Julia R. Wilson

Julia R. Wilson serves as the Executive Director of OneJustice and the Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC). As Executive Director of the sister organizations, she is responsible for leading statewide advocacy efforts on behalf of the legal services delivery system, undertaking multiple statewide strategic planning initiatives, and serving as the legal services community’s liaison to key access to justice partners. Julia is active in numerous national and statewide collaborations relevant to OneJustice and LAAC’s work and received a 2010 CLAY (California Lawyer of the Year) Award from California Lawyer magazine for her work on the successful passage of AB 590 (Feuer), which created the Shriver Civil Counsel Act to increase representation for low-income Californians in civil matters affecting basic life necessities.  In 2012, she was named by the Daily Journal as one of California's Top 100 Attorneys in recognition of her work at OneJustice.

 

Julia started her legal career as an Equal Justice Works (then NAPIL) Fellow at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, providing free legal assistance to low-income residents, with a focus on serving very young children with disabilities.  She became Directing Attorney and then Legal Aid's first-ever Pro Bono Coordinator, developing and launching Legal Aid's pro bono programs, which continue today.  At OneJustice, her areas of expertise include designing and supporting innovative pro bono delivery systems, as well as effective and engaging board governance, including training board members on how to be joyful "sparkplug" friend- and fundraisers for their organizations.  In addition to her executive responsibilities at OneJustice, Julia enjoys traveling around California providing training and other support to the boards of directors of legal nonprofit organizations.

 

Julia graduated suma cum laude from UCLA with a BA in Linguistics and with honors from Stanford Law School.  When not working on pro bono and nonprofit management issues, she plays indoor and outdoor soccer, roots for Barcelona's soccer team, and runs.  She lives in Pacifica with her husband, Michael, and her two teen-aged daughters.