About Equal Justice Works/West

In March 2008, Equal Justice Works opened the first office outside of its Washington, D.C., headquarters in Oakland. Equal Justice Works/West is part of the organization’s strategy to strengthen its existing programs and expand the reach of its efforts on the West Coast.

Equal Justice Works/West will begin by coordinating and expanding services in California by:

• Supporting Equal Justice Works lawyers in California through training and coordination;
• Providing programming for alumni, sponsors, law schools and host organizations;
• Overseeing the fellowship selection process including participating in interviews of fellowship candidates on the West Coast;
• Participating in the design and implementation of strategic reform initiatives, especially in substantive areas (e.g. juvenile justice, immigration and human rights); and
• Assisting headquarters staff in developing strategies to increase the organization’s presence throughout the Western region and other parts of the country.

Contributions in California

Equal Justice Works was founded in 1986 and established the Equal Justice Works Fellowship Program in 1993. Since then, Equal Justice Works has placed 130 Equal Justice Works Fellows and 85 AmeriCorps Legal Fellows at nonprofit organizations throughout the state to assist underserved communities, causes and individuals, ranging from direct services groups to children’s rights organizations to the ACLU. Upon completing their fellowships, an estimated 80 percent of our Fellows remain in public service. Currently, there are 31 Equal Justice Works Lawyers working in legal services and advocacy organizations in California.

Last year, Equal Justice Works’ Summer Corps program for law students included 57 students working in California, accounting for over 16 percent of the 350 total slots in the annual program.

Equal Justice Works in California

• Law School Members
• Summer Corps Members
• AmeriCorps Legal Fellows
• Equal Justice Works Fellows