PLEAC Conference 2026 | Plenary – What we can learn from community justice worker programs in the US
Description
Many US states have established “community justice worker” programs to support people with housing, social assistance, and other problems that disproportionately affect people living on low incomes. These programs, delivered by trained workers at community organizations and set up with the permission of legal regulators, are growing in number. Panellists will share their experiences with these programs: how they emerged, who they’re serving, and how well they’re working.
Links:
https://www.innovation4justice.org/
https://www.alsc-law.org/
https://www.cjau.org/
Speaker Bios:
Antonio M. Coronado (they/them/elle) is a Professor of Practice and Co-Coordinator of Community Legal Education Programs at Innovation for Justice, housed at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business. Antonio co-leads Innovation for Justice’s suite of Justice Worker programs, training and certifying community-based advocates in three civil legal practice areas across Arizona and Utah. They currently serve on the executive board for Collaborative Research Network 19 of the Law and Society Association and focus their scholarship on critical legal empowerment, reparative pedagogies, as well as the work of building a democratized legal profession.
Hayley Cousin is the Executive Director of Community Justice Advocates of Utah, where she directs community justice worker programs and supports nonlawyers in their provision of legal services. Hayley is a member of the Utah State Bar and currently serves on the Utah Supreme Court ad hoc Committee on Regulatory Reform.
Sarah Carver is Co-Director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation’s Community Justice Worker Resource Center (CJWRC). She started her legal career with ALSC as the sole staff attorney in the rural Nome, Alaska office. Since 2018, she has worked on building up the Community Justice Worker program, developing curriculum and training volunteers in 40+ communities throughout Alaska.
Julie Mathews has served as Executive Director from 2000 to early 2023 of CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario), an Ontario-based community legal clinic that specializes in public legal educationand information. In recent years, Julie has been conducting research with Professor David Wiseman at the uOttawa Faculty of Law on the role of community workers in supporting people with law-related problems. Julie and David have produced several reports on this topic, including Shifting the Paradigm: Exploring Opportunities for Community Justice Help and Community Justice Help Across Canada: A Snapshot of Programs.