STAFF & VOLUNTEERS

Eric Angel, Legal Director

eangel@legalaiddc.org

Eric joined Legal Aid in March 2001, after having served as an Associate Counsel to President Clinton. Prior to Eric's two years at the White House Counsel's Office, he served for four years as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Division in the United States Department of Justice handling civil litigation matters in federal district courts around the country. A graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, Eric has also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Raymond J. Dearie of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. As Legal Director, Eric manages all aspects of legal operations for the organization.  Eric was appointed to serve on the D.C. Bar's Landlord-Tenant Implementation Committee and the D.C. Superior Court’s Small Claims Rules Committee.  Eric is also Co-Chair of the D.C. Bar's Litigation Section.

 
Julie Becker, Senior Staff Attorney

jbecker@legalaiddc.org

Julie joined Legal Aid in September 2000. After graduating from the University of Michigan and Yale Law School, Julie served as a clerk for the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She also worked as a summer intern at Legal Aid in 1998 and as a Skadden Fellow from 2000-2002.  In October 2006, she received the National Housing Law Project’s Housing Justice Award, given nationally to an advocate for success in “tackling the systemic and often hostile obstacles that stand in the way of safe, decent and affordable housing for low-income and marginalized people.”  Julie serves on the D.C. Superior Court Advisory Subcommittee on Landlord-Tenant Rules.  She also is active in policy advocacy at the D.C. Council and the D.C. Housing Authority, including drafting and commenting on legislation and administrative rulemaking. 

Moshe Bleich, Director of Social Work Services

mbleich@legalaiddc.org

Moshe joined Legal Aid in January 2007 after serving as a case management supervisor for the Survivors’ Fund Project at the Northern Virginia Family Service.  Among other previous jobs, Moshe served as a clinical social worker at Jewish Family and Children’s Services in New York.  Moshe received his BA from Brooklyn College, summa cum laude, and received his master and doctorate in social welfare from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University.  He also has received rabbinic and judicial ordination from the Mirrer Yeshiva. As Director of Social Work Services, Moshe provides direction and leadership over all aspects of Legal Aid’s social work program.  Moshe is also a licensed clinical social worker, and has numerous publications, including “Open vs. closed adoption: Social Work and Jewish Law Perspectives” in the Journal of Jewish Communal Services and coauthored “Classical Religious Perspectives of Adoption Law” in the Notre Dame Law Journal.

Gary Cunningham, Intake Coordinator/Investigator

gcunningham@legalaiddc.org

Gary joined Legal Aid in March of 2003. Prior to working at Legal Aid, he worked as a Paralegal and Intake Coordinator/Investigator with Legal Aid Society Rikers Island Correction Facility in New York City. He worked closely with Legal Aid applicants and prisoners' rights project. As an Intake Coordinator/Investigator, Gary performs the many tasks involved in managing Legal Aid's healthy intake process, including; fielding phone and written inquiries, maintaining Legal Aid's computerized client database, and compiling monthly intake statistics. A large portion of Gary's time is spent outside of the office, performing various investigative tasks for staff attorneys.

Jameela Donaldson, Equal Justice Works Fellow
jdonaldson@legalaiddc.org

Jameela joined Legal Aid as a 2005 Equal Justice Works Fellow.  Her project focuses on establishing a Legal Aid satellite office in Southeast Washington to better serve communities east of the river, a traditionally underserved population.  She earned a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2005.  Prior to coming to Legal Aid, Jameela interned for the Hon. Deborah K. Chasanow at the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Maryland and acted as a law clerk in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  She received an M.A. in Film & Video from The American University in 1995 and a B.A. in Radio/TV/Film from Howard University in 1993.

Jodi Feldman, Director of Pro Bono and Intake Programs

jfeldman@legalaiddc.org

Jodi joined Legal Aid in December 2004.  Prior to joining Legal Aid, Jodi served as the Pro Bono Coordinator and a Staff Attorney at the Whitman-Walker Clinic Legal Services Program in Washington,  DC .  Before her tenure at Whitman-Walker, she was an associate at the law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding and was an active volunteer attorney with Whitman-Walker, receiving the Outstanding Volunteer Attorney Award for 2001 from the organization.  Jodi also worked as a summer intern at Legal Aid in 1995.  After graduating from college and before attending law school, Jodi worked as Deputy Press Secretary for United States Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), and in public affairs for the American Academy of Pediatrics and for an education and health care agency in Milwaukee .  Jodi received her B.A. in Psychology from Amherst College and her J.D., magna cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center .

Beth Mellen Harrison, Staff Attorney

bharrison@legalaiddc.org

Beth joined Legal Aid in September 2005.  Prior to joining Legal Aid, Beth worked for one year as the Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr. Appellate Advocacy Fellow with the Public Justice Center in Baltimore, and clerked for Judge Catherine C. Blake in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.  Beth received her B.A. from Wellesley College and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Jennifer Hatton, Staff Attorney

jhatton@legalaiddc.org

Jennifer joined Legal Aid in November 2006 as a Public Benefits Staff Attorney.  Prior to joining Legal Aid in 2006, Jennifer interned for our office as an undergraduate and later as a law student.   She has also served as a law clerk at the Ohio Justice & Policy Center in Cincinnati, Ohio and as the Legal Clinic Coordinator at Bread for the City in Washington, DC. She received her B.A. from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Katherine Hays, Chief Operations Officer

khays@legalaiddc.org

Kathy joined Legal Aid as the Chief Operating Officer in July of 2005.  Prior to coming to Legal Aid she was the Office Administrator and Custodian of Records for Riggs Bank N.A. for 13 years.  Kathy brings over 18 years of administration/management and personnel experience to Legal Aid.  She received her B.S. in Political Science from the University of Colorado in 1986 and her Paralegal Certificate of Completion from the Denver Paralegal Institute in 1988. Kathy also is a Notary Public for the District of Columbia.

Jeannette Henderson, Administrative Assistant

jhenderson@legalaiddc.org

Jeannette has been with Legal Aid since 1989. She graduated from high school in Riverdale, Maryland, and from the Washington School for Secretaries. Before coming to Legal Aid, Jeannette worked for a consulting firm that handled government contracts dealing with data technology. As Legal Aid's sole administrative assistant, she supports the Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer. Jeannette processes all deposits and payments and maintains Legal Aid's donor database. 

Gregg A. Kelley, Director of Development

 gkelley@legalaiddc.org

Gregg joined Legal Aid in September 2005, overseeing all aspects of fundraising for Legal Aid, including foundation relations, donor cultivation and special events. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Gregg was the principle of Philanthropic Advantage, a fundraising consultant business.  He was previously the Director of Events at the Human Rights Campaign during the 2004 presidential election, supervising a national events fundraising program for the country’s largest gay and lesbian organization.  Before that, Gregg worked as the Director of Special Events for Whitman-Walker Clinic, a regional AIDS service program in Washington.  Originally, he started at Whitman-Walker Clinic as the Pro Bono Coordinator of the Legal Services Program.  Gregg is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Barbara McDowell, Director, Appellate Litigation Project

bmcdowell@legalaiddc.org

Barbara joined Legal Aid in April 2004. Barbara came to Legal Aid after nearly seven years at the Office of the Solicitor General of the Department of Justice, where she argued 18 cases in the Supreme Court and briefed other cases that were argued by her colleagues. After graduating from Yale Law School, Barbara clerked for Judge Jose Cabranes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, Judge Ralph Winter, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Justice Byron White of the Supreme Court of the United States. After her clerkships, Barbara joined Jones Day, where she worked first as an Associate and then a Partner in the Issues and Appeals Section.

Jennifer Mezey, Supervising Attorney

jmezey@legalaiddc.org

Jennifer joined Legal Aid in June 2004 and focuses her work on public benefits issues.  Prior to joining Legal Aid, Jennifer worked at the Center for Law and Social Policy on childcare and early education policy and the National Women’s Law Center on federal and local child support enforcement and welfare policy.  Before attending law school at the University of Michigan , Jennifer worked for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she participated in the development of the Clinton Administration’s welfare initiative.  In addition to her law degree, Jennifer has a Master’s in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a B.A. from Oberlin College.

Trisha Monroe, Staff Attorney

tmonroe@legalaiddc.org

Trisha joined Legal Aid in May 2006 as a family law staff attorney. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Trisha worked for the Women's Law Center of Maryland (WLC) in the Protection Order Advocacy and Representation Project.  At WLC Trisha worked directly with survivors of domestic violence providing advice and court representation. Trisha received her B.A. from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. and her J.D. from the William and Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Robin Murphy, Supervising Attorney

rmurphy@legalaiddc.org

Lucy Newton, Staff Attorney

lnewton@legalaiddc.org

Lucy joined Legal Aid in June 2006.  Prior to coming to Legal Aid, Lucy was a staff attorney at the Neighborhood Legal Services Program of D.C. and at the Georgia Legal Services Program.  She has also worked on women’s health issues at the National Women’s Center.  Lucy received her B.A. from Emory University and her J.D. from the New York University School of Law.  She focuses on housing issues and helps staff Legal Aid’s community offices in Southeast D.C.

Patricia Roulhac, Legal Secretary

proulhac@legalaiddc.org

Patricia has been with Legal Aid since 1988, when she started with Legal Aid's adjunct office at 451 Indiana Avenue, N.W. She is a graduate of Heidelberg High School in Mississippi, and moved to Washington in 1981, where she graduated from the Washington School for Secretaries. Pat worked at the Atlantic Street shelter for families in Southeast D.C. before coming to Legal Aid. As Legal Aid's sole legal secretary, Pat provides administrative support for staff attorneys and the Legal Director, in addition to processing telephone calls to Legal Aid's published number and greeting a monthly average of over 200 walk-in applicants for services, and others.

Jamie Rudert, Intake Coordinator/Investigator

jrudert@legalaiddc.org

Jamie Rudert joined Legal Aid in April 2005.  Prior to joining Legal Aid, Jamie performed developmental consulting work for USAID in Bucharest, Romania.  He has also spent time working with USAID on a variety of issues in Guatemala City, Guatemala.  Jamie received his B.A. from the University of Florida with a Political Science degree and a certificate in Latin American Studies.  Jamie performs the many tasks involved in managing Legal Aid’s healthy intake process, including; fielding phone and written inquiries, maintaining Legal Aid’s computerized client database, compiling monthly intake statistics, and performing Spanish translations and interpretations. 

Galina Sergen, Equal Justice Works Fellow

gsergen@legalaiddc.org

Galina joined the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia in 2006 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow.  Her project seeks to expand the legal rights of people with psychiatric disabilities to control their mental health care in accordance with their own values, preferences and needs.  The project will work in partnership with service agencies and with the consumers, so that the consumers can have the support and freedom to elect the type of healthcare and support services they wish to receive to meet their individual recovery needs.  Galina earned her J.D. from the David. A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia.  She received a Frederick B. Abramson Public Interest Fellowship Award in 2005. 

Jonathan M. Smith , Executive Director

jsmith@legalaiddc.org

Jonathan has served in this position since May 2002. Jonathan is responsible for program management and participates in litigation. Jonathan graduated in 1980 with a BA in philosophy from the University of Maine at Orono and received his Juris Doctor from Antioch School of Law in 1984. From 1984 to 1989, Jonathan was an associate at the Alexandria Virginia civil rights firm of Victor Glasberg & Associates. During his tenure at the law firm, he litigated cases a broad range of issues including, police brutality and misconduct, employment discrimination, discrimination in public accommodation, voting rights and free speech. In 1989, Mr. Smith joined D.C. Prisoners' Legal Services Project as its first staff attorney and helped open the office. In 1991, he became the Project's executive director. While at the Project he served as counsel in individual and class action litigation. From 1998 until 2002, Jonathan was the Executive Director of the Public Justice Center in Baltimore, Maryland, where he worked on a range of issues including juvenile justice reform, workers' rights, the rights of language minorities and housing. During his tenure, he helped grow the Public Justice Center's docket and helped establish the Appellate Advocacy Project and the Latino Legal Assistance Project. 

Jonathan has received recognition for his work, including the Justice Potter Stewart Award from the Council for Court Excellence (2006); the Excellence in Chief Executive Leadership (EXCEL) Award from the Center for Non-Profit Advancement (2006); and the President’s Award from the Washington Council of Lawyers (2006).

Lauren Waller Smith, Senior Staff Attorney

lsmith@legalaiddc.org

Lauren joined Legal Aid in August 2004.  She is the Supervising Attorney of the Family Law Unit.   Prior to coming to Legal Aid, she worked for three years at Ayuda, Inc. assisting immigrant victims of domestic violence with divorce, custody, protection and other family law matters.  Before this, she prosecuted domestic violence criminally cases in DeKalb County ,  Georgia .  Ms. Smith received her J.D. with honors from Columbia University School of Law in 1995.  She graduated from Dartmouth College with honors in 1990, majoring in philosophy and film.

Sarah Lichtman Spector, Senior Staff Attorney

sspector@legalaiddc.org

Sarah joined Legal Aid in September 2001, as a Latham & Watkins Equal Justice Works Fellow. As a Fellow, Sarah worked to provide access to Medicaid and health care services for low-income families and individuals. Sarah became a staff attorney in September 2003, continuing to focus on access to health care issues, as well as handling TANF, Food Stamps, Social Security, and Medicare cases. In 2005, Sarah was recognized for her "Oustanding Health Advocacy in D.C" by national advocates at the Health Assistance Partnership project of Families USA.  While in law school, Sarah served as an intern at Legal Aid, as well as the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. Sarah began her legal career by working on the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Senator Ted Kennedy in 1989 and the Epilepsy Foundation of America in 1990. Sarah worked to enforce the ADA at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section in 1993 and 1994.  Sarah graduated with a B.A. from Brandeis University in 1994 and a J.D from Georgetown University Law Center in 2001.

James vanR. Springer, Volunteer Staff Attorney

jspringer@legalaiddc.org

Jim is a retired partner of Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky LLP, where he handled antitrust and other litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants, with a particular emphasis on appellate practice.  He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was President of the Law Review.  Before joining what was then Dickstein Shapiro & Galligan in 1971, Jim was a law clerk for Chief Judge J. Edward Lumbard of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, an associate at Covington & Burling, an Assistant Legal Adviser in the Department of State and a Deputy Solicitor General in the Department of Justice, where he argued ten Supreme Court cases.  Jim joined Legal Aid in November 2005, and normally works three days a week. 

LOANED ASSOCIATES

Manny Jacobowitz
Steptoe & Johnson
mjacobowitz@legalaiddc.org

David Fauvre
Arnold & Porter
dfauvre@legalaiddc.org

Denise Buffington
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
dbuffington@legalaiddc.org