| Who We Are : 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.
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 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.
Meghan Condon , Legal Administrative Assistant
mcondon@legalaiddc.org
Meghan joined Legal Aid as a legal administrative assistant in July 2007. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Meghan interned in our office as an undergraduate during her senior year at Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, she was actively involved in student organizations based out of the Center for Social Justice. She received her B.S. in Foreign Service in May 2007. As a legal administrative assistant, Meghan provides support for legal staff.
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,
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,
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, 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 RioGrande 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 for Legal Aid, 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.
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.
Amalia Luxardo,
Intake Coordinator / Investigator
aluxardo@legalaiddc.org
Amalia joined Legal Aid in March of 2007. Amalia earned
her B.S., cum laude, in Criminal Justice, from St. John’s
University in New York City. While attending St. John’s,
Amalia worked at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s
office performing intake in the Domestic Violence Unit.
As an Intake Coordinator/Investigator at Legal Aid, Amalia
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. She also spends
time conducting investigations for Legal Aid’s attorneys.
As a native Spanish-speaker, Amalia also conducts intake
interviews with Spanish-speaking clients and provides interpretation
and translation assistance.
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. Barbara is president of the Coke Appellate Inn of Court for the 2007-2008 term.
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 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 number
of substantive areas at legal services and other non- profit
legal advocacy organizations throughout the country. Most
recently, 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 includes
practice in and 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 Connecticut, Missouri and Arizona. She is currently seeking
admission to the District of Columbia Bar.
Lucy Newton,
Staff Attorney and Director, Community-Based Lawyering Project
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 Law 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 coordinates Legal Aid’s community offices in Southeast D.C.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Stephanie Troyer, Staff Attorney
stroyer@legalaiddc.org
Stephanie joined Legal Aid in June 2007 as a Family Law / Domestic Violence Staff Attorney. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Stephanie worked as an Assistant Public Defender in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She also served as a law clerk in the Family Division of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in Pittsburgh. She received her A.B. from Georgetown University and her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Peter G. Wilson, Equal Justice Works Fellow
pwilson@legalaiddc.org
Peter joined Legal Aid in September 2007 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow in the Appellate Advocacy Project. His project focuses on litigating cases presenting significant questions of poverty law in the D.C. Court of Appeals and conducting outreach to inform Legal Aid’s clients of their appellate rights. Before law school, he served as the pro bono coordinator of the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago. Peter received his A.B. from the University of Chicago and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
LOANED ASSOCIATES
Negar Katirai
Steptoe & Johnson
nkatirai@legalaiddc.org
Alex Hallett
Arnold & Porter
ahallett@legalaiddc.org
Rachel Martin
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
rmartin@legalaiddc.org
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