January 16th 2020

Does your organization have a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative that aspires to make organizational changes? Are you part of that initiative, or separately leading equity work in your own teams, but are not sure how to turn value-based learning and dialogue, into active strategy development and concrete action? Ever wish you or the team had more strategies and skills for moving your organization from affirming equity concepts to adopting practices and institutional shifts?

OneJustice is delighted to announce the second round of the Innovation track of the cohort based learning program the Organizational Change Accelerators, this year expressly focusing on diversity equity and inclusion outcomes. By partnering with organizational equity consultants and legal aid peers to provide coaching and perspectives, OneJustice will provide a cohort of legal aid teams with wraparound learning and training at the intersection of equity principles and innovation leadership.

What’s the relationship between innovation and diversity equity and inclusion?

We know that operationalizing racial justice and equity values requires not just insight and information but also changes to organizational culture, systems, processes, and practices. Whether you are leading an organization or part of a committee making decisions as a team, you need to have a careful implementation plan that appreciates the need for buy-in and a roll-out plan that is realistic and emotionally intelligent. To do this, stakeholders can benefit from learning methods of innovation and change management which come with dedicated frameworks, processes, and practices for leading action on big ideas.

This cohort experience is an exciting opportunity to learn with your colleagues (you’ll come with a team of two or more), leaders of other groups (the cohort is designed for four-eight other organizations), and OneJustice’s team and nonprofit partners. The experience includes:

• An introduction to different assessments for individual and organizational readiness for diversity, equity, and inclusion work
• Highly interactive deep learning workshops designed to support concepts and skills to lead equity related changes at your organization, from team building, planning, implementing, and evaluating
• An in-depth Capstone Project to apply learnings toward a priority project at your organization
• Coaching sessions to support implementation throughout the program

For more information about the Accelerators, check out this Powtoon:

You can download more information and the application at onejustice.org/oca.  If you would like to explore this opportunity further or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at rmangiliman@one-justice.org!

January 7th, 2019

Happy New Year! We thought we would kick off the new year with a bang and introduce you to the two newest legal aid innovators on the OneJustice team!  Joining us at the end of last year are Meryl Friedman, Senior Program Manager and Tatum Burnett, Program Associate! Meryl is joining our Northern California Pro Bono Justice team and will be working on bringing about major innovations to our Justice Bus Model while Tatum is joining our Healthy Nonprofits team, supporting the team in everything from the Executive Fellowship to our new Organizational Change Accelerators. Please join us in welcoming Meryl and Tatum!

As we do with all new folks, we asked them to answer these four questions:

•  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.

Meryl Friedman, Senior Program Manager

I am inspired by OneJustice’s needs-based approach to impact. OneJustice is committed to not only providing services, access, and support for those seeking justice, it also adapts and innovates to deliver the most useful and thoughtful change. I am thrilled to be part of such a passionate and strategic team working tirelessly to close the justice gap.

As a Senior Program Manager, I will work with the Pro Bono Justice team to lead, iterate and expand our programs. I will work with clients, legal aid organizations, and pro bono partners through direct legal clinics, collaborations, and consulting services.

For the past few years, I worked as a nonprofit consultant in New York at Cause Strategy Partners. With a particular focus on nonprofit governance and operations, I led our board matching program, BoardLead, in Chicago and San Francisco. Often, nonprofits need more engaged and diverse board members who are aware of governance responsibilities. We tried to fill that gap. Before that role, I worked at the New Media Advocacy Project and the American Jewish World Service.

I received my Masters in Nonprofit Management from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service. I focused on Social Innovation, Impact and Investment to better understand how the nonprofit sector can harness change and human-centered design to strengthen methods and outcomes. My capstone project was a business plan to launch a campus-based tech tool to support survivors of sexual assault as they navigated justice and healing services. I received my Bachelor of Arts from Haverford College in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies.

I love to walk my two dogs while listening to audiobooks. Before leaving NYC, I walked (nearly) every street in Manhattan below 140^th street.

Tatum Burnett, Program Associate

I was drawn to OneJustice because of its dedication to support and empower California’s legal aid sector through innovative, holistic and justice oriented methods. I am especially passionate about OneJustice’s mission to increase legal access and to prioritize the protections, and rights of underserved and marginalized communities within California.

As a Program Associate with OneJustice’s Healthy Nonprofits Program, I will work on projects that embolden California’s legal aid nonprofits, such as the Executive Fellowship Program, the Organizational Change Accelerators, and the Capacity Building Academy. By contributing to these projects which aim to strengthen and support California’s most essential legal aid organizations, I hope we will make a positive difference in the causes they are working towards and the lives of those they serve.

Prior to joining the OneJustice team I developed my interest in the legal system and empowering disenfranchised communities by working with the Office of Victim’s Services within the New London Superior Court in Connecticut. I also had the opportunity to intern with a local criminal post-conviction law firm, working on capital and habeas corpus cases of indigent clients serving on death row or life without the possibility of parole. Additionally I have volunteered and worked with community organizations locally and abroad on matters regarding dependency and family law, youth mentorship, environmental activism and disability education. I earned my BA from Connecticut College in Government as well as Gender, Sexuality and Intersectionality Studies, where my studies focused on implicit biases within the legal system.

I love to hike with my dogs in Redwood Regional Park in Oakland, watch the same TV shows over and over again with my friends, bake berry galettes, and see live music.

December 18th 2019

Working in legal aid, we all face the same challenge of how to best serve the high number of people who contact us each day seeking help. Many organizations now run hotlines or host legal clinics to provide brief services to clients who will not be represented by an attorney. Whilst such services reach a large number of people, there is often a nagging doubt in our minds: “What happens to our clients once they leave the clinic or put down the phone? Do we provide enough help? What could we better?” 

If you are interested in exploring these questions, apply to join OneJustice’s upcoming Program Evaluation course!. The course is designed to offer a practical introduction to program evaluation that is specifically tailored to legal aid – measuring the effectiveness of brief services is a case in point. Over a series of five training sessions from February to June 2020, you will collaborate with participants from other legal aid organizations to explore building capacity for program evaluation, planning evaluation systems and projects, and nitty-gritty topics such as data analysis and interpretation. To find out more, check out the syllabus.

Added bonus: this year participants will have the opportunity to experiment with using text messaging technology to track the outcomes of clients receiving brief services. For example, a client who contacted a hotline about a housing matter could receive a follow-up text message asking whether their problem is now resolved. This approach has been successfully piloted by a number of legal aid organizations across the US  – read Cleveland Legal Aid’s blog on their innovative text messaging pilot to get the inside scoop.To support adoption of this approach among our partners here in California, OneJustice is creating a “sandbox” environment where organizations can see whether the text messaging is a good fit for their program before committing the resources required to fully adopt a new technology. 

For more information about the Accelerators, check out this Powtoon:

We hope that you can join us on this exciting journey. If you would like to explore this opportunity further or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at pjames@one-justice.org

December 3, 2019

We hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving last week, surrounded by friends, family, and other loved ones! For those of you who have been a part of our OneJustice network for the past few years, please know how important the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is to us.

Every Tuesday after Thanksgiving, OneJustice celebrates #GratitudeTuesday, where we take a moment out of our busy days to reflect on the many things for which we are grateful. Our work is supported by so many different organizations and individuals – from our community partners across the state, to our Board of Directors, to our generous donors and volunteers. Without you all, it would be impossible for us to truly transform California’s civil legal aid system. 

For each and every one of you in the OneJustice network, we are SO thankful – and wanted to share our deepest gratitude with you!

November 28, 2019

In this season of giving thanks, we are so grateful for you. Our hearts are full of thanks and justice! Your ongoing support has brought help and hope to those in need throughout California.

Together, we have fought for a justice system that works for everyone. You are instrumental in this fight. Thank you!

Your support transforms the civil legal aid system and ensures that people facing legal barriers receive the help they need. Thank you so much for investing in equal justice for all.

We wish you and yours a joyful and restful Thanksgiving holiday.

November 20th, 2019

Earlier this fall, you met some new folks on our staff team, and we’re thrilled to let you know that they are not the only new members of the OneJustice family! We’re excited for you to meet the newest member of the OneJustice Board of Directors: Vanessa Frank, an immigration attorney with a growing practice in Ventura County.  Previously, Vanessa also worked as a staff attorney at California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) Inc., one of OneJustice’s frequent partners on statewide projects. As you welcome Vanessa to the OneJustice board and network, we wanted to share some information to help you get to know her a little better.

What made you interested in becoming a OneJustice Board member?

I have known about and respected OneJustice’s work since I was in college in the Bay Area seeking a job and went to the Public Interest Clearinghouse to look through all the binders to dream of the career I might build for myself. I am so proud now to be on the Board to have the opportunity to work alongside folks from a variety of experiences and with the brilliant and dedicated staff.

What is your professional role and how do you hope to use your perspective as a Board member?

I have built my own human rights advocacy law firm from scratch here in Ventura County, California where our mission is to provide top-notch immigration legal advice and advocacy for our clients and also to build the movement for human dignity, political power, and solidarity among the diverse populations of the Central Coast.

What are your hopes for your time as a Board member?

I look forward to supporting the development and expansion of experimental projects to bring legal services and advocacy to rural and other marginalized communities across our state. For example, as a member of the Board of Directors, I have already attended a Central Coast Immigrant Defense Collaborative meeting with Attorney General Xavier Becerra and other state representatives. 

Tell us about yourself – something you love to do, a hobby, recreational activity, or something quirky about yourself.

In my free time, I mostly find myself working on these same issues, but sometimes I also take time away from all of it, going skiing, traveling to visit friends around the world, or going backpacking in the wild.

Please join the entire OneJustice network in welcoming Vanessa to the Board of Directors!

November 20, 2019

In September, Congress passed an appropriations measure that maintained level funding for government agencies through November 21. With that deadline looming, little progress has been made in budget negotiations. Appropriations leaders are discussing another continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown. House leadership passed a continuing resolution on Monday that funds the government until December 20. Senate leadership is expected to vote on this legislation today. The reason for the current delay is continued disagreement on subcommittee allocation levels.

Though the House and Senate agreed to an overall spending limit for FY2020 in September, Democrats and Republicans differ on how that spending should be divided. The fight on overall allocations is primarily driven by the Senate’s inclusion of $8.6 billion to help construct a wall along the southern border, while the House includes nothing for that function. At the same time, the House-passed proposals exceed the amount subsequently agreed with the Senate and these will need to be brought in line with the September budget agreement. When those issues are resolved, appropriators will be able to complete program-level negotiations, which will include the budget for the Legal Services Corporation (“LSC”).

November 19, 2019

San Francisco, CA — Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States of America heard an appeal challenging three federal court decisions that held that the government’s attempt to terminate the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program was unlawful. OneJustice unequivocally stands beside those with DACA – as well as persons with temporary protected status (TPS), Dreamers, and immigrant communities across the country.

DACA recipients are students, colleagues, and community members. They are a part of our schools, hospitals, and our businesses. Across the state and the country DACA recipients have built lives in our communities. They are threads in the fabric that ties us all together.  

The Department of Homeland Security’s abrupt attempt to terminate the DACA program in September 2017 put the immigration status of more than 700,000 people in question, causing immediate chaos, uncertainty, and fear.  Nearly every one of these DACA recipients would lose their work authorizations and other resources they have worked hard to acquire. California is home to over 188,000 people with DACA status, and they are the parents of almost 73,000 children born in the United States. The end of the program would create serious harm for hundreds of thousands of people who came forward to be counted and to contribute to this nation, on their dependents, and on the legal services organizations that work tirelessly to serve this community.

OneJustice, along with 46 other legal aid organizations, is proud to be part of an amicus (or “friend of the court” brief) advocating that the Supreme Court should affirm the underlying decisions and also hold that administration’s termination of the DACA program was illegal. We are grateful to the law firm Cooley LLP for representing us on a pro bono basis in this case. 

The Supreme Court has made clear that, under the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), when an administrative agency changes policy it must provide an explanation for the change that is cogent and consistent. It must also consider the interests of those who have relied on the policy in place.  Where, as here, an agency does neither, then that decision is arbitrary and capricious – and therefore, unlawful. Hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients have no choice other than to rely upon the continuation of DACA. It is OneJustice’s position that the Government’s failure to even consider these foreseeable and significant consequences of its change in policy renders the attempt to terminate the program unlawful. If the government wants to terminate the DACA program, the public deserves—and the law requires—that the government explain its decision clearly and truthfully so that it can be held accountable for its actions.  

The Supreme Court may issue its decision in the DACA case as early as January 2020, but more likely in May or June of next year. For the time being, individuals that have DACA status already may continue to renew their status, and OneJustice will continue to hold DACA renewal clinics across the state. To learn more about these clinics, reach out to us in Northern California and Southern California. 

For this and other immigration policy updates and new volunteer and training opportunities across California, become a part of the Immigration Pro Bono Network!

October 31st, 2019

Orange you glad that it’s Halloween?  The OneJustice team sure is!  From a passionfruit tart, to “chocolate rats,” our day was full of treats for everybody.  And, of course, would it really be Halloween without the traditional OneJustice costume contest?  This year had so many creative costumes, making it the hardest year to judge yet!  Check out the photos below to see why.  And the winners are…….

• Best Costume Overall: Erika Pringsheim-Moore, Development Director – Colette Tatou, Ratatouille
• Best Costume in SF: Fredrick Ghai, Communications Coordinator – Gardner Minshew II
• Best Costume in LA: Sharon Bashon, Director, Pro Bono Justice – Hipster Kitty