Strategic Advisor for Legal Aid and Practice – MyJustice

Jake Stevens is Strategic Advisor for Legal Aid and Practice at MyJustice, a European Union-funded initiative implemented by the British Council to improve access to justice for women, the poor, and people living in vulnerable situations in Myanmar. In that role he supports the provision of legal aid through 13 partner-implemented legal aid centres, and oversees communities of practice, a national helpline, and an online legal resource bank.

He has worked in Myanmar for 11 years on justice issues, where he has been involved in developing, implementing, and leading legal aid and community-based legal empowerment programs. Elsewhere he has supported the development of what is now the Public Defenders Service of Nepal and delivered trainings for UNODC in East Africa for police and prosecutors.

A long-time USA public defender, Jake was a founding member of the Bronx Defenders which pioneered client-centred legal representation. He has also managed programs for LGBT victims of crimes and police abuse and was director of the Criminal Justice Clinic at Hofstra University’s law school. He has degrees from Harvard University and New York University. Further information can be found at www.jakestevens.net