Ariel Hairston

Staff Counsel, Police Accountability and Criminal Legal System

Ariel is the Staff Council for Impact for Equity’s Criminal Legal Systems Team.  In that role, she leverages the skills she gained as a litigator and social justice advocate to address the harmful systemic forces that underlie our criminal legal system.  By partnering with, centering, and amplifying those most impacted by inequitable institutions, Ariel fights for accountability measures that support everyone’s safety and access to life-affirming resources.

Ariel graduated cum laude from Chicago-Kent College of Law.  Following graduation, she completed a PILI Graduate Fellowship at Impact for Equity, which ignited her passion for work focused on changing systems.  Prior to re-joining Impact for Equity, Ariel worked at a national law firm as a litigator focused on fiduciary disputes and government investigations.  In that role, she also served as part of the team monitoring the enforcement of the federal consent decree to reform the Chicago Police Department, concentrating on community policing, impartial policing, and crisis intervention.

The change we all deserve requires a commitment to benefitting the whole community instead of the few. Ariel strives to embody that commitment.