News
Meet the Fellows in the 2025 Economic Justice Initiative
/ Press Release
Equal Justice Works is proud to announce the 2025 Fellows supporting Texas Immigration Law Council’s groundbreaking Economic Justice Initiative: Anthony Reyes, Bethany Carson, and Maram Sultan.
Equal Justice Works is proud to partner with the Texas Immigration Law Council (TxILC) to launch the Economic Justice Initiative (EJI) — a groundbreaking program designed to close the justice gap for immigrants and low-income Texans. EJI is one of the first initiatives to implement Texas’s forthcoming licensed legal paraprofessional program, which allows qualified community justice workers — individuals who, while not attorneys, are professionally licensed through the State Bar of Texas — to represent low-income Texans in certain civil legal matters, including landlord-tenant issues, consumer protection, employment issues, estate planning, and guardianship. With 92% of low-income Americans receiving little or no help for their civil legal problems — and more lawyers alone unable to meet the overwhelming demand — community justice workers offer a scalable, community-centered solution to expand access to legal support where it’s needed most.
“Community justice workers are essential to closing the justice gap,” said Kristen Uhler-McKeown, Vice President of Fellowships at Equal Justice Works. “The leadership of our newest Fellows — Anthony, Bethany, and Maram — will help build the public service career pipeline and expand who can deliver needed legal support — making justice more accessible and inclusive.”
TxILC is hosting three Equal Justice Works Fellows to support the EJI field team, which is composed of 30 attorneys, at legal service organizations throughout Texas. These Fellows will build strategic partnerships, develop a community justice worker training curriculum, and leverage technology to enhance service delivery critical to developing the capacities of the nascent licensed legal paraprofessional program. These Fellows in the Economic Justice Initiative are laying the foundation for community justice workers to expand access to civil legal services for low-income Texans.
Community justice workers are essential to closing the justice gap. The leadership of our newest Fellows will help build the public service career pipeline and expand who can deliver needed legal support —making justice more accessible and inclusive.
Kristen Uhler-McKeown /
Vice President of Fellowships at Equal Justice Works
As the Partnerships & Education Coordinator, Anthony plays a key role in expanding access to justice by building strategic partnerships between legal service providers and community-based organizations. He supports the development of Community Justice Worker (CJW) programs—training and empowering legal advocates to serve immigrant and low-income communities across Texas.
Bethany serves as the Community Justice Worker Coordinator, supporting a network of approximately 15 legal advocates placed at partner nonprofits throughout Texas. She recruits and trains Community Justice Workers, guides them through licensure and certification, and helps community organizations adopt the CJW model to address critical civil legal needs.
As the Technology Innovation Specialist, Maram leads the implementation of digital tools that enhance language access, streamline intake processes, and automate legal documentation. She trains attorneys and CJWs to use these tools effectively and evaluates their impact to inform future improvements.
Together, these Fellows are helping to reimagine how legal services are delivered in Texas. Through their leadership, the Economic Justice Initiative is not only expanding access to justice but also building a more inclusive, community-driven legal system.
Together, these Fellows are helping to reimagine how legal services are delivered in Texas. Through their leadership, the Economic Justice Initiative is not only expanding access to justice but also building a more inclusive, community-driven legal system.
To learn more about the Economic Justice Initiative, click here.