News & Updates
Rounding out Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s Summer 2025 interns, VLJ welcomes Colleen Wanner to the team. This summer, Colleen will support VLJ’s PRIDE Name Change Program, ReLeSe (Reentry Legal Services) Program, and Veterans Legal Program.
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice welcomes Marthalyn Johnson to our team as a Summer 2025 intern. Marthalyn is a rising 3L at Rutgers Law School–Newark and will be working with VLJ’s Divorce Program, South Ward Promise Neighborhood Program, and Tenancy Program.
At Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, we proudly serve those who served. Through our Veterans Legal Program, we provide holistic civil legal services to veterans who call New Jersey home.
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is delighted to shine its June 2025 Volunteer of the Month spotlight on Morris “Mo” Bauer, a partner in the Business Reorganization & Financial Restructuring Practice Group at Duane Morris LLP, a firm that strongly advocates for pro bono (which Mo has embraced wholeheartedly). At Duane Morris, Mo specializes in representing financially distressed businesses, lenders, and creditors in various proceedings, including out-of-court workouts, bankruptcy litigation, Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 representations, and also serves as a bankruptcy mediator.
Please join Volunteer Lawyers for Justice in celebrating Saranya Thana, VLJ's Director of Development, as our latest Defender of Justice! While it feels like Saranya has been with us for years, it’s only been six months, further hitting home how impressive her impact has been in such a short amount of time.
NEWARK, NJ — Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) announces the election of officers to its Board of Trustees, ushering in a new era of leadership dedicated to expanding access to justice for communities experiencing poverty across New Jersey. Sneha Desai, Esq., Chief Legal Counsel, Global Litigation & Employment at Stryker, has been elected Chair of the Board.
Kerdesha Desir has built her legal career on the principle that knowledge is meant to be shared—and for her, that means showing up for clients who might otherwise face the court system alone.
A family law associate at Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC, Kerdesha focuses her practice on matrimonial and non-dissolution matters, domestic violence cases, and adoption and guardianship issues.
When Jessica Kitson joined Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) in 2014 as a Managing Attorney, her early work focused on launching the New Jersey Trafficking Victims Legal Assistance Program (now New Jersey Survivors Justice Project). Fast forward to today, and Jessica has become a national expert on legal services for survivors of human trafficking and now serves as VLJ’s Director of Legal Advocacy—overseeing all of the organization’s legal and policy work with the same passion, energy, and heart that’s made her a cornerstone of the VLJ team for over a decade.
This week, for over 25 hours, our nation listened to the words—and pleas—of New Jersey’s senior United States Senator, Cory Booker. Senator Booker called on champions to rise and act, warning of grave and urgent danger to our democracy and constitutional principles. Senator Booker is no stranger to Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, having helped launch ReLeSe, our Reentry Legal Services Program, in 2007 while serving as then-mayor of Newark. His words are particularly meaningful in light of April being Second Chance Month.
Brenton is a former U.S. Marine who connected with Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) when seeking assistance with several legal matters. Among them was a criminal record that had been holding him back for decades. Brenton’s journey toward clearing his criminal record began in April 2024 when he attended VLJ’s Veterans Legal Clinic. Initially, Brenton sought guidance on a separate legal concern but also expressed interest in expunging his record.
Newark, NJ — Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is proud to announce the launch of its new PRIDE Name Change Program, a collaborative effort with Merck, Rutgers Law School, and Emanuel Lutheran Church. This initiative aims to provide free legal assistance to New Jersey residents seeking to legally change their names, with a focus on serving transgender, non-binary, and non-cisgender community members with no- and low-incomes.
At Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ), our mission is driven by dedicated professionals who generously give their time and talent to ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty. This month, we are honored to recognize one such professional as our March 2025 Volunteer of the Month: Maria Linzmayer (she/her).
A bill that would prohibit the State Bureau of Identification (SBI) in the Division of State Police from sharing criminal history information for people with unprocessed expungement records passed the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly in January and was sent to Governor Murphy. Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) supports S2513/A3881 preventing expunged criminal records from disclosure by the SBI.
Ashleigh White (she/her) is a dedicated Senior Compliance Paralegal at BASF Corporation, where she provides legal support to the Compliance, Employment, and Privacy Group. With an ABA Paralegal Certification from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a BS in Business Administration from Centenary University, and as a candidate for a Master of Legal Studies from Fordham Law School, Ashleigh is a legal powerhouse. If that weren’t enough, Ashleigh is a member of the National Association of Legal Assistance, Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, and the National Association of Black Compliance & Risk Management Professionals.
Being sued can be scary. Being sued for a debt you don’t owe can be even scarier (and frustrating). As part of Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s Debt Relief Legal Program (DRLP), we help community members respond to debt collection actions—especially those when the debt isn’t owed or the creditor hasn’t proved they own the debt—protecting our clients’ rights and economic security.
Because how we do justice matters.
Kicking off the new year in style, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice recognizes Robert Holup as our January 2025 Volunteer of the Month.
An associate at Berkowitz, Lichtstein, Kuritsky, Giasullo & Gross, LLC, Robert practices in the firm’s Litigation and Trusts & Estates groups. His primary focus includes handling contested estate matters and representing fiduciaries. Robert earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Finance from Florida State University before obtaining his Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School.
Get to know Daniela Geraldo, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s December 2024 Defender of Justice. Daniela, a dedicated staff attorney on VLJ’s Tenancy Program, has been championing access to justice with VLJ since October 2022. Daniela’s passion for empowering clients is evident in every aspect of her work.
