Lezlie Paulus is a Project Manager with A2J Tech, a mission drive B corp that builds technology and improves processes for legal aid organizations with the goal of improving access to justice for all. She is an experienced business process improvement manager with a passion for intake, operations, and all those systems and processes that help legal aid organizations serve more clients better. Before joining A2J Tech, Lezlie served as the Director of Business Administration for a Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), where she was a member of the Executive Leadership Team, and responsible for intake, the Private Attorney Involvement program, and IT, among other responsibilities. Lezlie honed her business process and facilitation skills during her career in the corporate sector. She holds Bachelors degrees from the University of Minnesota and a Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from William Mitchell College of Law in Minnesota. Lezlie can be reached at lezlie@goa2jtech.com

Sarah Coffey Bowes, Esq. is a veteran non-profit manager with a strong background in programmatic growth, sustainability, and strategic planning. Sarah supervised the operation and continuous expansion of the award-winning Maryland Courts Self-Help Centers - a network of legal service centers operated via a contract between the Maryland Judiciary and Maryland Legal Aid’s subsidiary, the Maryland Center for Legal Assistance. Under her leadership, Maryland’s self-help centers grew from an experimental, pilot program to a robust, statewide network of 6 offices serving more than 80,000 Marylanders yearly. Since joining Civil Justice, Inc in November 2019, Sarah has led the development of two new technology platforms including the Coordinated Intake System for Access to Counsel in Evictions and, through the Maryland Judiciary's Access to Justice Department, the award-winning Maryland Justice Passport. Additionally, she has led the dramatic expansion of Civil Justice's Economic Justice Program and is currently launching the Legal Clinic for Small Businesses in collaboration with the Maryand State Bar Association. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law where she received the Ward Kershaw Award for Client Advocacy.

Silya Shaw is the Deputy Executive Director at Legal Aid of Western Missouri, where she focuses on creative, mission-driven solutions to expand access to justice for low-income Missourians. She has been at Legal Aid since 2014, holding positions as the Central Office Managing Attorney and Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Director, and representing low-income clients in tax controversy and probate matters. Silya received her J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, with highest honors in pro bono public interest service. There, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Urban Lawyer and received the Joseph E. Stephens Award for Legal Writing Excellence. Missouri Lawyers Weekly named Silya a “Leader of Tomorrow” at its Women’s Justice Awards in 2011. Silya also holds a M.A. in International Relations from American University in Washington, D.C., and a B.A. from Park University in Parkville, Missouri. She resides in her hometown of Independence, Missouri.

Ashley is currently the Director of Compliance at NLSP but since her start in 2014, she has held various positions, from staff attorney to Managing Attorney for the Brief Services Unit. In her role as Director of Compliance, Ashley is responsible for making sure all cases are opened, processed and closed according to federal and program guidance. Ashley is also responsible for planning, upkeep and management of NLSP's case management system. Prior to working for NLSP, Ashley was an attorney for 4 years with Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, where she was a general practitioner, practicing in family, housing, consumer and public benefits. She also worked as a clerk at Legal Aid of East Tennessee. Ashley received her J.D. from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and graduated in 2010 with a specialty in advocacy and dispute resolution. She also received her B.A. in music from Appalachian State University. Ashley can be reached by phone at, 202-849-8331, or via email to, AGraham@nlsp.org.