Erica Emdon,

has worked for nearly thirty years as a public interest attorney and mediator, culminating in her heading ProBono.Org a social justice legal NGO. She contributed to building the organisation into a substantial legal NGO facilitating the provision of pro bono legal services from the private sector to a wide range of clients including NGOs, community-based organisations and individuals. She studied at the University of the Witwatersrand where she completed a BA Honours, LLB and Master’s degree. After her completing a BA Honours and LLB at the Universty of the Witwatersrand she was admitted as an attorney and spent the next fifteen years working for NGOs and government. Her work included representing civic organisations in negotiations for improved housing and services, undertaking legislative and policy drafting on post-apartheid housing, planning and land tenure legislation. From 2005 she played a role in assisting children pursue criminal matters against sexual abuse offenders. This led her to write a novel, Jelly Dog Days, for which she was shortlisted for the Commonwealth First Book in Africa prize. In 2015 she was co-opted onto to the Legal Services Committee of the board of Legal Aid SA. Over the years she has given papers and attended numerous conferences on human rights, pro bono, women’s issues, fund-raising, housing, legislation and policy. She has written articles for the media and legal publications.