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Step Up To Justice

Tucson, AZ · EIN 813776452 · Form 990 · FY2022 · NTEE I80 · Crime & Legal-Related · Small ($100K-$1M) · stepuptojustice.org
revenue
$647K
expenses
$472K
net assets
$562K
employees
15
volunteers
133
program ratio
66%
mission · from form 990

See Schedule O.

profile · synthesized from sources

Step Up to Justice (SU2J) is a nonprofit law firm based in Pima County, Arizona, providing pro bono legal services to low-income individuals and families. Founded in 2016, the organization addresses gaps in civil legal services, assisting clients with family law, bankruptcy, evictions, and consumer protection. SU2J also engages in community outreach to educate individuals about their legal rights.

named programs · 3 · from sources

what they call their work

Community Education
Educates low-income individuals about their legal rights and responsibilities through various outreach initiatives.
Legal Clinics
Provides virtual and in-person clinics for direct representation and legal advice.
Pro Bono Legal Services
Offers free legal assistance in areas such as family law, bankruptcy, evictions, and consumer protection.
activities · 5 groups

what they do

  • Community Legal Education & Outreach 6 activities
    • Bilingual legal education programs
      Offers targeted community education programs in both English and Spanish, including RENT (Renter Education), MAPP (Mobile Home Asset Protection), WORK (Workers’ Rights), BEACON (Bankruptcy & Consumer Outreach), End of Life Planning, and Adult Guardianship education.
    • Community legal education and outreach
      Develops and delivers community education presentations, videos, and downloadable resources to inform low-income individuals about their legal rights and responsibilities. Conducts outreach to prevent legal problems before they arise.
    • Community legal education and outreach
      Develops and delivers community education presentations, online materials, videos, and downloadable resources to educate low-income individuals about their legal rights and responsibilities, with programs targeting specific populations and offered in both English and Spanish.
    • Community legal education and outreach programs
      Develops and delivers community education presentations, online materials, downloadable resources, and multilingual outreach programs to educate low-income individuals about their legal rights and responsibilities. Programs include RENT, MAPP, WORK, BEACON, End of Life Planning, and Adult Guardianship education, offered in both English and Spanish.
    • Community legal education programs
      Develops and delivers community education presentations, videos, and online materials on legal rights and responsibilities, with targeted programs including RENT (Renter Education), MAPP (Mobile Home Protection), WORK (Workers’ Rights), BEACON (Bankruptcy and Consumer Outreach), End of Life Planning, and Adult Guardianship, offered in English and Spanish.
    • Delivering community legal education
      Step Up To Justice develops and delivers community education presentations, online materials, and downloadable resources to educate low-income individuals about their rights and responsibilities, covering topics such as renter education, mobile home asset protection, workers' rights, bankruptcy, end-of-life planning, and adult guardianship, available in both English and Spanish.
  • Free Civil Legal Assistance for Low-Income Communities 6 activities
    • Direct legal representation by volunteer attorneys
      Assigns volunteer attorneys to represent approved clients throughout their legal cases, ensuring sustained legal support in civil matters including family law, housing, consumer, and public benefits disputes.
    • Free legal assistance and representation
      Provides free legal services and high-quality pro bono representation to low-income individuals who cannot afford legal help, including direct representation in civil legal matters such as family law, bankruptcy, evictions, consumer protection, employment disputes, immigration, and SSI/SSDI appeals.
    • Pro bono legal services and direct representation
      Provides free legal assistance and high-quality pro bono legal services to low-income individuals who cannot afford representation, including full case representation in civil legal matters. Volunteer attorneys are assigned to represent approved clients throughout their legal cases.
    • Providing free legal assistance and representation
      Step Up To Justice provides free legal assistance and high-quality pro bono legal services to low-income individuals who cannot afford legal representation, covering areas such as family law, bankruptcy, evictions, minor guardianship, employment, consumer protection, wills, probate, SSI/SSDI appeals, and immigration matters.
    • Provision of free legal services to low-income individuals
      Provides free legal assistance and high-quality pro bono legal services to low-income individuals who cannot afford representation, including direct representation, legal advice, and support in various civil legal matters.
    • Provision of free legal services to low-income individuals
      Provides free legal assistance and high-quality pro bono legal services to low-income individuals who cannot afford representation, including direct legal help in areas such as family law, bankruptcy, evictions, consumer protection, employment, immigration, and public benefits appeals. Services are delivered through virtual and in-person clinics, community outreach, and ongoing representation.
  • Pro Bono Attorney Recruitment & Training 5 activities
    • Attorney recruitment and capacity building
      Recruits and supports volunteer attorneys by offering free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars and engaging over 280 attorneys to provide pro bono legal services.
    • Capacity building for pro bono attorneys
      Offers free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars and support to recruit and train volunteer attorneys, enhancing their capacity to provide pro bono legal services. The organization has recruited over 280 volunteer attorneys to support its mission.
    • Providing Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for volunteer attorneys
      The organization offers free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars to volunteer attorneys and attorneys willing to volunteer, supporting their professional development and encouraging pro bono service.
    • Recruitment and training of pro bono attorneys
      Recruits volunteer attorneys and provides them with free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars and ongoing support to deliver pro bono legal services; has recruited over 280 volunteer attorneys to assist clients.
    • Volunteer attorney recruitment and training
      Recruits and supports volunteer attorneys by offering free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars and assigning them to represent approved clients or assist in clinics, with over 280 attorneys recruited to date.
  • Pro Bono Legal Clinics & Intake Coordination 5 activities
    • Legal clinics and self-representation support
      Operates virtual and in-person legal clinics where volunteer attorneys provide one-on-one coaching and legal advice to self-represented clients, helping them navigate the legal system effectively.
    • Legal clinics and self-represented client support
      Operates virtual and in-person legal clinics where volunteer attorneys provide one-on-one coaching, legal advice, and support to self-represented clients facing civil legal issues.
    • Operating legal clinics
      The organization operates virtual and in-person clinics where volunteer attorneys provide one-on-one coaching and legal advice to self-represented clients.
    • Operation of legal clinics and attorney coaching programs
      Operates virtual and in-person legal clinics where volunteer attorneys provide one-on-one coaching, legal advice, and support to self-represented clients across multiple practice areas.
    • Operation of legal clinics and attorney coaching programs
      Operates virtual and in-person legal clinics where volunteer attorneys provide one-on-one coaching, legal advice, and support to self-represented clients. These clinics are part of an ongoing effort to expand access to justice through direct engagement and guided self-help models.
  • Family Law Legal Assistance 1 activity
    • Specialized legal services by issue area
      Provides legal assistance across a range of civil legal issues including family law (divorce, paternity, child support, custody), bankruptcy, landlord-tenant disputes (including mobile home issues), employment disputes, consumer protection, immigration, SSI/SSDI appeals, wills, probate, powers of attorney, and adult guardianship.
financials · form 990 · fy2022
revenue
Total revenue$647K
Contributions & grants$608K94%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$370%
Other revenue$39K
expenses
Total expenses$472K
Program expenses66%
Admin / overhead23%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$397K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$624K
Cash$506K
Investments$0
Liabilities$62K
Net assets$562K
Liquid reserves12.9 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2022 · YoY revenue +43.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022

who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Michele Mirto Executive Director 0 $76K
board members · 15
  • Anna Ceder — Board Member
  • Deb Saliaz — Board Member
  • Denice Shepherd — Treasurer
  • Hon Alyce Pennington — Board Member
  • Hon Dean Christoffel — Board Member
  • Hon James Beene — Board Member
  • Hon Karen Nygaard — Board Member
  • Julianne DeGrendele — Board Member
  • Kristy Clairmont — Secretary
  • Lisa Lovallo — President
  • Mike Hannley — Board Member
  • Pamela Liberty — Board Member
  • Ryan Anderson — Board Member
  • Shannon Giles — Board Member
  • Zelma Letarte — Vice President
relationships · 10

who they work with

  • Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education’s Modest Means Project Partner — Refers individuals to the Modest Means Project for legal services not provided by Step Up to Justice.
  • Brian Longenbaugh Partner — Volunteer attorney who provides legal services through Step Up to Justice.
  • Morris. A. Hazan Family Foundation Funder — Provides financial support to Step Up to Justice to advance access to free legal services.
  • Pima County Bar Association (PCBA) Partner — Refers individuals to PCBA for legal services not provided by Step Up to Justice.
  • State Bar of Arizona Government — Allows pro bono hours with Step Up to Justice to be counted as CLE credit.
  • Tucson Electric Power Funder — Supports Step Up to Justice through community investment and philanthropy.
  • University of Arizona Partner — Collaborates with the University of Arizona for legal education and outreach initiatives.
  • Walsh Gallegos Trevino Klye & Robinson, P.C. Partner — Employer of a former intern, Stephanie Mendivil.
  • courts Partner — Forms strategic community partnerships with courts.
  • social service providers Partner — Forms strategic community partnerships with social service providers.