Who We Are : Staff & Volunteers

Theresa Anderson, Legal Administrative Assistant
tanderson@legalaiddc.org
Theresa Anderson joined Legal Aid in May 2008 as a Legal Administrative Assistant after graduating from Hampshire College. She concentrated in education, political science, and Latin American studies in college and wrote her thesis on the educational and political systems in Chile after completing extensive field research abroad. In 2004, she interned with Catholic Charities’ Homeless Prevention Program, and she been involved with various social justice organizations over the years. At Legal Aid, Theresa provides administrative support in the office and assists the attorneys in the housing unit with their cases.

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.  He is also a member of the Court’s ad hoc In Forma Pauperis Rules Committee.  Eric serves on the District of Columbia Bar Foundation's Loan Repayment Assistance Program Advisory Committee. He is also a past Co-Chair and Steering Committee Member of the D.C. Bar's Litigation Section. Eric serves as an adjunct faculty member teaching “Public Interest Lawyering” at the George Washington University Law School.

Scott Armstrong, Law Firm Fellow
sarmstrong@legalaiddc.org
(Law School Graduate. Not yet licensed to practice in any jurisdiction.)
Scott joined Legal Aid in October 2009 as a Law Firm Fellow in the Family Law Unit. During law school, Scott interned at the United States Department of Justice, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Division and worked at Steptoe & Johnson, LLP. Scott also interned for Judge Peter J. Messitte of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland and served as a Rule 16 Assistant State’s Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland. In October 2010, Scott intends to join Steptoe & Johnson LLP in Washington, D.C. Scott received his B.A. from Tufts University and his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

Rosanne Avilés, Staff 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.

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, 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.”

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.

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.

Yaida Ford, Staff Attorney
yford@legalaiddc.org
Yaida joined Legal Aid in November 2007 as a community lawyer in the Public Benefits Unit.  Yaida is a 2005 graduate of the Howard University School of Law in D.C.  A native of Seattle, Washington, Yaida moved to D.C. after graduating from Denison University in 2002 where she received a BA in Political Science and Spanish.  Yaida graduated magna cum laude and received numerous awards and recognition for her academic performance and leadership roles while on campus including the Presidential Medal (Denison’s highest honor), Dean’s Distinguished Leader Award, Young’s Scholar Research Award, and Florida Fisher Park Scholar Award.  While attending Howard, Ms. Ford was a merit scholar and received the Charles Hamilton Houston Scholarship and the Earl H. Davis Advocacy Award.  Yaida was also a member of the Charles Hamilton Houston National Moot Court team and served as the Chair of the law school’s annual invitational moot court competition, which remains one of the few civil rights competitions in the nation.  While attending law school, Yaida also received the Marshall-Brennan Fellowship from the Washington College of Law and taught constitutional law to high school juniors and seniors at Dunbar Senior High School.  Immediately before joining Legal Aid, Yaida clerked for two years with the Honorable Harold L. Cushenberry, Jr., Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Superior Court.  In addition to her work with Legal Aid, Yaida currently serves as the program coordinator for Ladies First, a professional development program for young women ages 16-21 who live in the District of Columbia’s Ward 8.

Valerie Grab, Senior Staff Attorney
vgrab@legalaiddc.org
Valerie joined Legal Aid in February 2007 as a Staff Attorney in the Family Law Unit.  Prior to joining Legal Aid, Valerie worked as a Research Attorney for the Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Juvenile Court.  For two years, Valerie also served as a Staff Attorney at Public Counsel, a pro bono law firm in Los Angeles, where she provided legal services to homeless individuals, families and youths.  Valerie received her B.A. from Reed College in Portland, OR and her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Beth Mellen Harrison, Senior Staff 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.

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 20 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.

Deborah Cuevas Hill, Senior Staff Attorney

dhill@legalaiddc.org

Debbie joined Legal Aid in September 2007.  She focuses on housing issues and helps staff the Court-Based Legal Services office.  Prior to joining Legal Aid, Debbie was a law clerk to the Honorable Inez Smith Reid of the D.C. Court of Appeals.  Debbie was a 2004-2006 Equal Justice Works Fellow at the National Partnership for Women and Families where she researched and promoted policies to remedy work-family and employment discrimination problems.  While in law school, she served as an intern at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and the D.C. Employment Justice Center.  Debbie received her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine and her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

Shirley Horng, Staff Attorney

shorng@legalaiddc.org

Shirley joined the housing law unit of Legal Aid in September 2007.  Prior to coming to Legal Aid, Shirley interned at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, the Texas Civil Rights Project, and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid. She was also a student attorney in the Criminal Defense Clinic and Housing Law Clinic.  In 2006, Shirley was selected as a William Wayne Justice Public Service Scholar, and in 2007, she received the University Co-op Public Interest Award.  Shirley received her B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law.  She helps staff Legal Aid’s community offices in Southeast D.C.

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.

Diana Krevor, Law Firm Fellow
(Law School Graduate. Not yet licensed to practice in any jurisdiction.)
dkrevor@legalaiddc.org
Diana joined Legal Aid in September 2009 as a Law Firm Fellow in the Family Law Unit.  During law school, Diana interned for Legal Aid and was active in clinical programs.  She was a student-attorney in George Washington University Law School’s Civil and Family Litigation Clinic and participated in the Domestic Violence Project.  Before law school, Diana worked as a paralegal for the United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division.  In January 2011, Diana intends to join DLA Piper LLP in Washington, DC.  Diana received her B.A. from New York University and her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. 

Julianna Lee, Staff Attorney
jlee@legalaiddc.org
Julia joined Legal Aid in October 2007 as a staff attorney in the Family Law Unit.  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 received her B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.A. in modern Korean and Japanese history from Harvard University, and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

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, Senor Staff Attorney and Director, DVICSE Project
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
Robin joined the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia in January, 2007 where she serves as the Supervising Attorney for the Domestic Violence/Family Unit.  She has over 20 years of experience providing legal representation in a variety of substantive areas at non-profit legal advocacy organizations throughout the country.  Prior to joining the Legal Aid Society for the District of Columbia, she served as Managing Attorney of the Health Team at the Arizona Center for Disability Law, a private non-profit law firm providing systemic, policy and individual advocacy to persons with disabilities.   Her experience, while employed at New Haven Legal Assistance in Connecticut for thirteen years, includes management of the Family Law Unit, representation of indigent adults in criminal proceedings and children in special education, school discipline, abuse and neglect, and delinquency proceedings.  She also served as the Managing Attorney of a new children’s advocacy project at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri.  Robin received her J.D. from University of Connecticut School of Law and is licensed in Arizona, Connecticut, Missouri, the District of Columbia and a member of the federal bars in Arizona and Connecticut.

Lucy Newton, Senior Staff Attorney and Director, Community-Based Lawyering Project
lnewton@legalaiddc.org
Lucy joined Legal Aid in June 2006. She is a senior staff attorney in the housing unit and coordinates Legal Aid’s community offices in Southeast D.C. 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 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. She received her B.A. from Emory University and her J.D. from the New York University School of Law.

Jennifer Ngai, Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Recovery Fellow (Consumer Law Unit)
jngai@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.

Andrew Patterson, 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.

Albinas Prizgintas, Law Firm Fellow
(Law school graduate. Not yet licensed to practice in any jurisdiction.)
aprizgintas@legalaiddc.org
Albinas Prizgintas joined Legal Aid in September 2009 as a Law Firm Fellow in the Barbara McDowell Appellate Advocacy Project and the Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit. During law school, Albinas interned for Legal Aid's Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit and worked for Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. In August 2010, Albinas will clerk for Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, and following his clerkship he will join Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. Albinas received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his J.D. from George Washington University Law School.

Sandra Read-Brown, Development Associate
sread-brown@legalaiddc.org
Sandra joined Legal Aid in September, 2007. Her previous experience includes serving as the Assistant to the Board of Directors at The Metropolitan Opera, working as a Grant Writer for The Salvation Army of Greater New York and volunteering for several months at an environmental education center in Mumbai, India. Sandra graduated from Haverford College in 2004 with a B.A. in English.

Lucia Rich, Legal Administrative Assistant
lrich@legalaiddc.org
Lucia joined Legal Aid as a Legal Assistant for the Public Benefits Unit in August of 2008. Lucia graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 where she majored in Hispanic Studies. During her time at Penn she worked at the General Counsel’s Office for the University and studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Alicante, Spain. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Lucia worked as a litigation paralegal at Howrey LLP in Washington, D.C. where she was actively involved in a high-profile pro bono case that sought to defend immigrant rights in Virginia. At Legal Aid, Lucia provides support to the attorneys for the Public Benefits Unit.

Bonnie Robin-Vergeer, Director, Barbara McDowell Appellate Advocacy Project
brvergeer@legalaiddc.org
Bonnie I. Robin-Vergeer joined Legal Aid in June 2009 after working for nine years as a senior lawyer at Public Citizen Litigation Group, where she litigated cases involving the First Amendment, consumer health and safety, open government, and access to the courts.   An experienced appellate advocate, Bonnie has argued three times before the Supreme Court of the United States and has appeared before federal courts of appeals across the country.  Before joining Public Citizen, Bonnie served as counsel to then-Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.  A graduate of Georgetown University and Stanford Law School, Bonnie clerked for U.S. District Judge Stanley A. Weigel of the Northern District of California; served as a teaching fellow and supervising attorney in the Georgetown University Law Center Appellate Litigation Clinic; and worked in private practice at Williams & Connolly LLP and at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, both in Washington, D.C.  For more than four years, Bonnie has served as a Trustee on the D.C. Bar Clients’ Security Fund and is now its Chair.

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.

Henry Smith, Law Firm Fellow
(Law School Graduate. Not yet licensed to practice in any jurisdiction.)
hsmith@legalaiddc.org
Henry joined Legal Aid in October 2009 as a Law Firm Fellow in the Public Benefits Unit. During law school, Henry worked as a law clerk for Martzell & Bickford in New Orleans, LA and worked as a summer associate for Steptoe & Johnson LLP in Washington, D.C. Before law school, Henry worked as a paralegal for Wiley Rein LLP in Washington, D.C. In October 2010, Henry intends to join Steptoe & Johnson LLP in Washington, DC. Henry received his B.A. from the University of Chicago and his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

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); the President’s Award from the Washington Council of Lawyers (2006) and Meyer Foundation Exponent Award For Leadership (2009).

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.  In June 2007 Jim was named pro bono lawyer of the year by the District of Columbia Bar.

David Steib, Law School Graduate / Skadden Fellow
(Licensed in Massachusetts; not yet licensed in the District of Columbia)
dsteib@legalaiddc.org
David joined Legal Aid in September 2008 as a Skadden Fellow in the housing unit. His project focuses on bringing legal services to the Spanish-speaking community through direct outreach in the Columbia Heights area. During law school, David interned for several public interest organizations, including our office. In 2007, he was awarded the John J. Curtin, Jr. Fellowship by the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty to intern for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. David also interned with Bread for the City and the Humane Society of the United States. He was a student of the Georgetown Domestic Violence Clinic. David received his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Alessandro Terenzoni, Staff Attorney
aterenzoni@legalaiddc.org
Alessandro joined Legal Aid in May 2007.  He focuses on housing issues and helps staff the Court-Based Legal Services office.  Just before coming to Legal Aid, Alessandro worked in the Office of the General Counsel at PBS.  During law school, he was awarded two Maurice & J.B. Shapiro Fellowships, which enabled his work at the Bread for the City Legal Clinic in Southeast DC.  Prior to law school, he was a middle school teacher in Newark, NJ as part of the Teach for America program.  Alessandro received his B.A. from Tufts University and his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.  He is an adjunct professor in the Legal Research and Writing Program at the George Washington University Law School.

Tianna Terry, Liman Fellow
(Licensed in New York; not yet licensed in the District of Columbia)
tterry@legalaiddc.org
Tianna joined Legal Aid in September 2008 as an Arthur Liman Public Interest Fellow in the Family Law Unit.  Her project focuses 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. 

Wendy J. Weinberg, Supervising Attorney, Consumer Law Unit
wweinberg@legalaiddc.org
Wendy joined Legal Aid in September 2008 to launch the Consumer Law Unit. Immediately prior to joining Legal Aid, Wendy worked at the D.C. Office of the Attorney General investigating and prosecuting violations of D.C.’s consumer protection laws. Prior to that position, she was the Executive Director of the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators, a non-profit organization for government consumer protection agencies, where she engaged in consumer education and advocacy work. Wendy started her career as a Legal Aid and Legal Services lawyer in New York City. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and Cornell Law School.

Elizabeth Yates, Legal Administrative Assistant
eyates@legalaiddc.org
Liz joined Legal Aid as a Legal Administrative Assistant in the Family Unit in August of 2008. Liz graduated from Tufts University with a major in International Relations and a minor in Latin American Studies in May of 2008. During her time at Tufts, Liz was involved in issues of social justice through internships at the Inter-American Foundation and the Economic Opportunity Institute, in addition to participating in various groups on campus. At Legal Aid, Liz provides administrative and programmatic support to the attorneys in the family unit.


LOANED ASSOCIATES

Joseph Kakesh
Arnold & Porter
jkakesh@legalaiddc.org