Mr. Wilhelm H. Joseph, Jr.

‧Executive Director, Legal Aid Bureau,
   Inc.
‧Baltimore, Maryland
   U.S.A.
 
Biography
Wilhelm H. Joseph, Jr. received his Bachelor of Science from Mississippi Valley State University in 1969, his Certificate of African Studies from the University of Ghana in 1971, his Juris Doctor from the University Of Mississippi School Of Law in 1972, and his Master of Pubic Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1983.

Mr. Joseph served as the National Director of the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council (with headquarters in New York City) from 1972 through 1974after which he began working as a staff attorney and administrator at North Mississippi Rural Legal Services (NMR.LS) in Oxford, MS. In 1975 he was promoted to the position of Executive Director. In 1982 he enrolled in the graduate program at Harvard before joining Legal Services for New York City (previously called Community Action for Legal Services) where, from October, 1983 Mr. Joseph served as Consultant and Special Assistant to the Executive Director until 1990 when he was named Director of the Legal Support Unit. That department was responsible for citywide litigation, training, legislative advocacy and other support services. In addition to his full time position, he also served as an Adjunct Professor of Business Law at the City University of New York, Borough of Manhattan Community College from 1984 until 1996.

In September, 1996, Mr. Joseph was recruited for the position of Executive Director of the Legal Aid Bureau in Maryland where he directs management of the statewide civil legal services program that comprises 306 staff members including 162 attorneys who work out of 12 offices.

Mr. Joseph has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations including, but not limited to, the American Bar Association-Section of Litigation’s Legal Services Project; New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; National Conference of Black Lawyers; National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression; National Legal Aid and Defenders Association; Community Partnership Board of the National Federation of the Blind; and the Maryland Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission.  He is currently a board member for the Center for Constitutional Rights; Pro Bono Resource Center; Civil Justice, Inc.; Baltimore City Historical Society; and has been appointed by the Chief Judge of Maryland to the Commission on Public Trust and Confidence in the Judicial System and the Maryland Access to Justice Commission.

He has traveled extensively and has participated in conferences and fact finding missions in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas (North, Central and South) and the Caribbean.