By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–The Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD) announced the appointment of Joanne Franciscus as its new chief executive officer and executive director earlier this month.
Over her eleven-year career at LASSD, Franciscus has served as a staff attorney, lead attorney, senior attorney, managing attorney, and, most recently, as the firm’s first chief operating officer, where she oversaw day-to-day operations and helped to build LASSD’s culture and vision.
Franciscus came to the law firm after eight years of private practice at a Carlsbad law firm, where, as a partner, she represented plaintiffs in personal injury, workplace sexual harassment, and medical malpractice.
In 2011, Franciscus was selected for a competitive Legal and Policy Fellowship at Polaris Project in Washington, D.C. Polaris Project is a survivor-centered, justice- and equity-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking. Polaris operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline and the largest known dataset on human trafficking in North America. From 2011 to 2019, Joanne was the volunteer Regional Director of Not for Sale, a global anti-human trafficking nonprofit organization.
A New Jersey native, Franciscus earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Criminal Justice from the University of Richmond. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law. She resides in San Diego with her husband, their two dogs, and a cat, where she enjoys running, hiking, wine tasting, and movies.
Legal Aid Society of San Diego is the largest poverty law firm in San Diego County and has served its residents for over one hundred years. The law firm continues to be a proud, committed, and compassionate group dedicated to providing equal access to justice for San Diegans through aggressive, quality legal services. For more information, visit www.lassd.org.
