Working Groups

The Access to Justice Working Group focuses on identifying ways to increase access to justice and legal representation for traditionally under-represented communities, particularly low-income communities of color, and examining the historical barriers that systemic racism has created and continues to perpetuate, resulting in an ever-widening justice gap.

The Banking Working Group examines the practices and habits of banking and financial institutions with an eye towards determining how best to dismantle those elements that have the effect of perpetuating racial inequity. We work alongside experts, people in the field, legal services organizations, attorneys, lenders, and borrowers to understand where racial inequities are perpetuated, and where different tools can be effective to reduce inequity.

The mission of the Criminal Legal Working Group is to identify areas in which the LFAA can work to dismantle systemic racism in the criminal legal system.

The Criminal Legal Working Group examines the criminal legal system from pre-trial to post conviction, including the challenges of re-entry and recidivism. We seek to build a community of experts and advocates who work collaboratively and strategically to achieve these goals.

The Criminal Legal Working Group works to develop data and research, aid in legislative and policy-change efforts, and contribute to impact litigation that promotes criminal legal reform. We strive to do this work through a racial justice framework and make efforts to center voices of people who have been most harmed by the criminal legal system.

The mission of the Education Working Group is to identify areas in which the LFAA can most effectively and impactfully contribute to the removal of systemic racial barriers and inequities in the American educational system, and to build a community of experts and advocates who work collaboratively and strategically to achieve those goals.

The Working Group builds coalitions among diverse stakeholders—including law firms, subject matter experts, and local, regional, and national organizations—to develop scholarship, lead and contribute to impact litigation, aid in legislative and policy-change efforts, promote awareness of racial inequity in education, and increase funding for anti-racism efforts in education.

In consultation with legal services organizations and other community stakeholders, the Homelessness Working Group provides in-depth research into identified gaps in information or data that assists in dismantling systemic racism that leads to and perpetuates homelessness.

The Housing and Home Ownership Working Group seeks to remove the many barriers to safe and stable homes and create a fair and equitable path to home ownership in order to achieve inclusive neighborhoods and communities for all.

The mission of the Immigration Working Group is to identify areas in which the LFAA can most effectively and impactfully contribute to the removal of systemic racial barriers and inequities in the American immigration system.

The Working Group builds coalitions among diverse stakeholders—including law firms, subject matter experts, and local, regional, and national organizations—to develop scholarship, and contribute to reducing and eradicating discrimination against immigrants of color.

The mission of the Philanthropy Working Group is to identify areas in which the LFAA can most effectively and impactfully contribute to the removal of systemic racial barriers and inequities in the American legal system with a focus on the laws governing philanthropic organizations and charitable giving in this country that have led to and perpetuate wealth disparity, and how racism informs such laws.

The Working Group leverages the resources of the private bar in partnership with legal services organizations and other community stakeholders to develop research-based projects, aid in legislative and policy-change efforts, and promote awareness of public and private laws, regulations, rules and policies that impede charitable giving and wealth distribution to communities of color.

The Policing Working Group focuses on research, programming, policy, advocacy, and the creation of other resources that ascertain, evaluate, analyze and address the causes of inequities and systemic racism in policing and law enforcement.

With guidance from subject matter experts, we identify and focus on areas in which there is a knowledge or justice gap that should be filled, guided by the long-term goal of dismantling systemic racism and improving racial justice issues within law enforcement in the U.S., at the federal, state, and local levels.

Where appropriate, we collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders including law firms, organizations, current and former law enforcement members, and academia, and with other LFAA working groups with consideration always to be given as to how best to define “law enforcement” in the context of a particular project or initiative.

While this group is called “Policing Working Group,” where appropriate, our projects may focus on or otherwise impact other law enforcement agencies, including but not limited to sheriffs, highway patrol, state troopers, corrections officers, U.S. marshals or other federal law enforcement agencies including ICE.” Communication and potential collaboration with other LFAA Working Groups will remain key to this group, to minimize duplication of effort and maximize strategic input.

The Employment Working Group focuses on research, advocacy, presentations, and creating other resources that address current and past racism in the workplace, with a particular focus on identified areas where gaps in knowledge exist.

We produce products that can provide support and value to our stakeholders and be used to dismantle systemic racism and implicit bias in our own organizations and workplaces nationwide.

The mission of the Environmental Justice Working Group is to identify areas in which the LFAA can effectively contribute to the removal of systemic racial barriers and inequities that impact environmental justice, and to build capacity within the law firm community to be effective advocates and partners in achieving these goals.

The Working Group convenes diverse experts and partner organizations—including law firms, subject matter experts, public and community service organizations, non-governmental organizations, government organizations, and community members—to develop research-based projects, scholarship, aid in legislative and policy-change efforts, and promote awareness of laws and policies that impede the ability of communities of color to safely, fully, and freely use and enjoy our environment.

The mission of the Family Regulation Working Group is to identify areas in which the LFAA can help fight systemic racism and racial disparities in the child welfare system. The Working Group works with experts in the field to eliminate racial inequity in the child welfare system.

The Working Group will build coalitions among diverse stakeholders—including law firms, subject matter experts, and local, regional, and national organizations—to develop scholarship, lead and contribute to impact litigation, aid in legislative and policy-change efforts, promote awareness of racial disparities in the child welfare system, and increase funding for anti-racism efforts in child welfare.

The mission of the Gun Violence Prevention and Intervention Working Group is to identify areas in which the LFAA can effectively contribute to the prevention of gun violence against racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black and African American individuals, and to build a community of experts and advocates who work collaboratively and strategically to achieve that goal. 

The Working Group will partner with diverse stakeholders, including subject matter experts, gun control advocacy organizations, and community groups to help develop the Systemic Racism Legal Inventory, contribute to impact litigation through the efforts of individual Alliance Firms, aid in legislative and policy change efforts, and promote awareness of laws and policies that will reduce gun violence.

The goal of the Healthcare Working Group is to support initiatives focused on addressing systemic racial barriers and inequities in the American healthcare system.

The Healthcare Working Group is building a community of law firms, subject matter experts, and local, regional, and national organizations that work collaboratively and strategically to eliminate health disparities (e.g., inequities in health insurance coverage, access to and use of care, and quality of care).

The Healthcare Working Group utilizes advocacy to develop scholarship, lead and contribute to impact litigation, aid in legislative and policy-change efforts, and promote awareness of racial inequity in healthcare.

The goal of the Public Benefits Working Group is to build knowledge about how systemic racism impacts the process of applying for and receiving public benefits at the federal, state and local levels.

We do this by assessing where there are gaps in the current knowledge and data about systemic racism in public benefits law, developing an inventory of projects that aim to remediate those gaps, and then assigning those projects for execution to Alliance Firms.

The mission of the Reproductive Justice Working Group is to identify areas in which the LFAA can most impactfully assist and elevate the voices of those working to address racial inequities and barriers to access in reproductive justice.

The Working Group listens to and is guided by organizations and experts working in this space. The Working Group builds strong relationships with reproductive justice organizations and connect these organizations with the resources they need.

The mission of the Tax System Working Group is to leverage the resources of the private bar to promote racial equity in the application and administration of the tax law, to promote greater diversity within the tax bar, and to identify legislative proposals to address systemic issues.

The mission of the Voting Rights Working Group is to identify areas in which the LFAA can effectively contribute to the removal of systemic racial barriers and inequities that impact voting rights, and to build capacity within the law firm community to be effective advocates and partners in achieving these goals.

The Working Group convenes diverse stakeholders—including law firms, subject matter experts, organizations, and community members—to develop research-based projects, scholarship, aid in legislative and policy-change efforts, and promote awareness of laws and policies that impede the ability of communities of color to fully and freely exercise the right to vote.