Tianna Mays
Senior Counsel , Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Photo by Erinn Martin .
OLIVIA MILLER
WHILE WORKING on her bachelor ’ s degree in social work at West Virginia University ( WVU ), Tianna Mays would often suggest solutions to social issues directly impacting low-income and marginalized groups of people that required a lawyer . Mays , now senior counsel for the Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington , D . C ., became that lawyer and is bringing solutions once discussed among classmates to fruition .
A native of Institute , WV , Mays learned the importance of education from her mother and grandparents . After graduating from the WVU College of Law in 2011 , her first job was as a staff attorney with the Massachusetts Committee for
Public Counsel Services in the Children and Family Law Division . It was this position that helped her find her voice to passionately advocate for her clients and creatively use the law to develop case strategies . Later in her career , as managing attorney for the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault ’ s Sexual Assault Legal Institute , she filed and litigated the first rape survivor case in Maryland that allowed rape survivors to petition to terminate the parental right of their assailants .
“ My academic and career trajectory led me to give a voice to the voiceless and fight against injustice ,” she says . “ I feel I am making a difference because I am bringing impact litigation cases to address criminalization of poverty in states across the south . By litigating these issues , I am highlighting unconstitutional practices while also calling for reform .”
Mays has made several significant impacts on the legal industry during her career . In Massachusetts , she successfully challenged the practice of denying services to youth aging out of the foster care system , which resulted in local reform . In Maryland , she was a member of a committee that helped secure funding for the testing of the state ’ s backlogged rape kits and implemented regulations for rape kit retention .
Today , her practice focuses on addressing issues in the criminal justice system through a racial justice lens . At the Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law , she investigates and litigates issues regarding the criminalization of poverty
by bringing class action cases regarding the imposition of fines and fees , police misconduct , bail reform , the right to counsel and the conditions of confinement .
“ The work is important to me because everyone deserves competent counsel , zealous advocacy and someone who will fight to help them in a system that often benefits those with power and money ,” says Mays .
Despite the weight of the difficult subject matter of her cases , Mays ’ tenacity and compassion for helping others has led to a successful career , and she has learned to channel the empathy for her clients and use it to convey to the court the impact of trauma on their lives .
“ When you are helping people , often at their darkest hour , it takes an emotional toll on you ,” she says . “ I do not give up . I will continue to fight for poverty-stricken communities . It may be in the courtroom , in an op-ed or through legislation , but I will never stop fighting .” •
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE