2012. During law school, I was heavily involved in the public interest community and spent my two summers working at the Resettlement Legal Aid Project in Cairo, Egypt, and the California Appellate Project in San Francisco, respectively.

Q:  Tell us something else about yourself!
A: I was a gymnast for fifteen years and later became a dance major at UCLA.

Meet Stephen Downey, new Program Associate working on our legal resource websitewww.LawHelpCalifornia.org!

Stephen will be working on LawHelpCA.org, our legal resource and referral website

Q: Stephen, what made you interested in working at OneJustice?
A: Far too many people fall through the cracks when it comes to access to legal help. OneJustice does an amazing job filling these gaps, whether it’s by physically bringing attorneys to people in need, or providing basic legal information to everyday people like me!

Q: Tell us more about your project!
A: I’ll be responsible for the LawHelpCA website. By building upon its self-help legal resources, I hope Californians in all walks of life will feel empowered, even if they do not have access to an attorney.

Q: What did you do before coming to OneJustice? 
A: After graduating from UC Berkeley, I got involved with several nonprofits in the Bay Area. Most recently, I was working at Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center coordinating free trainings for HIV service providers and fighting HIV-related stigma in the A&PI community.

Q: And tell us something quirky about you!
A: On the weekends, I like to bust out board games to tend my farm, cure diseases, and settle catans.

Meet Renae Getlin, new Executive and Administrative Assistant!

Renae provides a backbone of programmatic and administrative support!

Q: Renae, what is your personal connection to OneJustice’s work?
A: During college, I became passionate about the intersection of food and public health – particularly the disparity between our country’s ability to produce a huge surplus of food and its surprisingly high rate of hunger and starvation. I love that OneJustice recognizes this inequality and plays an essential role in helping disenfranchised community members access fresh food and other fundamental resources.

Q: What will you be responsible for at OneJustice and what are your goals for that work?
A: I will be responsible for providing administrative assistance to our Executive Director and the OneJustice team. By providing a backbone of support, I hope to help OneJustice better serve its network of nonprofits and our community members in need.

Q: What did you do before coming to OneJustice?
A: I worked as a receptionist and records clerk at an East Bay law firm. While that experience gave me the administrative background to fill my new role at OneJustice, working with my community service group, Lambda Omicron Xi, opened my eyes to many social inequalities and gave me the passion and drive to seek out my position.

Q: What is something else that we should know about you?
A: I am food-obsessed. When I buy a new cookbook, I immediately sit down and read it cover to cover – ideally with Food Network running in the background. I grocery shop for fun, and my kitchen is definitely the most loved room in my apartment.

Please join us in welcoming Lauren, Stephen, and Renae!