Webinar Recording
Feb 25, 2021
Webinar Recording: With Liberty and Justice for Some … A Criminal Justice Reform Panel
This webinar is sponsored by Ogletree Deakins’ Equal Justice Task Force (ODACT), Seyfarth Shaw’s A+ Affinity Group and The Belonging Project.
Please join us for a panel discussion on criminal justice reform featuring distinguished panelist Dr. Yusef Salaam, a globally recognized criminal justice reform activist and one of the Central Park – Now Exonerated – 5. Dr. Salaam’s wrongful conviction and incarceration are the subject of numerous works, including the award-winning 2019 Netflix docuseries “When They See Us.” His activism earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama in 2016.
Dr. Salaam will be joined by Lisa McGahan, Esq., Policy Director of the Georgia Justice Project, William B. Hill, Jr., Partner at Seyfarth Shaw, and Kristin Aquino-Pham, Esq., Associate at Ogletree Deakins. The panelists will explore social and legislative issues at the crossroads of race, representation, and the American criminal justice system, each bringing their unique points of view to the discussion.
Speakers
Dr. Yusef Salaam, Activist and Member of the Central Park – Now Exonerated - Five
In 1989, at just 15 years young, Dr. Yusef Salaam was tried and convicted in the “Central Park Jogger” case along with four other Black and Latinx young men. The Exonerated Five spent between seven to 13 years behind bars for crimes they did not commit, until their sentences were overturned in 2002. Since then, they have received a multi-million dollar settlement from the city of New York for its injustice and have been profiled in award-winning films, including The Central Park Five documentary from Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon and most recently the Emmy award-winning Netflix limited series When They See Us, written and directed by Ava DuVernay.
Over the past two decades, Yusef has become a family man, father, poet, activist and inspirational speaker. He continues to utilize his platform to share his story with others and educate the public about the impact of mass incarceration and police brutality rooted in our justice system. He regularly advocates for criminal justice reform, prison reform and the abolition of juvenile solitary confinement and capital punishment, specifically restoring “humanity” of those incarcerated and those trodden down by the spike wheels of justice.
Yusef is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama (2016) and more recently has shared his story and stance on current issues on CNN, MSNBC, REVOLT TV, NPR Atlanta, FOX and more.
Lisa McGahan, Esq., Policy Director, Georgia Justice Project
Lisa McGahan, Esq. is the Policy Director at the Georgia Justice Project, a non-profit focused on strengthening Georgia's communities by demonstrating a better way to represent and support individuals in the criminal justice system. GJP's mission is to reduce the number of individuals under correctional control in Georgia and all the ensuing barriers to re-entry. Last year, GJP successfully brought together 74 partner organizations through the Second Chance Campaign to support the passing of an expungement law in Georgia. Prior to her work at GJP, Lisa was an experienced financial services professional and lawyer with expertise in the investment banking industry, a founding member of the Global Media Group at Goldman Sachs she led a team of bankers originating and executing mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and principal investment transactions in the technology and traditional media industries. After leaving Goldman Sachs she was the Director of New Business Development at Evercore, another leading global investment banking advisory firm. Lisa volunteers throughout Atlanta, having served on the Board of Trustees at The Westminster Schools, The Howard School, Midtown Assistance Center, Wesley Woods, and Housing Tonight, Inc. She received her MBA from Yale University and her JD from Georgia State University.
William B. Hill, Esq., Partner, Seyfarth Shaw
William, or “Hill” as he is called, is a Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, where he concentrates his practice on commercial and complex litigation, with a particular emphasis on business torts, business divorces, internal investigations, contract disputes and ADR and early case resolution. Hill provides clients with effective and efficient representation informed by his experience as a former Georgia Deputy Attorney General, Georgia State Court Judge and Superior Court Judge.
Hill has successfully represented automotive, pharmaceutical, hospitality industry and private companies and individuals in numerous state and federal courts throughout the country, and is known as much for his engaging and good-natured courtroom demeanor as he is for his dynamic and hard-hitting trial skills. Hill also regularly serves as the neutral in complex mediations and arbitrations, as well as advocate.
Hill thoughtfully uses his previous experience as a jurist to the benefit of clients. His goal is always to exceed client expectations, driving matters to effective conclusion as efficiently as possible.
Moderators
Kristin Aquino-Pham, Esq., Associate, Ogletree Deakins
Kristin Aquino-Pham has been advising companies and individuals on immigration and global mobility since August 2005. In addition to working at global corporate law firms, she built and managed a global mobility department as in-house counsel and served as COO, General Counsel, and Co-Founder to a technology startup. In September 2018, she took a year hiatus from corporate law firm practice to serve low-income immigrants and refugees as head of the legal services program at the Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) in Atlanta, Georgia. Kristin received her JD from Georgia State University College of Law and her BA from University of Georgia.
Organized by
Rebecca Baumgartner (Ogletree Deakins) and Raymond Tran (Seyfarth Shaw)