abolitionist. artist. attorney.
structural and systemic
​change maker.

lorilei artiste (they/them; né​e williams) is a queer, trans non-binary Korean-American abolitionist, artist, and attorney. Based on their experience and scholarship, lorilei developed the theory of change of Resilient Advocacy - a systems theory approach to legal advocacy that is rooted in a trauma-informed, antiracist, and intersectional understanding of individuals, communities, society, and the larger systems we participate in collectively. lorilei has served as an expert trainer and coach for legal services advocates and organizations across the nation. lorilei's work is rooted in their lived experiences of imperialism as the child of an American soldier and Korean migrant, and as a stepchild to a Mexican family with deep roots in Michoacán.

lorilei's expertise is further informed by over a decade of professional experiences ranging from volunteer to director at numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, Legal Services NYC, and various Catholic Charities organizations. lorilei has been a strategic accomplice to migrants across the nation, including in rural farms in Upstate NY, migrant camps in Tijuana, and multiple detention settings, from unaccompanied minors shelters to rural for-profit mass incarceration facilities in the Deep South. lorilei also served as the Training Attorney for the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, where they designed and launched a national network of expert legal advocates to lead sessions on racial justice advocacy, community-driven advocacy, systems thinking, and supervision. lorilei's experiences building power in local community groups are the foundation for their approach on building sustainable, collaborative advocacy models.

lorilei is admitted to the state bars of New York and Texas, the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, and the Southern and Eastern Federal District Courts of New York. They are a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and the University of Maryland. lorilei is also an alum of the Robert H. Smith School of Business's Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) Honors Program, a multidisciplinary program through which they studied systems thinking,  project management, organizational design, and marketing.