The Justice Entrepreneurs Project (JEP) welcomed a new group of innovation-minded lawyers earlier this month. They are the seventh class of lawyers added to the JEP network, which has about 60 lawyers currently participating in or having completed the program. These lawyers are committed to developing innovative practices providing quality legal services that are affordable and accessible to low and moderate income people.
The new participants, chosen through a competitive selection process, are:
Latoyia Kimbrough
Northern Illinois University
Practice: Criminal, Family, Labor
Daniel R. Brown
Harvard Law School
Practice: Bankruptcy, Consumer Debt, Litigation
Elisa J. Pleasant
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Practice: Social Security Disability
Katherine E. Gaughan
The John Marshall Law School
Practice: Employment, Immigration, Discrimination
Sonny R. Thatch, II
The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law
Practice: Domestic violence, DCFS
Phillip J. Sprouse
University of Akron School of Law
Practice: Criminal
The first week kicked off with an immersive series of trainings, including an overview of the legal needs of low and moderate income clients and how to reach and serve those clients. Other first week trainings included: innovation in legal service delivery, unbundling and pricing, risk mitigation, internet presence for attorneys, a primer on business development and client-centric service, and law practice management basics. These trainings kick off a structured curriculum that extends throughout the 18-month program.
New JEP participants also receive training from CARPLS in the areas of family, housing, and consumer law in preparation for volunteering on the CARPLS hotline as part of the JEP’s structured pro bono program. In addition to work on the hotline, each participant has been placed with a legal aid organization, where they will gain valuable skills, experience, and mentoring through their pro bono work. These organizations are: LAF, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, Cabrini Green Legal Aid and Legal Council for Health Justice.
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