About Volunteer UP Legal Clinic

What We Do

Volunteer UP Legal Clinic's mission is to UPlift and empower communities of South Jersey through legal representation, advocacy, and community awareness. The Clinic connects individuals and families facing legal barriers with dedicated staff and specialized volunteer attorneys who provide high-quality pro bono legal services to those most in need. Volunteer UP is committed to creating a more just landscape in which all those in South Jersey will have access to quality legal services.

Who We Serve

Primarily serving Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester Counties, our volunteer and staff attorneys assist with a wide range of legal issues, including eviction diversion, expungement, municipal court matters and driver’s license restoration, name changes, wills, living wills, and powers of attorney, and so much more. Our clients include previously justice-involved individuals and their families, veterans, individuals facing mental health and addiction challenges, and families at risk of homelessness.

Client Assessment and Attorney Matching

Volunteer UP works with our clients to determine their specific legal needs and makes appropriate referrals to volunteer attorneys, aligning each case with an attorney’s area of practice. This screening process ensures that pro bono attorneys can maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their volunteer time.

Volunteer Attorney Support and Benefits

Volunteer attorneys play vital roles as mentors, subject matter experts, and community educators. Additionally, attorneys who contribute 25 hours annually to Volunteer UP earn exemption from Madden v. Delran pro bono case appointments, as Volunteer UP is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a pro bono organization.

Join Us in Making a Difference

Volunteer UP Legal Clinic is driven by a dedication to justice, equity, and community support. By bridging the gap to legal resources, we strive to make a lasting difference in the lives of South Jersey’s most vulnerable residents.

Meet Our Team

The team at Volunteer UP Legal Clinic brings together dedicated professionals with experience in law, social work, and community advocacy to serve the South Jersey community.

Our Team

Steven L. Salinger, Esq.

Chief Executive Officer

Steve is a 2015 graduate of Rutgers Law. After graduation, he clerked for the Honorable Michele M. Fox, J.S.C. After clerking, he became an Assistant Deputy Public Defender with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender in Camden, New Jersey for nearly a decade. In that time, Steve advanced his interests in holistic and participatory defense strategies as well as restorative justice initiatives as a founding member of the Volunteer UP Legal Clinic as well as the Pro Bono Team Coordinator for the ReNew Camden Federal Reentry Court. In November of 2025, Steve left NJOPD to lead the Volunteer UP Legal Clinic, an organization he helped establish. Steve’s dedication to serve his community goes beyond his role at the Clinic. He has been a member of the District IV Ethics Committee and the President of the Camden County Bar Foundation. Since 2022, Steve has been a member of the adjunct faculty at Rutgers Law teaching two courses – a yearlong intensive mock trial course and Criminal Procedure Adjudications. He is currently a Trustee of the Camden County Bar Association where he serves on the Judicial & Prosecutorial Appointments Committee and as Co-Chair of the Federal Bench Bar Committee as well as the Chair of the Pro Bono/Legal Services Committee.

Patricia Kane O’Connor, Esq., Ph.D.

Director of the Housing Justice Unit

Trish O'Connor is a tireless advocate for tenants' rights in South Jersey, representing clients who lack access to legal support in Burlington and Mercer Counties Landlord-Tenant Courts. As Director of the Housing Justice Unit at Volunteer UP, Trish oversees the direct representation by Volunteer UP's Housing Justice Team and performs legal review for Resource Navigators in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May Counties in an effort to support housing stability through subsidizing a tenant's rapid relocation or back rent. After graduating from Seton Hall Law School, she joined Volunteer UP Legal Clinic as a New Jersey Housing Justice Corps Fellow. She contributes to statewide tenant advocacy through policy work and data analysis. Prior to her legal career, Trish earned advanced degrees in Literature and worked as a high school teacher.

Kaitlyn Owens, Esq.

Housing Justice Attorney
Kait Owens has provided pro bono tenant advocacy and eviction prevention services throughout Southern New Jersey and now primarily practices in Camden County. She works tirelessly to assist clients who would otherwise lack legal representation. A Rutgers Law School graduate with a deep commitment to public interest, she works to protect tenants' rights and secure safe, affordable housing. Through legal representation and education about tenant rights, she strives to increase access to legal assistance and empower communities. Beyond her meaningful work in the courtroom, Kait demonstrates her commitment to her community through service as she serves as a Trustee of the Camden County Bar Foundation.

John Ignatius Francisco, Esq.

Holistic Practice Attorney

John, in a hybrid role involving reentry focused work as well as a valued member of our Housing Justice Team, provides critical legal assistance to clients with criminal records, helping them and their families navigate barriers to a plethora of legal issues such as expungement, housing, employment and other opportunities for a fresh start. His work aims to reduce the long-term impacts of involvement with the criminal-legal system, creating brighter futures for individuals and their families. As a graduate of Rutgers Law School, John dedicated his time serving the public interest and interned with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender and the Rutgers Veterans Advocacy Clinic. Before his legal career, he served in the United States Army for six years. Previously, John worked as an associate attorney for a mid-size law-firm based in Cherry Hill, and served as a law clerk for the Honorable John S. Kennedy, J.S.C., in the New Jersey Superior Court, Camden Vicinage.

Elizabeth M. Gallagher, Esq.

Programs and Development Coordinator &

Fundraising Committee Co-Chair, Party With a Purpose Annual Fundraiser
Elizabeth Gallagher leads our initiatives to grow Volunteer UP’s resources, strengthen volunteer engagement, and assess program impact. Her work plays an essential role in helping us expand our services and enhance our community impact. Formerly a Trial Attorney and Partner with an AM Law 200 firm, Elizabeth later transitioned into teaching. She is a graduate of Dickinson School of Law and the University of Rochester.

Matthew A. Grubman, Esq.

Housing Justice Attorney

Matt is a 2011 graduate of Temple Law School. After graduating from law shcool, he worked for a Philadelphia personal injury firm and then worked at a Plaintiff’s Firm in New Jersey focusing on talcum powder litigation. Prior to law school, Matt worked in the non-profit sector in Philadelphia and Montana, including serving as an AmeriCorps member. While working as a lawyer in the private sector, Matt handled a number of pro bono cases including cases involving trusts and estates, debt collection, landlord-tenant and name changes. He has served on the Board of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation since 2018 and currently serves as Co-Chair of its Grants Committee.

Lori M. Koch, Esq.

Director of the Habeas Unit

Lori Koch is a 1989 Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School graduate. After working at a civil litigation firm in Newark, NJ for 5 years, she turned her sights on her true passion - being a public defender. She started at the Legal Aid Society - NYC, then landed at the Federal Public Defender for the District of New Jersey, Camden vicinage. Recently retired after 30 years as an AFPD, she continues in her position as the Director of the VolunteerUP Habeas Unit, to seek justice on behalf of the indigent and working class people. In addition to this meaningful work, Lori teaches in the Trial Advocacy Program at Rutgers Law in Camden, New Jersey.