Lauren Cusitello is the founder of Crossroads Justice Center of San Diego, a nonprofit that offers low-cost holistic legal services to people with criminal and immigration legal problems. Before starting Crossroads, Lauren worked as both a state and federal public defender, which motivated her to open an office that would help clients address not just their cases, but also the causes and effects of their involvement with the system. Lauren previously co-founded the Federal Defender Clinic at McGeorge School of Law, a unique program that teaches law students defend people accused of federal crimes. Lauren is a Sacramento native who has also lived in New York, New Jersey, Miami, and Yokohama, Japan.