The Florida Bar Foundation will fund four 2018-2020 Equal Justice Works Fellows, whose two-year civil legal aid projects will support economic development and family stability within disadvantaged communities
“The increased access to civil legal aid that our Equal Justice Works Fellows will create is substantial,” said Jewel White, president of The Florida Bar Foundation. “Their projects are focused on impacting entire communities rather than helping one client at a time, and they benefit from the expertise and infrastructure provided by our legal aid program partners.”
The four new fellows will focus on advocacy for immigrants, tenants and foster children and on shutting down the school-to-prison pipeline. The fellows are:
Joseph Cordova
Joseph E. Cordova, M.A., Florida Legal Services, Alachua County
Cordova will serve immigrant and migrant worker families by using education, outreach, policy advocacy and community lawyering to increase community power, socioeconomic opportunities and legal services. Cordova is expected to graduate in May from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law.
Oshuteiya Emenike
Oshuteiya Emenike, Legal Services of Greater Miami Inc.
In Liberty City, a historically black neighborhood in Miami with significant poverty, Emenike will work to improve housing stability by representing tenants facing eviction and enforcing their right to safe and habitable housing. Emenike is expected to graduate from the University of Miami School of Law in May.
Taylor Greenberg
Taylor E. Greenberg, Bay Area Legal Services, Inc., Tampa
Greenberg will provide direct legal representation, create a community-wide task force, and train attorneys to improve outcomes for teenagers in group home foster care in Hillsborough county. Greenberg is expected to graduate in May from the Stetson University College of Law.
Anne Kanzow
Anne Kanzow, Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Daytona Beach
Kanzow will work to decrease the number of children with disabilities in rural areas entering the school-to-prison pipeline by engaging advocates and developing educational materials for students, their parents, and community members. Kanzow is expected to graduate from Stetson University College of Law in May.
Taylor Greenberg is funded jointly by the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig and The Florida Bar Foundation. The other fellows are funded by the Foundation through its Bank of America grant program. The Foundation received a $23 million share of a $490 million settlement between Bank of America and the U.S. Department of Justice and six states in 2016.
Washington D.C.-based Equal Justice Works is the leading nonprofit organization committed to mobilizing the next generation of public interest attorneys. Having invested more than $4 million in 80 Fellowships since 1999, The Florida Bar Foundation is one of the largest funders of the Equal Justice Works Fellowship program.
“The Florida Bar Foundation contributes to the formation of a strong network of public interest lawyers through their ongoing support of the Equal Justice Works Fellowship program,” said David Stern, Executive Director, Equal Justice Works. “We are buoyed by the Foundation’s ceaseless efforts to bring equal justice to underserved communities in Florida.”
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About Equal Justice Works
Equal Justice Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a just society by mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice. In collaboration with the nation’s leading law schools, law firms, corporate legal departments, and nonprofit organizations, Equal Justice Works offers a continuum of opportunities that provide the training and skills that enable attorneys to provide effective representation to underserved communities and causes. Visit www.equaljusticeworks.org for more information.
