OUR STAFF ATTORNEYS

Lauren Zorfas
Executive Director
Lauren is a stalwart advocate for the legal rights of the increasing numbers of low-income people in San Mateo County. For seven years she was the Supervising Attorney for the Family Law Facilitator and Self-Help Services at the San Mateo County Superior Court where she expanded public services and built successful collaborative relationships with other community stakeholders. Prior to that, Lauren practiced family law and civil litigation with Ross, Hackett, Dowling, Valencia and Walti in San Bruno. Lauren sits on various boards and committees in the community, including the Fatherhood Collaborative of San Mateo County and the Legal Process Committee of the Domestic Violence Council. Recently Lauren received the William Nagle, Jr. Award from the San Mateo County Bar Association for her commitment to justice.

Hope Nakamura
Directing Attorney
Hope Nakamura is Directing Attorney for the Senior Advocates program and considered a county-wide expert on government benefits and elder abuse. Hope graduated from the UCLA School of Law. In her 21 years at Legal Aid, she has developed programs and partnerships that are successful at educating and aiding her clients. She brings together community organizations and advocates in San Mateo County in identifying and addressing senior problems. Hope chairs the Senior Advisory Committee in San Mateo County.

Tricia Berke Vinson
Directing Attorney
Tricia Berke Vinson is Directing Attorney for the Health Consumer Center. After attending Stanford Law School, she worked at Legal Aid for 10 years as Directing Attorney for Senior Advocates and as Supervising Attorney for the Administrative Law Unit. Upon the birth of her third child, she took a break from practicing law but returned to Legal Aid in 2008. In addition to representing individual clients who are encountering legal barriers to health care, Tricia advocates on the local and state level for policies that improve access to health care for low income county residents.

Amanda Barden
Staff Attorney
An attorney with the Senior Advocates Program, Amanda Barden attended graduate school at USC, where she received a Masters in Gerontology, and went to law school at the University of San Francisco. She serves on a number of San Mateo County committees such as the Commission on Aging Legislative and Advocacy Committee, the Adult Abuse Prevention Collaborative, and the Minority Elders Committee.

Lynda Burton
Staff Attorney
Lynda Burton is part of the New Beginnings Program. She represents low-income clients from initial intake through trial in a variety of areas, including: family law and domestic violence, landlord/tenant, and consumer defense. Lynda graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law and has worked at Legal Aid for 28 years. She is fluent in Spanish and has received numerous honors and awards such as San Mateo County Women Lawyers Section’s Elinor Falvey Award and has been inducted into the San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame.

David Carducci
Staff Attorney
David Carducci works on the HomeSavers Project at Legal Aid and has sixteen years of civil litigation experience. He is a graduate of the University of San Diego School and has since worked at private firms like Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy and at public interest law firms like Bay Area Legal Aid. David is passionate about traveling and published his first book 21 Days in India in 2002.

Christopher A. Douglas
Staff Attorney
Chris Douglas is a Clients’ Rights Advocate attorney at Legal Aid. He graduated from the Seton Hall University School of Law and works as a public benefits attorney in the areas of health law and disability rights. Chris provides legal services to adults with disabilities in such areas as government benefits, transportation access, mental health treatment access and disability rights. He attends community meetings, providing community outreach/education, and developing media strategies and is fluent in Spanish.

Shirley Gibson
Supervising Attorney
Shirley Gibson is Legal Aid’s housing attorney with the HomeSavers Project. She is a graduate of New College of California, School of Public Interest Law and Reed College. Before coming to Legal Aid, she worked at the Eviction and Defense Collaborative and with her husband doing civil rights casework. Shirley runs three housing clinics throughout San Mateo County to help tenants with housing issues.

Brooke Heymach
Supervising Attorney
Brooke Heymach is a Supervising Attorney and Legal Director of the Peninsula Family Advocacy Program (FAP). Brooke came to Legal Aid as an Equal Justice Works Fellow in 2003 after graduating from Hastings College of the Law. In addition to FAP, Brooke partners with Intel Corporation and Baker McKenzie LLP on Legal Aid’s Special Education Pro Bono Project. Her other work includes collaborating on the Preemie Project with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and participating in the San Mateo County’s Children’s Health Initiative Collaborative (CHI) for which she received CHI’s Toby J. Douglas Advocacy Award.

Jenny Horne
Staff Attorney
Jenny Horne works on the Teen Parent Project and New Beginnings program. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School and founded the Teen Parents Project at Legal Aid in 1994. In recognition of her excellent work, Jenny was inducted into the San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame; received the Silver Award from the Peninsula Partnership Council’s first biannual Children’s Report Initiative in 2002; and in 1999, received a Commendation from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and the San Mateo County Perinatal Council for services provided to San Mateo County school-age parents.

Erica Pun
Equal Justice Works Fellow-Sponsored by Pfizer Inc.
After working as a summer associate at Legal Aid in 2007, Erica Pun graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law and returned to Legal Aid as an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by Pfizer Inc. For two years, she will be implementing the Medical Debt Advocacy Project which combines health law and consumer law approaches to combat medical debt – a serious and frequent barrier to patients accessing needed medical care. Erica is fluent in Cantonese and hopes to strengthen outreach efforts to Cantonese-speaking clients in San Mateo County.

Janet Seldon
Pro Bono Director
Janet Seldon, Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Director, is a graduate of New College of California School of Public Interest Law. She has 23 years experience initiating and administering pro bono legal programs and special projects and recruits, trains and supervises pro bono attorneys at Legal Aid.

Jay White
Emeritus Attorney
After a thirty-three year career as a commercial airline pilot and aviation attorney, Jay White is now a volunteer at Legal Aid, helping consumers resolve their legal troubles. The consumer issues that Jay has become expert at range from contractor scams, credit card debts, and elder financial abuse. He also consults with clients about how to use the small claims court process and what to do if they have a judgment against them which they cannot pay. Jay was recognized for his volunteerism and dedication by the Legal Aid Association of California in 2006 and by Legal Aid in 2006.