WASHINGTON, D.C. – Equal Justice Works announced that Paul M. Igasaki has joined its staff as Deputy Chief Executive Officer. In this capacity, Mr. Igasaki is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization and overall leadership of staff. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and daughter.

"My years in civil rights have taught me that the struggle for justice is unending and we must be in the fight for the long haul," said Mr. Igasaki. "Nothing is more important than developing new leadership to carry the fight forward. Equal Justice Works has a well-earned reputation to that end and I'm proud to join its team."

Mr. Igasaki recently served as executive director of the Rights Working Group, a nationwide coalition of groups and individuals committed to ensuring liberty and justice for all. Mr. Igasaki also served as vice chair, chair, and commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 1994 until 2002 as the result of an appointment by President Bill Clinton. Prior to the appointment, Mr. Igasaki was executive director of the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco. He also served on the staff of the late Rep. Robert Matsui's campaign for the U.S. Senate in California.

"We are so pleased to have Paul Igasaki aboard to help lead Equal Justice Works," said Chief Executive Officer David Stern. "Paul's impressive public interest career will serve as a great resource as the organization continues to move forward."

Earlier in his career, Mr. Igasaki served as director of an American Bar Association (ABA) project to increase resources for civil legal services for the poor. In addition, he was awarded a Reginald Heber Smith Fellowship to serve as a staff attorney with Legal Services of Northern California, representing poor clients on housing, domestic violence and other issues.

A graduate and distinguished alumnus of Northwestern University and the University of California Davis School of Law, Mr. Igasaki is licensed to practice law in Illinois and California.

Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1986 by law students dedicated to working for equal justice on behalf of underserved communities and causes. Today, Equal Justice Works is the national leader in creating summer and postgraduate public interest opportunities for law students and lawyers as well as in urging more public interest programming at law schools. For more information about Equal Justice Works, visit www.equaljusticeworks.org.