News & Updates
On Friday, August 8, Jessica Kitson, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s Director of Legal Advocacy and a member of Freedom Network USA, was interviewed on Issues And Ideas With Chris DeBello.
NEWARK, NJ – Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is proud to announce that Jessica Kitson, VLJ's Director of Legal Advocacy, has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT). This appointment underscores Jessica’s commitment to justice and her compassionate expertise in advocating for survivors.
For our July 2025 Volunteer of the Month, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) spotlights Genna Conti. Genna, an associate in the Business & Commercial Litigation Group at Gibbons P.C., lives and breathes the spirit of pro bono, consistently going above and beyond to make a powerful difference in the lives of VLJ clients.
What may be pro bono for a volunteer is a second chance for someone else, and thanks to the efforts of Volunteer Lawyers for Justice volunteer Richard Myslinski (McCarter & English, LLP), that’s exactly what happened.
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).
