Volunteer Lawyers for Justice Announces Officer
Elections for its Board of Trustees
Sneha Desai
Kaitlyn E. Stone
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2024
CONTACT
Eric W. Hughes
Bershad Director of Communications
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
(973) 233-5724
ehughes@vljnj.org
NEWARK, NJ — Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is proud to announce the election of two current trustees to the executive leadership team of its Board of Trustees: Sneha Desai as Vice Chair and Kaitlyn E. Stone as Secretary. The elections were made at VLJ’s May 21st board meeting.
About Sneha Desai
Sneha, a graduate of Villanova University and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, is Chief Legal Counsel, Global Litigation & Employment at Stryker where she leads a global team of legal professionals to drive functional excellence; develops strategy and tactics for complex, high-profile litigation, disputes, and investigations; and works with the Global General Counsel and Division General Counsels to advise business leaders and the Board of Directors on matters relating to litigation, settlement, and investigations.
Sneha first began volunteering with VLJ in 2016 and joined its board in 2018. Since then, Sneha has volunteered on 199 legal matters across several VLJ programs, ultimately being recognized as a VLJ Volunteer of the Month in July 2018 for her dedication to VLJ’s Divorce Program. Pro bono and access to justice have been important to Sneha ever since law school, where she volunteered in the Guild Food Stamp Clinic. While at a law firm, she worked for several years on a case representing a group of individuals living with intellectual disabilities who had been manipulated by a home healthcare provider into having unnecessary medical procedures.
When explaining her decision to join VLJ’s board and continue her years of pro bono, she offered, “I think the ultimate core mission of VLJ is really important, and I wanted to be as involved in that as I could be. I believe all lawyers have an obligation to use their knowledge and skills to help those who do not otherwise have access to legal services. We have the ability to make a real difference in someone’s life by giving our time and expertise. As professionals, it should be our duty to serve our communities when we can and how best we can.”
Sneha isn’t just a community champion at home in New Jersey, she also serves on the board of Ayati, a nonprofit she co-founded with three friends in 2014. Ayati’s mission is to develop and support programs that bring education and materials to promote optimal hygienic practices to girls in rural parts of India.
About Kaitlyn E. Stone
Kaitlyn E. Stone (Kate), a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and Seton Hall University School of Law, is a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP where she has a broad-based litigation practice that includes virtually all phases of product liability and complex business and commercial litigation, from fact and expert discovery through trial to verdict and appeals.
Kate’s pro bono journey with VLJ began in 2015, seeing her eventually join the board in 2020. To date, Kate has volunteered on 104 legal matters, most of that dedicated to realizing second chances through VLJ’s ReLeSe (Reentry Legal Services) Program and Veterans Legal Program. Kate has been recognized as a VLJ Volunteer of the Month in July 2017 and August 2023.
On her commitment to VLJ’s mission, Kate recalled a moment of vulnerability and candor with a client, “I have had the pleasure to work with many clients at VLJ. In one particular case, I worked with a client who had been involved in human trafficking and I vividly remember the first time I spoke with the client. I was deeply moved by how strong they were when asked to described their experiences and perspectives, particularly in light of the fact that the underlying events were fairly recent and exceptionally devastating. I remember concluding the call and thinking about how the client went through these horrible experiences, and yet was not resigned to their fate—I learned more about courage and perseverance during that one phone call than I had in a lifetime of my own experiences. To serve a client who has gone through such unspeakable things was memorable and paints a portrait of the real, tangible impact that pro bono has both on the clients we serve and as attorneys. There are people who need our help, and we are in a position to give it. An equation doesn’t get much simpler than that for me.”
Sneha and Kate’s new positions come at a pivotal time for VLJ as the organization continues to grow to meet the increasing demand for civil legal services. With their added leadership, VLJ is well positioned to continue what it does best: ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty. Better put by Cathy Keenan, Executive Director of VLJ, “We are thrilled to welcome Sneha and Kate into their new leadership roles. As long-time volunteers and trustees, they have invaluable insight into the needs of our community and the needs of our organization, finding a balance that strengthens our people and empowers our mission. The pandemic and following years have laid bare uncertainty about the direction our country and the legal profession are taking. With Sneha and Kate serving as vice chair and secretary respectively, that bodes well for the direction Volunteer Lawyers for Justice will take: onward and upward to justice.”
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About Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ)
VLJ is an award-winning, comprehensive nonprofit legal services program based in Newark, NJ, with a statewide reach. VLJ's mission is to ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty. The Newark-based organization ensures fair access to the legal system through partnerships with corporations and hundreds of volunteer attorneys. In 2023, VLJ’s work impacted over 4,200 people—including 1,644 children—and its volunteer attorneys donated nearly $2 million in free legal services.
Connect with Sneha on LinkedIn
Connect with Kate on LinkedIn