Julia Potach, 3L, Hillary Richard ’21 Named Equal Justice Works Fellows
Julia Potach, 3L, and Hillary Richard ’21 were recently named Equal Justice Works fellows.
Equal Justice Works fellows, in collaboration with a legal services organization, work on a project to address the unmet legal needs of the community they will serve.
Potach, hosted by the Immigration Law Center of Minnesota, will combat racial injustices caused by the disparate impact of the “crimmigration” system through collaborative litigation and education for noncitizens who urgently need to overturn unjust convictions.
During her Fellowship, Potach will represent immigrants and refugees with criminal records, especially those who would be good candidates for post-conviction relief and have long periods of residence in the community. She will also engage in advocacy efforts to increase access to immigration-related post-conviction relief in Minnesota. Additionally, she will provide community legal education about the immigration consequences of criminal convictions and the availability of post-conviction relief vehicles to mitigate such consequences.
Potach’s EJW fellowship is sponsored by Allen I. Saeks PA (Allen Saeks ’56, president) and an anonymous donor.
Richard, hosted by Central Minnesota Legal Services, will serve Minnesotans returning home from prison by providing civil legal aid and coordinating pro bono representation through the Minnesota Collaborative Justice Project, where she is currently working as a Saeks Public Interest Residency Program Fellow.
As an EJW fellow, Richard will recruit pro bono lawyers and legal staff in Minnesota to provide pro bono legal services to reentry clients. She will present quarterly training programs to pro bono attorneys and empower formerly incarcerated individuals by offering triannual ‘know your rights’ programs to address the common civil legal barriers to reentry.
Richard’s EJW fellowship is sponsored by Faegre Drinker, Target Corporation, and an anonymous donor.
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Julia Potach, 3L, and Hillary Richard ’21