Two former in-house counsel are building a nonprofit in Los Angeles to serve the community of ex-convicts yearning to clear certain offenses off their records in pursuit of a productive life. 

Natashia Deón, who had worked in the legal departments of Girl Scouts of the United States of America, insurance underwriter Deans & Homer, and construction firm Disabled Adaptations in London, has been practicing as a criminal defense lawyer for 10 years in Los Angeles, taking law firm referrals statewide. She’s also an award-winning novelist with the 2016 historical fiction novel, “Grace,” described as an intergenerational saga during slavery in the 1840s.