Julia R. Wilson is the force behind OneJustice, a nonprofit that provides life-changing legal help to the people of California. She’s developed regional and statewide projects to bring legal assistance to children, veterans, seniors, families, and rural Californians. She also leads OneJustice’s network of more than 100 legal organizations, law firms, law schools and businesses that together provide assistance to over 270,000 low-income Californians each year. In recognition of her work to dismantle legal barriers for people and families in need, she was named as one of California’s Top 100 Attorneys in 2012 by the Daily Journal, and as California Lawyer of the Year by California Lawyer magazine in 2010.
“The law offers unique and lasting strategies for addressing the underlying societal constructs that cause and reinforce poverty for entire communities and populations,” says Julia. “And now, the legal aid community in California is on the cusp of significant changes that offer the potential to address these causes in new ways. I’m excited that OneJustice is situated to play a leadership role.”
For OneJustice, Julia sees the sabbatical as “a moment for us to figure out how we can build an even more trusting, supportive, and shared leadership structure. As our leadership team has begun to plan and prepare for the sabbatical, we’re already having healthy conversations about what it means for others to step into new leadership roles.”
With her older daughter about to enter college, Julia is looking forward to a family trip through Europe to see where all their favorite soccer teams play. And she hopes her sabbatical will afford her some extended time on the soccer field for herself.
Update: Read about Julia’s incredible sabbatical on the OneJustice blog.