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Who We Are : Staff &
Volunteers
Stephanie O. Akpa, Equal Justice Works Fellow
sakpa@legalaiddc.org
(Licensed to practice law in New York. Not practicing law in the District of Columbia.)
Stephanie joined Legal Aid in September 2012 as an Equal Justice Works
Fellow. Her fellowship project focuses on ensuring access to
quality health care in the African American community in the District of
Columbia. Before coming to Legal Aid, Stephanie worked as a
litigation attorney at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York, New
York. Her practice focused on regulatory inquiries, international
dispute resolution, and white collar criminal defense. While at
Debevoise, Stephanie worked on criminal defense and immigration pro bono
cases and served as a director of the firm’s legal clinic with the
Knowledge Is Power Program Academy middle school in Bronx, New
York. During law school, Stephanie was a student intern in the
Workers and Immigrants Rights Advocacy Clinic and the Lowenstein
International Human Rights Clinic. Stephanie received her J.D.
from Yale Law School and her B.A. from the University of California, San
Diego.
Eric
Angel, Executive Director
eangel@legalaiddc.org
Eric joined Legal Aid in March 2001. He
served as Legal Director of the
organization from March 2001–December
2010, when he was appointed by the Board
of Trustees to be Legal Aid’s Executive
Director. Eric is a member of the
District of Columbia Access to Justice
Commission, to which he was appointed by
the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2011.
Throughout his tenure at Legal Aid, Eric
has served on a variety of D.C. Bar and
Court committees including the D.C.
Bar's Landlord-Tenant Implementation
Committee; the D.C. Superior Court's
Small Claims Rules Committee; and the D.
C. Superior Court’s ad hoc in Forma
Pauperis and 9-I Rules Committees. Eric
is a past Co-Chair and Steering
Committee Member of the D.C. Bar's
Litigation Section. Currently, Eric
serves on the D.C. Bar Foundation's Loan
Repayment Assistance Program Advisory
Committee and on the Advisory Board of
the D.C.'s Community Legal Interpreter
Bank.
At the 2010 D.C. Judicial and Bar
Conference, Eric was named the
co-recipient of the D.C. Bar
Foundation's Jerrold Scoutt Prize. The
Prize is awarded annually to an attorney “who has worked for a significant
portion of his or her career at a
non-profit organization providing direct
hands-on legal services to the needy in
the District of Columbia; has
demonstrated compassionate concern for
his or her clients; and has exhibited a
high degree of skill on their behalf.”
In 2012, Eric received the American Bar
Association’s Section of Litigation’s
John Minor Wisdom Award, given annually
to individuals who have made
“outstanding contributions to the
quality of justice in their communities,
ensuring that the legal system is open
and available to all.”
In addition to his work at Legal Aid,
Eric serves as an adjunct faculty member
teaching "Public Interest Lawyering" at
The George Washington University Law
School.
Before joining Legal Aid, Eric 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 began his legal
career as a law clerk to the Honorable
Raymond J. Dearie of the United States
District Court for the Eastern District
of New York.
Gillian
Avery, Development
Assistant
gavery@legalaiddc.org
Gillian joined Legal Aid in April 2012.
She graduated from American University
in 2010 with a B.A. in International
Studies. Prior to joining Legal Aid,
Gillian worked as the Records Researcher
in the Office of Development and Alumni
Relations at American University, where
she was responsible for managing the
alumni & donor database. At
Legal Aid, Gillian provides
administrative and data support for the
Development team.
Rosanne
Avilés, Supervising
Attorney
raviles@legalaiddc.org
Rosanne joined Legal Aid in June 2007 as
a staff attorney in the housing law
unit. Prior to joining Legal Aid in
2007, Rosanne was a staff attorney at
Business and Professional People for the
Public Interest, a public interest law
and policy center. Rosanne received her
B.A. from the University of Virginia and
her J.D. from Columbia University School
of Law. In 2011, Rosanne received
the Hugh A. Johnson Memorial Award from
the Hispanic Bar Association of the
District of Columbia.
Laura
Bailey, Operations
Associate
lbailey@legalaiddc.org
Laura joined Legal Aid as the Operations
Associate in April of 2012. In this
capacity, she provides general
operational and administrative support
to Legal Aid. Prior to joining Legal Aid
she was the Accounts Receivable
Coordinator at Chopin, Wagar, Richard
& Kutcher in New Orleans, LA. Laura
has over 13 years of administrative and
IT experience. She received her B.S. in
Geographic Information Systems from Old
Dominion University in 2011.
Julie
Becker, Supervising
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, then 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. 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. In October
2006, Julie 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.” In July 2009,
Julie was named by the National Law
Journal as one of Washington’s “Rising
Stars” in its article captioned “40
Under 40.”
Meridel Bulle-Vu,
Staff Attorney
mbulle-vu@legalaiddc.org
Meridel joined Legal Aid in June 2011 as
a Staff Attorney in the Family Law Unit.
Prior to working at Legal Aid, Meridel
was the recipient of the
Georgetown/Howrey Pro Bono Fellowship at
Howrey LLP, where she exclusively
represented clients in pro bono matters.
During law school, Meridel was a student
attorney in the Juvenile Justice Clinic,
defending juveniles accused of
misdemeanors and felonies in the
District of Columbia. Meridel also
interned with the Lawyers’ Committee for
Civil Rights Under Law, the National
Health Law Program, and The Door- Legal
Services, and was also a Note and
Comment Editor for the Georgetown
Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. Prior
to law school, Meridel worked at the
Center for Research on Child Wellbeing
at Princeton University. Meridel
received her A.B. from Princeton
University, concentrating in the Woodrow
Wilson School of Public and
International Affairs, and her J.D. from
Georgetown University.
Gary
Cunningham, Intake
Coordinator/Investigator
gcunningham@legalaiddc.org
Gary joined Legal Aid in March of 2003.
Prior to working at Legal Aid, Gary
worked as a Paralegal and Intake
Coordinator/Investigator with the Legal
Aid Society of New York. In New York,
Gary’s work focused on legal issues
affecting prisoners, and he worked
directly with inmates at Rikers Island
Correctional Facility. As an Intake
Coordinator/Investigator at Legal Aid,
Gary performs the many tasks involved in
managing Legal Aid's intake process
including: fielding telephone and
written inquiries; maintaining Legal
Aid's computerized client database; and
compiling monthly intake statistics.
Gary also spends time conducting
investigations for Legal Aid’s
attorneys. As an Intake
Coordinator/Investigator at legal Aid,
Gary performs the many tasks involved in
managing Legal Aid's intake process
including: maintaining Legal Aid's
computerized client database; compiling
statistics, and fielding telephone
inquiries. Gary also spends time
conducting investigations for Legal
Aid's attorneys.
Paul Sebastían Di Blasi, Staff Attorney
pdiblasi@legalaiddc.org
(Admitted to practice law in Texas. Practicing law in the District of Columbia under supervision.)
Paul joined Legal Aid in 2012 as a staff attorney in the Housing Law
Unit. Before coming to Legal Aid, Paul represented low-income South
Texans as a staff attorney at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc.
There he represented tenants, homeowners, and workers in housing,
consumer protection, and employment matters. Paul received his
J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 2008 and
his B.A. from Williams College in 2002.
Maggie Donahue,
Staff Attorney
mdonahue@legalaiddc.org
Maggie joined Legal Aid in December 2010
as a staff attorney in the Housing Law
Unit. Prior to joining Legal Aid,
she worked as a J.D. Fellow at Ayuda,
Inc. where she focused on immigration
and family law. During law school,
she interned at Ayuda, Inc., CASA de
Maryland, the Capital Area Immigrants’
Rights Coalition, the Lawyers’ Committee
for Civil Rights, and the Civil Division
of the Public Defender Service of
D.C. She was also a student
attorney in the Criminal Justice Clinic
and a research assistant fellow for two
faculty members. Prior to law
school, Maggie worked at the Children’s
Law Center of Massachusetts as an
advocate for young people in the foster
care and special education
systems. She has also worked as a
teacher and community organizer.
Maggie received her B.A. in Philosophy
and Religion from Colgate University and
her J.D. from American University’s
Washington College of Law.
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 Pro Bono Coordinator and Staff
Attorney at the Whitman-Walker Clinic
Legal Services Program in Washington,
DC. Before her tenure at Whitman-Walker,
Jodi was an associate at the law firm of
Wiley Rein LLP 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 Department of Government
Liaison. Jodi received her B.A. in
Psychology from Amherst College and her
J.D., magna cum laude, from the
Georgetown University Law Center.
Tianna Gibbs,
Staff Attorney
tgibbs@legalaiddc.org
Tianna joined
Legal Aid in September 2008 as an
Arthur Liman Public Interest Fellow in
the Family Law Unit. Her project
focused on reform of the DC child
support system. Before law
school, Tianna worked on affordable
housing policy issues at the Fannie
Mae Foundation as a John Gardner
Public Service Fellow. While in
law school, Tianna was very active in
clinical programs. She was a law
student intern in the Community and
Economic Development Clinic,
Landlord-Tenant Clinic, and Community
Lawyering Clinic. She also
served as a student supervisor in the
Domestic Violence Clinic. During
the summers, Tianna interned with the
ACLU of Maryland, Fair Housing Justice
Center, and Relman & Dane, a
DC-based civil rights law firm.
Tianna received her B.A. from Stanford
University and her J.D. from Yale Law
School.
Lauren
Godles, Legal
Administrative Assistant/Paralegal
lgodles@legalaiddc.org
Lauren joined Legal Aid as a Legal
Assistant/Paralegal in July 2012. She
graduated from Tufts University in May
2012 with a B.A. in Spanish and Latin
American Studies, as well as a minor in
Sociology. For her senior thesis, Lauren
interviewed low-income Latino immigrants
in East Boston and wrote a gendered
analysis of their use of social networks
in the migration process. During her
time at Tufts, Lauren also taught
English, tutored students, and worked as
an immigration paralegal at Centro
Presente, a Latino advocacy organization
in Somerville, MA. She also spent a
semester studying and volunteering in
Lima, Peru. At Legal Aid, Lauren
provides administrative support and
assistance to the housing attorneys.
Jeannine
Gómez,
Staff Attorney
jgomez@legalaiddc.org
Prior to joining Legal Aid in
June 2011, Jeannine worked as a staff
attorney at Ayuda where she represented
immigrant survivors of domestic violence
in civil protection order and related
family law and immigration cases. Prior
to that, Jeannine served as a law clerk
in the Family Court of the District of
Columbia Superior Court for Judge Ryan
on the domestic relations and juvenile
calendars and for Magistrate Judge Rook
and Magistrate Judge Albert on abuse and
neglect calendars. Jeannine received her
law degree in 2007, magna cum laude,
from the University of the District of
Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law,
previously the Antioch School of Law.
Prior to law school, Jeannine worked in
Florida as a social worker with children
in adoptive and foster care. She has
also worked as a Spanish, French, and
English (as a second language) teacher.
She received her B.A., summa cum laude,
in Spanish from the Florida State
University.
Drake
Hagner, Equal Justice
Works Fellow
dhagner@legalaiddc.org
Drake joined Legal Aid in September
2011 as an Arnold & Porter
sponsored Equal Justice Works fellow
in the Public Benefits Unit. Drake’s
fellowship project focuses on
expanding access to unemployment
insurance benefits in the District of
Columbia. Prior to joining Legal Aid,
Drake clerked for Magistrate Judge
Alan Kay of the U.S. District Court
for the District of Columbia. During
law school, Drake served as Editor in
Chief of the Georgetown Journal of
Gender and the Law. She represented
clients seeking civil protection
orders as a student attorney in the
Domestic Violence Clinic, and further
co-taught a Constitutional Law class
to adult residents of two local
addiction treatment facilities through
the Street Law clinic. Drake
previously interned with the Legal Aid
Society, the Washington Legal Clinic
for the Homeless, and University Legal
Services. Before law school, Drake
lived and worked in New York City,
where she worked in non-profit
development and strategic planning.
She received her B.A. from Vassar
College and her J.D. from Georgetown
Law.
Beth
Mellen Harrison, Supervising
Attorney &
Director, Court Based Legal Services
Project
bharrison@legalaiddc.org
Beth joined Legal Aid in September 2005
as a Staff Attorney in the housing
law unit. She also helps to coordinate
the Court Based Legal Services office in
Landlord Tenant Court. Prior to
joining Legal Aid, Beth was the
Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr. Appellate
Advocacy Fellow with the Public Justice
Center in Baltimore, working on state
and federal appellate cases involving
civil rights and poverty law. She also
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.
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 27 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.
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.
Shirley Horng, Senior
Staff Attorney
shorng@legalaiddc.org
Shirley joined
Legal Aid in September 2007 as a staff
attorney in the housing law
unit. She helps staff Legal
Aid’s courthouse representation office
and Anacostia office. Prior to
joining Legal Aid, Shirley was a law
clerk at the Public Defender Service
of the District of Columbia, the Texas
Civil Rights Project, and Texas Rio
Grande Legal Aid. During law
school, Shirley served as a student
attorney in the Criminal Defense
Clinic and the Housing Law
Clinic. In 2006, Shirley was
selected as a William Wayne Justice
Public Interest Scholar, and in 2007,
she received the University Co-op
Postgraduate Public Interest
Award. Shirley received her B.A.
with high honors and J.D. with honors
from the University of Texas at
Austin.
Anjela Jenkins,
Staff Attorney
ajenkins@legalaiddc.org
Anjela joined Legal Aid in June 2012
as a Staff Attorney in the Family
Law/Domestic Violence Unit. Prior to
joining Legal Aid, Anjela was a
Reproductive Justice Fellow, sponsored
by Law Students for Reproductive
Justice, at the D.C. office of the
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.
Anjela is also a 2011-2012 fellow in the
Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship
Program through Georgetown Law. In
addition to her J.D. from the University
of Texas School of Law, Anjela holds an
M.A. from the University of Texas at
Austin and a B.A. from Tulane University
(Newcomb College). During law school,
Anjela was recognized as a Public
Service Scholar for her commitment to
public interest work, including student
advocacy in the Human Rights Clinic and
work, clerkships, or internships at
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Catholic
Charities of Central Texas (Immigration
Legal Services), American Gateways, and
the International Criminal Tribunal for
Rwanda.
Jack Keeney, Director,
Barbara McDowell Appellate Advocacy
Project
jkeeney@legalaiddc.org
Jack joined Legal Aid on January 31,
2011 after thirty two and a half years
as a litigator at Hogan & Hartson
(now Hogan Lovells), Washington’s oldest
and largest law firm where he had been a
partner since 1985. While at the firm,
he served for over four and a half years
as the partner in charge of its full
time pro bono Community Services
Department (during his leadership. the
firm received the 1991 American Bar
Association Pro Bono Publico Award as
best law firm pro bono program in the
country); was elected and served as
President of the District of Columbia
Bar (2004-2005) and a Delegate to the
American Bar Association House of
Delegates (2003-2005); and received
numerous accolades including the 2010
Wiley A. Branton Award, which is the
highest honor of the Washington Lawyers’
Committee for Civil Rights and Urban
Affairs, in recognition of three decades
of civil rights leadership and service.
He chaired for six years the legal needs
subcommittee of the D.C. Bar pro bono
program and organized and participated
in its first law firm pro bono clinic
night. He has been listed for many years
in the Washingtonian Magazine’s Top
Lawyers in Washington, D.C.; in D.C.
Super Lawyers ; and in Who’s Who in
American Law, Who’s Who in America, and
Who’s Who in the World. Born in
Washington, D.C., a graduate of the
University of Notre Dame (where he
captained the debate team) and Harvard
Law School (where his team won the Ames
moot court championship), Jack clerked
for U.S. District Judge Alexander Harvey
II in Baltimore before joining Hogan
& Hartson. Jack was co-chair of
Hogan’s legal ethics committee for over
two decades and taught legal ethics for
three years as an adjunct faculty
instructor at American University’s
Washington College of Law. He is a past
co-chair of the Adjudication Committee
of the ABA Administrative Law and
Regulatory Practice Section. He is the
past 2007-2010 chair of the ABA Standing
Committee on Election Law, the past
2009-2010 ABA adviser to the Uniform Law
Commission Drafting Committee on the
2010 uniform law on military and
overseas absentee voters, a past
co-chair of the National Lawyers Council
of the Democratic National Committee,
and past hearing officer for the
Standing Committee on Credentials at the
1992 and 1996 Democratic national
conventions. He served on the Advisory
Committee on Procedures of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit from 2005 to 2010. He
is a Life Fellow of the American Bar
Foundation. Jack received the 2012
Justice Potter Stewart Award from the
Council for Court Excellence for
significant and sustained contributions
to justice in the District of Columbia.
Gregg
A. Kelley, Director of
Development
gkelley@legalaiddc.org
Gregg joined Legal Aid in September
2005, overseeing all aspects of
fundraising including foundation
relations, donor cultivation and special
events. Prior to joining Legal Aid,
Gregg was the principal 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, serving on the board of
the Washington DC Metro Chapter, as well
as Co-Chairing National Capital
Philanthropy Day in 2009 and 2010.
Heather Latino,
Supervising Attorney and Director,
Consumer Law Unit
hlatino@legalaiddc.org
Heather joined Legal Aid in November of
2011 as the Supervising Attorney and
Director of the Consumer Law Unit. Prior
to joining Legal Aid, Heather practiced
law in Montana where she was a partner
in a small civil litigation firm. Her
practice focused on representing
individuals with claims related to
insurance; unfair trade practices;
consumer issues; medical malpractice;
and product liability. Heather also
devoted a significant portion of her
practice to representing children.
Heather served on the Board of Directors
for the Montana Trial Lawyers
Association and was the Chair of their
Public Service Committee. Heather
received both her B.A. and J.D., with
honors, from the University of
Montana.
Jennifer
Ngai Lavallee, Senior Staff
Attorney
jlavallee@legalaiddc.org
Jen joined Legal Aid
in October 2009 as an Equal Justice
Works AmeriCorps Recovery Fellow to
focus on foreclosure prevention work
within the Consumer Law Unit. Prior to
joining Legal Aid, Jen was an
Associate at the law firm of Kelley
Drye & Warren LLP, where she
focused her practice on consumer law
issues and also served as a firm
coordinator for Legal Aid's Generous
Associates Campaign for several years.
In addition, Jen has served as an
intern for Bread for the City Legal
Clinic and the Asian Pacific American
Legal Resource Center. Jen attended
The Pennsylvania State University
Schreyer Honors college, where she
graduated as Student Marshall of the
College of communications in 2001. She
graduated cum laude from the
George Washington University Law
School in 2006.
Chinh Q. Le,
Legal Director
cle@legalaiddc.org
Chinh joined Legal Aid in July 2011.
Immediately prior to coming to Legal
Aid, Chinh was the Director of the
Division on Civil Rights in the Office
of the New Jersey Attorney General,
where he led the state’s enforcement of
state and federal civil rights and
family leave laws. Between 2001
and 2006, he served as assistant counsel
at NAACP Legal Defense & Educational
Fund, Inc., the first two years as a
Skadden Fellow. Chinh spent the
2008-2009 academic year as a
practitioner-in-residence at Seton Hall
Law School and an adjunct associate
research scholar at Columbia Law School
and has also worked as a litigation
attorney at Jenner & Block
LLP. He received his J.D. from the
University of Virginia School of
Law. Upon graduation, he served as
a law clerk to the Honorable Walter K.
Stapleton of the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit. Chinh is
currently serving as a Co-Chair of the
Access to Justice Task Force of the
ABA's Section of Litigation. He is also
the author of several publications on
civil rights and other poverty law
issues, including two book chapters and
law review articles that have appeared
in the North Carolina Law Review
and the Ohio State Law Journal.
Julianna Lee,
Supervising Attorney
jlee@legalaiddc.org
Julia joined Legal Aid in October 2007
as a staff attorney in the Family Law Unit and has been a Supervising
Attorney since October 2012. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Julia was a law
fellow with the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama.
There she worked on juvenile justice policy and legal advocacy issues,
focusing primarily on mental health services for court-involved youth.
Julia also served as an adjunct professor teaching “Domestic Violence
Law” at Washington College of Law at American University. Julia received
her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and her B.A. from
Wellesley College. She also holds an M.A. in modern Korean and Japanese
history from Harvard University.
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.
Ashley
McDowell, Staff Attorney
amcdowell@legalaiddc.org
Ashley joined Legal Aid in June 2011 as
a staff attorney in the Family Law Unit.
Prior to joining Legal Aid, she worked
as an Assistant Court Attorney to Hon.
Ellen Gesmer of the New York County
Supreme Court. During law school, she
interned at the Khulumani Support Group
in Johannesburg, South Africa, and at
the Harlem Youth Development Project.
She was also a law student intern in the
Advocacy for Children and Youth Clinic
and Immigration Legal Services Clinic.
Ashley received her B.A. in political
science from the University of South
Carolina and her J.D. from Yale Law
School.
Westra Miller,
Staff Attorney
wmiller@legalaiddc.org
Westra joined Legal Aid in September
2011 as a Staff Attorney in the Public
Benefits Unit. Prior to working at Legal
Aid, Westra was a 2010-11 Westwood
Fellow at Neighborhood Legal Services
Program. In law school, Westra was
selected as a Public Interest Law Fellow
for her commitment to public interest
work. Westra was a student attorney in
the Institute for Public Representation
clinic, where she worked on civil rights
and general public interest cases.
Westra also interned with the Legal Aid
Society, Poverty & Race Research
Action Council, and Legal Counsel for
the Elderly. Prior to attending law
school, Westra worked as a paralegal at
the civil rights law firm Relman, Dane
& Colfax as well as at a child
welfare agency in New York City. Westra
received her A.B. from Princeton
University and her J.D. from Georgetown
University Law Center.
Christina Moehrle, Legal Administrative Assistant/Paralegal
cmoehrle@legalaiddc.org
Christy
joined Legal Aid as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal in October 2012.
She graduated from Fordham University in 2011, with a B.A. in American
Studies, as well as minors in Latin American/Latino Studies and Spanish
Language. During her undergraduate years, Christy volunteered at
various community outreach agencies in the Bronx, including LIFT and
Mercy Center. She also spent a semester abroad in Buenos Aires,
Argentina. After graduation, Christy relocated to San Francisco
for one year to work as an immigration paralegal assistant at the
Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), as part of the Jesuit
Volunteer Corps. At Legal Aid, Christy provides support and
assistance to the Public Benefits, Consumer, and Appellate attorneys.
Trisha Monroe,
Supervising
Attorney and
Director, DVICSE Project
tmonroe@legalaiddc.org
Trisha joined Legal Aid in May 2006 as a
staff attorney and is currently a
Supervising Attorney and Project
Director in Legal Aid's Family
Law/Domestic Violence Unit. She
represents domestic violence survivors
in civil protection order cases and
directs the Domestic Violence Intake
Center Southeast Project. In addition to
her domestic violence work, Trisha also
represents clients on other family law
matters such as custody, divorce, and
child support. 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 the WLC, she
worked directly with domestic violence
survivors, providing advice and court
representation in civil protection
proceedings. In 2012, Trisha was
recognized as a distinguished attorney
in the non-profit sector by the Greater
Washington Area Chapter, Women's Lawyer
Division. Trisha also serves as a
faculty member of the ABA Commission on
Domestic Violence and, in recent years,
has trained participants at several
national institutes on issues such as
custody law, domestic violence, and
assisting pro se clients in protection
order cases. 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.
Lucy
Newton, Supervising
Attorney and Director,
Community-Based Lawyering Project
lnewton@legalaiddc.org
Lucy joined Legal Aid in June 2006
and has been the Supervising Attorney of the Public Benefits Unit since
April 2011. Prior to that she was a supervisor in Legal Aid's Housing
Unit and a staff attorney in its Public Benefits Unit. Lucy coordinates
Legal Aid's community office near the Big Chair in Southeast DC. Before
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 Law
Center. In 2009, Lucy was elected to serve as a member of the Steering
Committee of the Litigation Section of the D.C. Bar and served as its
co-chair from 2010 to 2012. She received her B.A. from Emory University
and her J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Andrew
Patterson,
Senior Staff Attorney
apatterson@legalaiddc.org
Andrew joined Legal Aid's
Public Benefits Unit in June of
2007. Prior to joining Legal
Aid, Andrew worked as a summer intern
with CASA of Maryland, Inc.
Prior to attending law school, Andrew
served as the Policy and Development
Coordinator for the Tennessee
Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
and worked for a year as an Americorps
volunteer with Latino Memphis,
Inc. Andrew received his B.A.
from Rhodes College, and his J.D. from
the University of Maryland, School of
Law. Andrew also helps staff
Legal Aid's outreach offices in
Southeast D.C.
Oluwemimo
(Wemi) T. Peters, Staff Attorney
wpeters@legalaiddc.org
Wemi joined Legal Aid in November 2011 as a staff attorney in the Family
Law/Domestic Violence Unit. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Wemi was a
litigation associate at Winston & Strawn LLP. Wemi has volunteered
and worked for a variety of organizations that provide pro bono legal
services. While in law school, she worked as a family law student
attorney for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and after law school, she
volunteered as a pro bono attorney representing victims of domestic
violence for the Legal Services of Northern Virginia. Wemi received a
B.A. in Psychology, a B.S. in Policy & Management and an M.S. in
Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. She
received her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Julia
Eve Preston, Staff
Attorney
(Licensed to practice law in
Maryland. Practicing in the District of
Columbia under supervision.)
jpreston@legalaiddc.org
Julia Eve joined Legal Aid in June
2012 as a Staff Attorney in the Family
Law/Domestic Violence Unit. Prior to
working at Legal Aid, Julia Eve clerked
for the Domestic Violence Special Master
Andrea Kelly, who serves on the Circuit
Court of Baltimore City, Maryland. Julia
Eve received her J.D. from Georgetown
University Law Center and her B.A. in
psychology from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. During law
school, Julia Eve served as Managing
Editor of the Georgetown Journal of
Gender & the Law and interned at
Legal Aid, Break the Cycle, DOJ-CEOS,
and a non-profit in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Prior to attending law school, Julia Eve
worked as a volunteer companion at a
Rape Crisis Center and Domestic Violence
Services Law Center in Chapel Hill,
North Carolina.
Anna Purinton,
Staff Attorney
apurinton@legalaiddc.org
Anna joined Legal Aid in September
2010 as a staff attorney in the housing
unit. Prior to joining Legal Aid,
Anna was a litigation fellow with
Relman, Dane, & Colfax, a civil
rights firm in DC. During law
school, she was a student advocate with
the DC Employment Justice Center, the
East Bay Community Law Center, and New
York University’s Immigrant Rights
Clinic and Neighborhood Institutions
Clinic. Anna previously worked as
a research analyst with Good Jobs
First. She received her B.A. from
Brown University and her J.D. from New
York University School of Law.
Rachel
Rintelmann, Staff Attorney
rrintelmann@legalaiddc.org
Rachel joined Legal Aid in January 2011
as a staff attorney in the housing unit.
Prior to joining Legal Aid, Rachel spent
two years as an AmeriCorps Attorney with
Legal Aid of Western Ohio. During law
school, she was a student attorney with
the Washtenaw County Public Defender’s
Office, the American Civil Liberties
Union of Michigan and the Michigan
Pediatric Advocacy Clinic. Rachel also
received a Michigan Fellowship in
Refugee and Asylum Law which she
completed with Amnesty International in
the Refugee and Migrants’ Rights
Division of Amnesty’s International
Secretariat in London. Rachel received
her B.A. from Butler University and her
J.D. from the University of Michigan Law
School.
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.
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 as a
volunteer staff attorney, spending a
significant amount of time each week
working with our Public Benefits
Unit. In June 2007 Jim was named
pro bono lawyer of the year by the
District of Columbia Bar. On April
26, 2012, Jim received Legal Aid’s
Servant of Justice Award at our Servant
of Justice Awards Dinner at the JW
Marriott Hotel.
Alice Topping,
Legal Administrative
Assistant/Intake Coordinator
atopping@legalaiddc.org
Alice joined Legal Aid as a Legal
Assistant/Intake Coordinator in December
2011. She graduated from Michigan State
University in 2011 with a B.A. in
International Relations. Before joining
Legal Aid, Alice interned at the Public
Defender Service for D.C .and also
interned abroad in Peru working on
issues involving child labor and
education in the highland communities.
While studying at MSU, Alice worked as
an Office Assistant at the MSU College
of Law and served as a Resident Mentor.
At Legal Aid, Alice provides
administrative support and assistance to
the intake and pro bono programs.
Thuy-Tu Tran,
Senior Development Associate
ttran@legalaiddc.org
Thuy-Tu joined Legal Aid in December
2011. She graduated from the University
of Minnesota in 2004 with a B.A. in
Psychology and a minor in mass
communication. After college, she served
as Program Coordinator for the Asian
American Journalists Association, and
then as Financial Aid Associate for the
American Conservatory Theater in San
Francisco. Prior to joining Legal Aid,
Thuy-Tu worked as a Development Officer
at the Sibley Memorial Hospital
Foundation where she was responsible for
grant writing and assisting with special
events.
Stephanie Troyer,
Supervising
Attorney
stroyer@legalaiddc.org
Stephanie first joined Legal Aid in
June 2007 as a Staff Attorney in the Family Law Unit. In 2009, she left
for a brief stint as federal legislative counsel to the National
Abortion Federation. Stephanie returned to Legal Aid in July 2010 as a
Senior Staff Attorney and has been a Supervising Attorney since January
2011. Stephanie received her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law
Center her A.B. from Georgetown University. Upon graduation, Stephanie
served as an Assistant Public Defender in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ashley Waddell Tingstad, Skadden Fellow
atingstad@legalaiddc.org
Ashley joined Legal Aid in September 2012 as a Skadden Fellow in the
Consumer Law Unit. Ashley’s fellowship project focuses on debt
collection issues affecting low-income residents in D.C. Prior to
joining Legal Aid, Ashley clerked for Judge Neal E. Kravitz on the
Superior Court of the District of Columbia. During law school, Ashley
was active in the human rights community and served as the Managing
Editor of the Georgetown Journal of International Law. In addition,
Ashley represented juveniles accused of crimes as a student attorney in
the Juvenile Justice Clinic and worked as an extern at the Oversight
Office of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions. Ashley also interned at the Florence Project in Arizona, where
she represented unaccompanied minors in immigration and family court,
as well as the ABA Center on Children and the Law. Prior to law school,
Ashley taught bilingual pre-kindergarten and fourth grade as a Teach for
America corps member in Houston, Texas. She received her B.A. from Penn
State and her J.D. from Georgetown.
Clair Weatherby, Legal Administrative Assistant/Paralegal
cweatherby@legalaiddc.org
Clair joined Legal Aid as a Legal
Assistant/Paralegal in January 2013. She graduated from Brandeis
University in May 2012 with a B.A. in Politics and a minor in Economics.
Before joining Legal Aid, Clair interned at the Massachusetts
Commission Against Discrimination and Physicians for Human Rights in the
Boston area. While at Brandeis, Clair coordinated an alternative Spring
break student organization and worked as a research assistant at the
Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. She also spent a
semester studying in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where she conducted research
on land rights and community organizing. At Legal Aid, Clair provides
administrative support and assistance to the family law attorneys.
Alfonso Wright,
Controller
awright@legalaiddc.org
Alfonso joined the
Legal Aid Society in June 2010 as the
Controller. Prior to joining Legal
Aid, Alfonso worked 13 years as the
Senior Accountant for American Near
East Refugee Aid, a leading provider
of health, development, and education
programs in the Middle East. Alfonso
brings over 15 years of non-profit
experience to the position.
Nina Wu, Equal
Justice Works AmeriCorps Fellow
nwu@legalaiddc.org
Nina joined Legal Aid in September 2011
as an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps
Fellow to focus on issues affecting
homeless veterans within the Public
Benefits Unit. Prior to joining
Legal Aid, Nina was a Clinical Law
Fellow with the HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic at
the University of Maryland School of
Law, and interned with the Southern
Poverty Law Center and Alaska Public
Defender Agency. Prior to
attending law school, Nina served as a
Programs and Policy Advisor for the
governor of Illinois, and worked for the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
and Project Northstar, a tutoring and
mentoring program for children
experiencing homelessness. Nina
received her B.A. from the University of
Chicago and her J.D. from the University
of Maryland School of Law.
LOANED ASSOCIATES
Tanya Sehgal
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher
& Flom LLP
tsehgal@legalaiddc.org
Christian Huebner
Sidley & Austin LLP
chuebner@legalaiddc.org
Julia Franklin
Crowell & Moring LLP
jfranklin@legalaiddc.org
Jeremy Glen
Steptoe & Johnson
LLP
jglen@legalaiddc.org
Whitney Jordan
Arnold & Porter LLP
wjordan@legalaiddc.org
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