Partners for Justice
Vichal Kumar is an accomplished legal professional with extensive experience in civil defense and criminal justice advocacy. Currently serving as Director at Partners for Justice since November 2019, Vichal previously held the role of Managing Attorney for the Civil Defense Practice at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem from March 2015 to April 2019. Vichal has also served as President of the South Asian Bar Association of North America and Supervising Attorney at The Bronx Defenders, where a focus was on providing holistic legal services to clients. Earlier career positions include Litigation Associate at Cullen and Dykman LLP, Consulting Attorney at the Federal Public Defender, and Legal Intern at both the Immigrant Defense Project and Maurice A. Deane School of Law’s clinics. Vichal Kumar earned a Juris Doctor from Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rutgers University.
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Partners for Justice
Partners for Justice (PFJ) was founded to transform public defense locally and across the United States to ensure that race and wealth no longer determine legal outcomes. This means ensuring that public defenders are equipped to assist clients in accessing supportive community services, secure better legal outcomes both inside and outside the courtroom, and ensure that more people can walk away from the criminal legal system with their rights, life, and future protected. Our flagship program embeds trained non-attorney Client Advocates in public defender offices, immediately expanding their capacity to offer clients wraparound support and fight the enmeshed penalties of arrest. We also help public defenders incorporate holistic approaches into their systems and practice. Since our launch in 2018, PFJ has grown from a two-site pilot to partnering with 12 offices across the country. We have leveraged over $2 million in local governmental support and saved our clients nearly 130 years in jail.