Policy Webinar – Trauma Informed Lawyering

Andrea Lampert: is the co-founder of the Trafficking Law Center.  She serves as the Lead Attorney & Center Coordinator.   Andrea realized the need for trauma-informed legal advocacy for trafficked persons after working on the issue of human trafficking as a pro bono attorney.  She brings over 25 years of legal representation, law and policy analysis, victim’s advocacy, NGO experience, and legal writing to the Center.  She is a pro bono attorney with the Oregon State Bar. 

Neysa Nankervis is the Legal Associate with ALIGHT, where she connects survivors of human trafficking to specialized pro bono attorneys in over 20 areas of law. Prior to working at ALIGHT, Neysa represented juvenile survivors of human trafficking, foster youth, and unaccompanied children with various legal matters ranging from family law to educational access issues. Neysa received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine in 2009, her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 2016 and is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work at the University of Denver. Before attending law school, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria from 2010 – 2012 where she worked with youth at a juvenile detention center. 

Joel Shapiro is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Trafficking Law Center, which provides pro bono legal services to human trafficking survivors in Oregon, advocates for policy changes, and educates policy-makers and the public on trafficking issues. The Trafficking Law Center is a founding member of the National Survivor Law Collective (NSLC), which is building a national network of pro bono lawyers to represent trafficking survivors. Joel has been involved in efforts to combat domestic sex trafficking for more than a decade, including serving as chief counsel to U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and leading the Kids Are Not For Sale in Oregon coalition.  As an attorney, Joel has represented sex trafficking survivors in litigation against hotels, strip clubs, and Backpage.com. 

Renata Parras is Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Counsel at Paul Hastings and is based in the Firm’s New York office. She is responsible for managing, coordinating, and advancing the Firm’s ESG strategy, including global pro bono initiatives with a focus on human trafficking law and supporting social enterprises and initiatives.  Ms. Parras was a Deputy Chief Counsel with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where she led teams of attorneys in immigration, human rights, and national security litigation and interfaced with international agencies on cross-border matters.  Prior to that Ms. Parras served as an Assistant Chief Counsel in DHS’s Chicago and New York offices.  She began her career with DHS in Washington D.C. with the Human Rights Litigation Division. Mrs. Parras earned her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School in 2009, and her B.A. from the University of Virginia in 2004. She is fluent in Spanish.