Announcing Anna Kurien, CRRJ’s new Legal Director

Anna worked for over a decade as a Public Defender at the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, Office of the Public Defender. There, she represented low-income people charged with felonies in jury trials and appeals. She used the participatory defense model to partner with her clients and their communities to shift the balance of power in the courtroom

A strong believer in the power of organizing and movement lawyering, Anna was a founding member of two grassroots organizations in Atlanta that advocated to reimagine public safety and build the power of communities impacted by our criminal punishment system.   

Anna is a proud graduate of and trainer with Gideon’s Promise and believes that we need to invest in strengthening public defense to combat the power of the police and prosecutors. Anna serves on the legal committee of the ACLU of Georgia and the Indigent Defense Committee of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Before attending law school at Emory University, Anna studied English and French at Wellesley College.  

Anna was born and brought up in India and is fluent in Malayalam and Hindi. Anna lives with her partner, her toddler, and a small bad dog. In her free time she tries to keep her indoor plants from perishing. 

“At this critical moment in our racial justice movement, I am thrilled to be joining LAJC’s talented and committed staff to challenge Virginia’s use of the criminal legal system to keep people poor,” said Anna. “I am looking forward to using my experience partnering with communities of color to resist oppression masquerading as justice and safety. I am excited to work with the Civil Rights and Racial Justice team at LAJC to help bring meaningful change for communities across Virginia.” 

Please join us in welcoming Anna to the Legal Aid Justice Team!