Legal Rights Center

Category: Staff

Legal Rights Center Staff

  • Olive Fine, Community Defense Attorney

    Olive Fine, Community Defense Attorney

    Olive Fine

    COMMUNITY DEFENSE ATTORNEY

    Olive Fine joined the Legal Rights Center as a NYU Public Interest Fellow. They are a criminal defense attorney with LRC’s Community Defense Program and an educator on legal issues faced by social movements. 


    As a law student, Olive worked to defend tenants facing eviction, parents targeted by the family policing system, and people facing criminalization. They worked on land sovereignty and community autonomy at the Sustainable Economies Law Center, restorative justice policy advocacy in Oregon, and queer, nontraditional family law with Diana Adams Law & Mediation.


    Olive’s work is grounded in their commitment to the liberation of all beings from handcuffs, cages, borders, and earth-poisoning industries. If you are part of the struggle against oppression and seeking legal support, Olive can be reached at ofine@legalrightscenter.org.

  • Gabriel Arika, Youth Programming Lead

    Gabriel Arika, Youth Programming Lead

    gabriel arika

    youth programming lead

    Gabriel was raised in a warm and supportive family that shaped the values he carries today. Through childhood trials and tribulations, he discovered a deep passion for youth justice, advocacy, and equity. He believes that everyone, especially young people, deserve grace, compassion, and the chance to be heard. 


    At the LRC, Gabriel coordinates youth programming, leads the LRC Youth Networks, and develops partnerships that empower directly impacted youth to shape policy and practice. He also facilitates youth-led art and storytelling projects, leads statewide campaigns such as End Youth Prisons MN, and supports strategic community engagement with a focus on healing, leadership, and sustainability.


    Outside of work, Gabriel enjoys spending meaningful time with friends and family and finds peace in nature – whether it’s hiking, biking, or simply being present with community.

  • James Miller, Development and Communications Director

    James Miller, Development and Communications Director

    James Miller

    Development and Communications DIRECTOR

    James Miller (he/him) joined the Legal Rights Center in 2022. As Development and Communications Director, he is focused on building support for the organization – financially, through fundraising and donor organizing, and digitally, through narrative campaigns and storytelling.


    James holds a B.A. in Biology and Geography from Gustavus Adolphus College and has experience in donor organizing, youth work, and narrative strategy. He also sits on the Board of Directors at Youthprise and Headwaters Foundation for Justice. Outside of work, you can find him walking around one of the lakes in Minneapolis (seven times out of ten at Bde Maka Ska) and cooking up meals to share with friends in his tiny but mighty kitchen.

  • Malik Earle, Restorative Justice and Advocacy Program Director

    Malik Earle, Restorative Justice and Advocacy Program Director

    Malik Earle

    RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND ADVOCACY PROGRAM DIRECTOR

    Malik Earle (he/him) joined the Legal Rights Center in the summer of 2022. As the Restorative Justice and Advocacy Program Director he supports the team of Restorative Facilitators and Youth Advocates as well as LRC’s Legal Empowerment Lead and Youth Programming Lead. Malik brings a range of experiences to this role including in the areas of elementary education, youth development, volunteer management, and corporate and restaurant operations. He graduated from Macalester College in 2018, earning a B.A. in Religious Studies.

     

     

    Malik believes a better future is possible. He leans on the power of storytelling and language to sustain the pursuit of a better future with his communities. He aspires each day to make someone else day better, easier, or more full of joy.

  • Joshua Esmay, Deputy Director – Community Legal Services

    Joshua Esmay, Deputy Director – Community Legal Services

    Joshua Esmay

    Deputy Director, Community legal services

    Josh (he/him) joined the Legal Rights Center in 2016 after serving as the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the Council on Crime and Justice. He brings seven years of experience as an LRC Attorney to his current role as LRC’s Deputy Director, Community Legal Services. In this role, Josh manages and oversees LRC’s work related to criminal defense, expungement, and community-based legal support.


    Josh specializes in advocacy and legal assistance that helps individuals overcome the burdens of criminal records, and maintains his subject expertise to support the training and education of others on the topic. He has served as president of the Minnesota Community Corrections Association and co-chaired the Second Chance Coalition.

    Josh graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School.

  • Samara Eltahir, Director of Strategic Initiatives

    Samara Eltahir, Director of Strategic Initiatives

    Samara Eltahir

    Director of strategic initiatives

    Samara Eltahir (she/her) joined the Legal Rights Center as a Restorative Facilitator and Youth Advocate in 2021 and later served as the Restorative Justice Program Director, overseeing LRC’s school-based restorative services and partnerships in the Twin Cities area surrounding education, advocacy, and restorative practices. In her current role as Director of Strategic Initiatives, she is focused on cross-organizational program development, evaluation, and impact.

     

    Earning her degree in Youth Studies from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Samara’s experience surrounds engagement in a variety of school, after-school and non-profit settings and includes all ages youth-work, advocacy for survivors of sexual violence, group facilitation, and non-profit management. Samara’s approach to her work seeks to uplift creativity and possibility, centering the importance of building meaningful relationships, designing strong organizational systems, and streamlining pathways for collaboration.

  • Malaika Eban, Executive Director

    Malaika Eban, Executive Director

    Malaika Eban

    Executive Director

    Malaika is the Executive Director of the Legal Rights Center, focused on supporting our community’s visions and the organization’s mission of transformation in the criminal legal system. 


    Malaika joined the Legal Rights Center in 2019 as a social work intern. Her experience includes direct programming with youth and families, issue-based advocacy with community-based coalitions, racial equity facilitation, political campaign management, and nonprofit development. She is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker with dual master degrees in Public Policy and Social Work from the University of Minnesota.


    Malaika is responsible for management and oversight of all grants and contracts on behalf of the Legal Rights Center and can be contacted at meban@legalrightscenter.org.