Justice Reform Foundation

What Justice Reform Foundation does

Justice Reform Foundation (JRF) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Irving, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex), founded in 2022 by entrepreneur Justin Magnuson after he spent 20 months in a county jail awaiting trial on charges that were ultimately dismissed. The organization's mission is to address inequity in the U.S. criminal justice system, with a particular focus on Texas and federal-level reform. Its core programmatic offering is the Criminal Defense Clinic, operated in partnership with the Texas A&M University School of Law, which provides full-team pro bono criminal defense to indigent defendants in Tarrant County — the largest county in the United States without a public defender's office. The clinic also functions as a clinical legal education platform, with third-year law students handling cases under the supervision of a JRF-funded Practitioner-in-Residence (Jemila Lea) for at least a three-year commitment.

JRF's second core service is the Expungement Program, which helps eligible Texans seal or expunge qualifying criminal records at no cost, addressing long-term collateral consequences on employment, housing, and licensing. The organization complements its direct services with advocacy initiatives, including the "Stories of Injustice" first-person narrative series launched in early 2024 and an Events & Advocacy track that includes the annual "Saddle Up for a Cause: Dining for Dignity" fundraiser and participation in national forums such as the Princeton Symposium on Ethical Communications in Criminal Cases.

JRF operates a nonprofit funding model rather than a commercial revenue model. All legal services are provided free to clients, and the organization's operations are funded through individual and corporate donations (collected via Stripe on its website), foundation grants (notably a $10,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation awarded in November 2024 for the Criminal Defense Clinic and Clean Slate initiative), and fundraising events. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors chaired in spirit by Founder and President Justin Magnuson, with a board that includes practicing attorneys, a Big Law litigator, a U.S. Supreme Court 9-0 argument drafter, and advisors including a 24-year exoneree who now serves as VP of Checkr.org. JRF does not develop proprietary technology; its delivery infrastructure is a Wix-hosted website, standard social media channels, and the physical law school clinic co-located at Texas A&M in Fort Worth.

Name

Justice Reform Foundation

Legal name

Justice Reform Foundation

Website

https://justicereformfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Justice Reform Foundation is a Texas-based 501c3 nonprofit, founded in 2022, that delivers pro bono criminal defense and free expungement services through its Criminal Defense Clinic at Texas A&M School of Law, serving indigent defendants in Tarrant County and Texans seeking record clearance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Criminal Defense (BPAHAAAN), Criminal Justice Reform & Legal System Advocacy (BPAGAFAI)

Keywords

• Criminal justice reform
• Pro bono legal services
• Criminal defense clinic
• Record expungement
• Nonprofit legal aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The organization accepts charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund its operations, legal programs, and advocacy work.
2. Grants: JRF receives grant funding from organizations such as the Texas Bar Foundation ($10,000 grant for Criminal Defense Clinic and Clean Slate initiative) to support specific legal programs helping Texans with criminal records.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Justice Reform Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit that delivers pro bono criminal defense to indigent defendants in Tarrant County through the Criminal Defense Clinic — operated in partnership with Texas A&M University School of Law — and provides free record-expungement services to eligible Texans so past charges do not block employment, housing, or licensing. All services are provided at no cost to clients and funded by grants and charitable donations.

Product overview

The Justice Reform Foundation (JRF) is a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of criminal justice reform programs and advocacy initiatives. The core service offerings consist of the Criminal Defense Clinic (a partnership with Texas A&M School of Law providing pro bono defense to indigent clients in Tarrant County) and the Expungement Program (helping Texans clear qualifying records at no cost). These are complemented by the Stories of Injustice advocacy initiative, which amplifies first-hand accounts of individuals impacted by the criminal justice system, and Events & Advocacy programming that includes fundraisers and national symposium participation. JRF does not operate a traditional software product; rather, it delivers legal services and reform advocacy through programmatic offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Criminal Defense Clinic A partnership with Texas A&M School of Law that delivers full-team pro bono criminal defense to indigent defendants in Tarrant County, Texas — the largest U.S. county without a public defender's office. Each client is represented by multiple supervised law students and a Practitioner-in-Residence attorney at no cost.
• Expungement Program Helps eligible Texans seal or expunge qualifying criminal records at no cost, so a past charge cannot block employment, housing, or licensing decades after the case was dismissed or completed. Services are delivered through community expunction clinics and direct casework.

Quantifiable outcome

• Charges dismissed for clients after semester-long legal work by student attorneys
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Texas A&M University School of LawflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 April 2024Landmark partnership to open the JRF Criminal Defense Clinic at Texas A&M School of Law. JRF funds a staff attorney position (Practitioner-in-Residence) for at least three years. The clinic provides pro bono criminal defense for indigent clients in Tarrant County while training law students in real-world criminal defense under supervision.
• Texas Clean Slate CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJRF is a proud member of the Texas Clean Slate Coalition, working alongside coalition partners across the state to advance Clean Slate legislation and expand second-chance opportunities.
• Association of Prosecuting AttorneysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization, collaborating on reform initiatives and hosting events such as the Princeton Symposium on Ethical Communications in Criminal Cases.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Texas Fair Defense Project: Texas-based nonprofit providing holistic criminal defense and policy advocacy for low-income Texans; directly comparable to JRF in mission (criminal defense access, reform advocacy) and operating geography.
• Innocence Project: National nonprofit focused on exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals and reforming the criminal justice system; highly comparable in mission around wrongful conviction redress and reform advocacy.
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL): National membership and advocacy organization for criminal defense lawyers; comparable in promoting quality criminal defense representation and policy reform, though functioning as a bar association rather than direct service provider.

Broad incumbents

• Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Established national nonprofit working to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment; comparable criminal justice reform mission with broader advocacy, litigation, and educational programming.
• The Sentencing Project: National research and advocacy nonprofit focused on criminal justice reform, sentencing, and reentry; comparable in the advocacy/reform half of JRF's mission though not a direct-service provider.
• Vera Institute of Justice: Major national criminal justice reform nonprofit combining direct service pilots, research, and policy advocacy; comparable reform orientation with broader scale and longer operating history.
• Brennan Center for Justice: National law and policy institute working on criminal justice reform among other issues; comparable reform advocacy mission with research- and litigation-driven rather than direct-service model.

Regional players

• Texas Defender Service: Texas-based nonprofit providing capital defense and policy reform work; comparable in criminal defense orientation and Texas focus, though oriented to capital cases rather than general indigent defense.
• Texas Appleseed: Texas-based public interest law and policy nonprofit addressing criminal justice, immigration, and consumer issues; comparable reform advocacy in Texas with broader issue portfolio.

Emerging players

• Checkr Foundation: Nonprofit focused on record clearance, fair chance hiring, and justice-impacted talent development; comparable in Clean Slate / record-clearing work and second-chance advocacy, with shared board advisor (Ken Oliver).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/justice_found
• Facebookfacebook.com/justicereformfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/justice-reform-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/justicereformfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Justice Reform Foundation