Legal Rights Center Staff
Edward Yellowhammer COmmunity Advocate Ed (he/him) has served as a Community Advocate at the Legal Rights Center since 2011. Before joining LRC, he worked at the Upper Midwest American Indian Center for 12 years as a community outreach worker in the Youth/Father Program. Ed brings substantial advocacy experience for issues relating to foster care,… Continue reading Edward Yellowhammer, Community Advocate
Emanual Williams Community Defense attorney Emanual Williams (he/him) is an attorney of LRC’s Community Defense Team. Emanual is originally from Lovelady, Texas, where his deep passion for criminal justice reform began. He believes that every voice can and should be heard. He has experience with clemency, parole, and expungement work throughout various organizations. Before joining… Continue reading Emanual Williams, Community Defense Attorney
Marecca Vertin Community Defense & Access to Justice Attorney Marecca joined the Legal Rights Center in 2024 with nearly fifteen years of experience in public/community-based criminal defense and social movement legal support in a variety of roles and jurisdictions. She worked first as a defense investigator on behalf of kids accused of crimes in… Continue reading Marecca Vertin, Community Defense Attorney
Shavonte Powell Restorative facilitator & Youth advocate Shavonte comes to the Legal Rights Center with over a decade of experience in youth intervention and advocacy in the Minneapolis community. She has spent the last three years of her career reducing exclusionary practices and strengthening youth and adult relationships. Shavonte is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree… Continue reading Shavonte Powell, Restorative Facilitator & Youth Advocate
Sam Koltes Restorative Facilitator & Youth Advocate Sam Koltes (she/her) joined the Legal Rights Center as a Restorative Facilitator and Youth Advocate in the summer of 2021. Previously she had worked with youth in school-to-prison pipeline disruption through facilitation of restorative processes, circle mentorship, and community diversion. At the Legal Rights Center, Sam’s role is… Continue reading Sam Koltes, Restorative Facilitator & Youth Advocate
Hersch Izek Community Defense Attorney Hersch has served as an attorney at the Legal Rights Center since 2001 and brings substantial felony trial experience. Before working for the Legal Rights Center, he handled federal public defender assigned cases and also represented personal injury clients. Hersch graduated from the William Mitchell School of Law.
Anna Hall Community defense attorney Anna Hall (she/her) is a criminal defense attorney and a researcher focused on pretrial justice in Minnesota. Through direct representation, community education, qualitative research, and partnership-building, Anna works to make the law more accessible to all Minnesotans, especially those most impacted by mass incarceration and policing. Anna is guided by… Continue reading Anna Hall, Community Defense Attorney
EMILY GREEN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Emily Green (she/her) joined the Legal Rights Center in 2023 as Administrative Assistant. Her role includes providing administrative support to leadership and to programs in the form of organization, data entry, communication, financial processes, hiring systems, and facilities maintenance. She comes to the organization with a passion for social justice and… Continue reading Emily Green, Administrative Assistant
Michael Harrell Legal empowerment Lead Michael is a rising senior at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where he is pursuing a degree in Sociology of Law & Justice Criminology. Born and raised in Minneapolis, he is deeply committed to empowering youth through Know Your Rights education and community advocacy. As Legal Empowerment Lead at… Continue reading Michael Harrell, Legal Empowerment Lead
Joey Gebin INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAM FELLOW Joey is a student fellow from Macalester College ’27. She is pursuing a B.A. in Art History and International Studies with a concentration in Legal Studies. Originally from Compton, California, and currently living in Orlando Florida, she is passionate about increasing accessibility for BIPOC communities in legal spaces. When not… Continue reading Joey Gebin, Intergenerational Program Fellow
