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Pro Bono Net

New York, United States
Joined February 2012

Lawyers serving the public good



Presence in: United States
Focus: Citizenship & Identification, Education, Family, Gender-based violence, Generalist Legal Services, Health, Housing Rights & Informal Settlements, Labor & Employment, Livelihoods, Other, Right to Information

Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit organization based in New York City and San Francisco. We work in close partnership with nonprofit legal organizations across the United States and Canada, to increase access to justice for the millions of poor people who face legal problems every year without help from a lawyer. We do this by (i) supporting the innovative and effective use of technology by the nonprofit legal sector, (ii) increasing participation by volunteers, and (iii) facilitating collaborations among nonprofit legal organizations and advocates working on similar issues or in the same region.

People Associated With This Organization

Abigail Krusemark

United States  
Pro Bono Net (Unverified)
Joined December 2015
AmeriCorps VISTA member focused on unaccompanied minor and immigrant children resources.

Jeanne Ortiz

United States  
Pro Bono Net
Joined June 2018
Interests: Education, Environmental Justice, Gender-based violence, Generalist Legal Services, Livelihoods, Other, Right to Information, Women's Rights
Jeanne's work includes providing field support to strengthen local legal response efforts after a disaster and coordinating the expansion of the FEMA appeals interactive interview, a tool from Pro Bono Net's Law Help Interactive program. She also works on national capacity-building for long-term and future needs around natural disasters. Before joining PBN, Jeanne worked as a legal fellow at the Central Alabama Fair Housing Center and represented LGBTQ clients in employment discrimination cases at her law school’s legal aid clinic. Part of her work at the clinic included drafting proposals for the Puerto Rico Police Department around police intervention with the LGBT community. She founded the first Ms. JD chapter in her school to provide professional development resources and tools for women and launched a mentorship pilot program to connect 3Ls with incoming law students. For 3 years, she also led pro bono workshops around constitutional rights in low-income communities in PR.

Jillian Theil

United States  
Pro Bono Net
Joined November 2015
Interests: Generalist Legal Services, Other, Right to Information
Legal tech professional working on improving the Access to Justice network and the delivery of legal services through innovative technology projects. Specializing in process improvement, collaboration and outreach, product and service design, technical implementations, digital strategy, and knowledge management.

Katie Lam

United States  
Pro Bono Net
Joined June 2019
Interests: Governance, Accountability & Transparency
I am a Legal Empowerment and Technology Fellow at Pro Bono Net interested in learning more about legal empowerment work being done world wide!

Liz Keith

United States  
Pro Bono Net
Joined November 2015
I am a participant in the Legal Empowerment Leadership Course and program director at Pro Bono Net, a U.S.-based national nonprofit organization dedicated to developing innovative technology and forging collaborations to increase access to justice. Pro Bono Net's programs help legal advocates make a stronger impact, increase volunteer participation, and empower the public with legal resources and self-help tools. I joined Pro Bono Net in December 2004, working first as a LawHelp Circuit Rider, supporting partnerships in 25 states to provide individuals with limited means with innovative online tools to exercise their legal rights. Previously, I managed communications, development, and outreach initiatives at the
Maine Women’s Policy Center, focusing on legislation impacting women’s health, economic security, and freedom from violence. I received a self-tailored master’s degree in community informatics from the University of Michigan, and have served as a consultant to community information projects for the Digital Partners Social.
Enterprise Laboratory and the Alliance for Community Technology in Haiti and Chile.

Mark O'Brien

United States  
Pro Bono Net
Joined February 2012
Interests: Citizenship & Identification, Generalist Legal Services, Livelihoods
I am the co-founder and Executive Director of Pro Bono Net, a US nonprofit that increases access to justice for the poor and other vulnerable populations through innovative uses of technology, collaboration and volunteer mobilization. Founded in 1998, Pro Bono Net builds web platforms to support public interest lawyers, build broad based justice partnerships, and empower people in need to solve their legal problems. Prior to starting Pro Bono Net, I spent eight years building a nationally recognized law firm pro bono program at Davis Polk. I have served on the advisory boards of the University of Pennsylvania Law School Public Service Program and the Public Interest Law Alliance (Ireland), and am a member of Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman's Committee on Non-Lawyers and the Justice Gap. I am an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where I co-teach the Technology, Innovation, and Law Practice Practicum. I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where my wife, artist Kit Warren, and I have raised two sons, and where I can regularly be found playing in pick-up soccer games in all seasons and all weather.

Michelle Born

United States  
Pro Bono Net (Unverified)
Joined July 2017
Interests: Generalist Legal Services, Right to Information, Traditional / Customary Justice
I am a public interest attorney and Training and Outreach Manager at LawHelpNY, a website offering tools for legal education and self-representation to low-income New Yorkers facing a range of civil legal issues. LawHelpNY is a program of Pro Bono Net, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to developing innovative technology and forging collaborations to increase access to justice. I joined LawHelpNY / Pro Bono Net in September 2015, working first as LiveHelp Coordinator, running the volunteer-driven live chat program, and now managing training and outreach initiatives for the program. Previously, I worked as an immigration attorney with The Bronx Defenders, and before law school with international organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Catholic Relief Services.

Quisquella Addison

United States  
Pro Bono Net
Joined June 2017
Interests: Education, Family, Livelihoods, Women's Rights
Quisquella Addison is the LawHelpNY Program Director at Pro Bono Net. She joined Pro Bono Net in July 2016. Previously, she worked as a Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Society focusing primarily on eviction defense. She began her legal career as the Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow and LiveHelp Program Coordinator with LawHelpNY. She is a graduate of Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and Mount Holyoke College. Prior to law school, Quisquella was the Constituent Services Director for New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman. She also lived abroad for several years in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where she taught and volunteered with a local women’s law project. She is a 2012 Council of Urban Professionals Fellow, holds a Certificate in Corporate Compliance from Fordham University School of Law and is a Certified Mediator. Originally from Boston, she currently lives in New York City.

Sam Halpert

United States  
Pro Bono Net
Joined January 2017
Interests: Generalist Legal Services, Right to Information
Pro Bono Net's Program Coordinator for the LawHelp Platform, an award-winning software tool developed in partnership with nonprofit legal aid organizations in 26 states. LawHelp.org empowers low and moderate-income people with information about free legal aid programs in their community, answers to questions about their legal rights, legal self-help tools, and more. Prior to Pro Bono Net, managed PSJD.org, a career tool for candidates with legal training seeking public interest opportunities. Technical experience also includes three years with Harvard University’s Adaptive Technology Lab delivering accessible course materials to students with vision and motor impairments. Prior legal work has focused on economic justice issues, including a 2013 Georgetown Human Rights Institute report documenting the United States' water affordability crisis. JD cum laude from Georgetown Law and BA cum laude in History & Literature from Harvard University.

Sebastian Zavala

United States  
Pro Bono Net (Unverified)
Joined November 2015
I am an immigration attorney in California. You can see my work bio here https://www.linkedin.com/in/firebreathingllama . My current projects focus on creating access to justice for vulnerable immigrant communities through the use of technology. You can read more about our work at the Immigration Advocates Network at http://www.immigrationadvocates.org. I also speak Spanish.

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