James Gilliam is the Director of Career Development and Public Interest Programs at Western State College of Law and is an Adjunct Professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he teaches a homeless rights advocacy practicum he designed. Previously, he led homeless prevention and legal services at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). He is the founding director emeritus for the Lawyers Prevention and Ending Homelessness Project in Los Angeles, a first-of-its-kind publicly funded legal services program for unhoused people. Prior, Professor Gilliam was the Deputy Executive Director for the ACLU of Southern California, where he founded and led an LGBTQ Student Rights Project. Professor Gilliam has received numerous commendation and awards for his impactful public interest advocacy, including the National LGBT Bar Association’s “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” and the President’s Award from the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. He attended Loyola Law School and graduated in 2003, at which time he began his legal career as an Associate at Paul Hastings, where be built the firm’s pro bono program that propelled the firm to “A List” status.