FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2023
Contact: The Honorable Lora J. Livingston, Ret.
Texas Access to Justice Commission
lora.livingston@texasatj.org
| 512-427-1855
Texas Access to Justice Commission Announces New Executive Director
AUSTIN — The
Texas Access to Justice Commission announces the selection of April
Faith-Slaker as its new Executive Director and Director of the Legal
Access Department of the State Bar of Texas. Ms. Faith-Slaker will begin
her duties in late October 2023.
“The Commission is pleased to report that the selection of Ms. Faith-Slaker resulted from an extensive, nationwide search for an experienced leader of extraordinary dedication to the complex issues which confront the access to justice community,” Commission Chair Harriet Miers said. “Ms. Faith-Slaker is just such a leader.”
In her most recent position as the Executive Director of the Office of Eviction Defense for the City of Detroit, Ms. Faith-Slaker implemented a successful Right to Counsel program for eviction cases, and coordinated with local legal aid organizations, as well as the courts, to provide services to indigent tenants. She is an experienced manager and has handled multimillion-dollar budgets in her extensive experience. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated strong organizational skills.
Ms. Faith-Slaker also served as the Associate Director of the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School. At Harvard, Ms. Faith-Slaker designed and implemented research studies in the civil and criminal arenas and was instrumental in data collection and analysis. She is an experienced grant writer, and she has served as a Managing Editor of a legal publication. Her strong research and writing skills will serve her well in this new position.
Ms. Faith-Slaker has extensive experience in the national access to justice community, and she is recognized as a thought leader. Her strengths include coalition-building among various important stakeholders, and she is skilled in cultivating partnerships to achieve common goals.
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The Texas Access to Justice Commission was created in 2001 by the Supreme Court of Texas to develop and implement policy initiatives designed to expand access to and enhance the quality of justice in civil legal matters for low-income Texans. The Commission has created several initiatives to increase resources and awareness of legal aid. For more information, please visit www.TexasATJ.org.
