Talk Justice: Episode 89
A Deeper Look at Homelessness
An attorney who has provided civil legal services to people experiencing homelessness shares her perspective on Talk Justice. Carolyn Perez is passionate about correcting common misconceptions around homelessness, saying those we see on the street are only “the tip of the iceberg,” and many families who are homeless are invisible. Perez also describes how legal problems like medical debt, domestic violence and natural disaster recovery contribute to the loss of housing.
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Featured Guest
Carolyn Perez is program counsel at the Legal Services Corporation. She previously served as senior counsel at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless (WLCH). Prior to working for WLCH, Carolyn was a litigator at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and a leader of the firm’s pro bono practice. Carolyn worked for Congressman Sander Levin before attending law school at the University of Michigan.
Host
Ronald S. Flagg was appointed President of the Legal Services Corporation effective February 20, 2020, and previously served as Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel since 2013. He previously practiced commercial and administrative litigation at Sidley Austin LLP for 31 years, 27 years as a partner. He chaired the firm’s Committee on Pro Bono and Public Interest Law for more than a decade.
Flagg served as president of the District of Columbia Bar in 2010-2011 and currently serves as Chair of the Bar’s Pro Bono Task Force. He presently also chairs the board of the National Veterans Legal Services Program. He has also served as Chair of the District of Columbia Bar Pro Bono Committee, Chair of the Board of the AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly, as a member of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, on LSC’s Pro Bono Task Force, and as a member of the Board of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, the Board of the District of Columbia Access to Justice Foundation, and the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission.