NEW YORK – Oct. 14, 2021 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has added seven members to its Equal Justice Works Fellowship program. The members of the 2021 class join the eight 2020 class members in their second and final fellowship year. As a cohesive group, the Greenberg Traurig Equal Justice Works Fellows help tackle racial, economic, and social justice issues in underserved communities, many in their hometowns.
“Every year the new class of Equal Justice Works fellows inspires us with their passion and commitment to addressing the most pressing legal needs faced by the communities in which they chose to work. Greenberg Traurig is proud to continue our longstanding tradition of support for Equal Justice Works and looks forward to partnering with them to provide pro bono services,” said Caroline J. Heller, Litigation Practice shareholder and chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Global Pro Bono Program.
The 2021 Greenberg Traurig Equal Justice Fellows are part of the firm’s $5 million commitment over five years to support programs that address the causes and effects of systemic racism and seek to provide impoverished communities and individuals with economic and social rights. The public interest law fellows serve for two years. The 2021 fellows and their chosen organizations and projects are:
- Leila Blatt, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. (Austin, co-sponsored with Texas Access to Justice Foundation) - Defend low-income Black families in the greater Austin area against aggressive child welfare interventions through direct representation, relationship building, and community education.
- Joey Carrillo, Legal Aid Chicago (co-sponsored with Discover) - The LGBT Anti-Violence and Safety Project will provide identity-affirming legal services, outreach, and education for low-income LGBT survivors of domestic violence with a focus on youth.
- Maryam Emory, Children’s Law Center (Washington, D.C., co-sponsored with Steptoe & Johnson) - Provide direct legal services and outreach to bridge widening health and education disparity gaps facing Black and Latinx children in Washington, D.C. who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
- Juan Espinoza Munoz, Public Counsel (Los Angeles) - Build an equitable small business economy in Los Angeles by providing legal support to small businesses and community-based organizations that promote entrepreneurship in low-income communities of color.
- Janeille McPhail, Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (Ocala, co-sponsored with The Florida Bar Foundation) - Advocate for the veteran population in and around Marion County, Florida to offer an accessible and holistic legal experience that tackles their housing insecurity, family instability, reemployment ventures, military sexual trauma, and other civil law issues.
- Gabi Nava, Aldea – The People’s Justice Center (Reading, PA) - Represent asylum-seeking families in federal litigation to impact human rights violations of children and racial animus in immigration detention and seeking damages for harm pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act.
- Kevin Perry, Volunteers of Legal Services, Inc. (New York, NY) - Support minority- and women-owned businesses and business initiatives in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and surrounding neighborhoods to generate local economic and job development in these communities.
Greenberg Traurig, through its Holly Skolnick Fellowship Foundation, is the largest law firm sponsor of Equal Justice Works in the United States. Since 1999, the firm has invested more than $13 million to fund in part or whole more than 170 Equal Justice Works Fellows, in more than 100 nonprofit host organizations. Nationwide, the Equal Justice Works 2021 class has 77 fellows selected from 446 applications. View a complete list of the 2021 Equal Justice Works Fellows, their projects, and sponsors.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2,300 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 25 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 4.0 Plus Certified. Web: www.gtlaw.com
About Equal Justice Works: Equal Justice Works is the largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law in the United States. Following their Fellowships, more than 85% of their Fellows remain in public service positions, continuing to pursue equal justice for underserved communities across the country. Equal Justice Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For additional information about Equal Justice Works, please visit www.equaljusticeworks.org