Bill Beardall, the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Center, is a recognized expert on reform of indigent criminal defense procedures in Texas and on the employment rights of migrant and low-wage workers. Mr. Beardall has practiced as a civil rights and employment lawyer for low-income clients since 1978. He previously served as Legal Director for Texas Appleseed, where he directed the Fair Defense Project, a coalition effort which was instrumental in winning enactment of the landmark Texas Fair Defense Act. He was also one of the principal researchers and authors for the Fair Defense Report (December 2000), a research study that analyzed indigent defense practices in Texas and documented the pressing need for reform. In addition Mr. Beardall served previously as Litigation Director for Texas Rural Legal Aid and head of TRLA’s Migrant Worker Division, long recognized as one of the nation’s leading advocates for migrant employment rights. Throughout his career he has spearheaded numerous cases and campaigns to improve public justice for the poor. Mr. Beardall is a 1978 graduate of the Harvard Law School, and a 1975 graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1997 he was awarded a Harvard Law School Wasserstein Fellowship which recognizes outstanding public interest lawyers in the U.S. and in 2000 he received the ABA Litigation Section’s John Minor Wisdom Award recognizing his career as a leading advocate for the poor.