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M. Stacey Hawver
Executive Director
Stanford Law School, 1987

M. Stacey Hawver, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, has been a public interest lawyer for more than thirty years. A respected advocate for low-income residents of San Mateo County, Ms. Hawver was named Woman of the Year for the 22nd Assembly District in 2020. She served on San Mateo County’s Census 2020 Complete Count Committee and the 2018 Charter Review Committee.

Ms. Hawver joined Legal Aid as a staff attorney in 1990 where she focused her efforts on administrative law. She also worked as a Directing Attorney before becoming the Executive Director in 2002. Ms. Hawver graduated first in her class from Stanford Law School. She also has a Masters Degree from the London School of Economics and an A.B. in Economics from Cornell University.

 

M. Stacey Hawver
Executive Director

Housing

David Carducci
Directing Attorney for Housing and Director of Litigation
University of San Diego School of Law, 1991

David Carducci leads the Housing Team at Legal Aid and has over 25 years of civil litigation experience. He is also responsible for the oversight of affirmative litigation at Legal Aid and professional development of young attorneys. He is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law and San Diego State University.  He previously worked at Bay Area Legal Aid and Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, and served on the board of the ACLU of Northern California, after moving back to the Bay Area from San Diego in 1998. David is involved with youth baseball by umpiring Little League games in San Mateo County.

Mari Chatterjee
Operations Manager

Mari Chatterjee is the Housing Program Operations Manager at Legal Aid SMC. She is passionate about working with an organization that serves low-income communities and empowers people to assert their rights. Mari graduated from Universidad Centroamericana in Nicaragua with a Bachelor in Law and from Universidad de Valencia in Spain with a Master in Business Law. Prior to starting at Legal Aid SMC, Mari worked for five years as an attorney in Nicaragua.

Dustin Helmer
Staff Attorney
Golden Gate University School of Law, 2014

Dustin Helmer is a life-long San Mateo county resident and an eviction defense litigation staff attorney. Dustin began his legal career as a JusticeCorp intern assisting pro per litigants with their housing and family law issues. During law school, Dustin focused his time on pro bono opportunities and court advocacy including participating in the William’s Institute Moot Court competition and placing 3rd nationally in the ABA Labor & Employment Mock Trial Competition. After graduating from law school, Dustin worked for several boutique firms practicing housing and criminal defense law until transitioning to the AIDS Legal Referral Panel where he worked as an eviction defense attorney for three years. He is an active member of the LGBTQ+ Bar Association, BALIF. Dustin received his B.A. in Criminal Justice from San Francisco State University and his J.D. at Golden Gate University School of Law with an emphasis on Pro Bono, Litigation and Criminal Law. He also is a graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy.

Nadia Henze
Project Coordinator

Nadia Henze is a Project Coordinator at Legal Aid SMC. She is originally from Mexico City and graduated from Universidad del Valle de Mexico with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She also volunteered in an organization that helps kids with disabilities and taught basic English to low-income communities. Nadia moved to the Bay Area 4 years ago, and before starting at Legal Aid, she worked in a Family Law firm in San Francisco. She enjoys spending time with her husband and playing with her cats.

Marlon Morales
Project Coordinator

Marlon Morales is a Project Coordinator for the Legal Aid SMC Housing team. He was an Outreach Specialist at Pacifica Resource Center prior to working at Legal Aid SMC and earned his BA in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara. He enjoys spending time rock climbing and playing with his cats.

Erika Ramirez
Project Coordinator

Erika Ramirez is a Housing Project Coordinator at Legal Aid SMC. She is a San Francisco Bay Area native and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Social Justice at San Francisco State University. Her interest in Housing rights began in college, when she interned at Causa Justa Just Cause, a non profit in San Francisco that focuses on tenant advocacy rights.

Katie Roussos
Staff Attorney
CUNY School of Law, 2019

Katie Roussos is a Housing Staff Attorney at Legal Aid SMC. She began her legal career working in the eviction defense unit at Brooklyn Legal Services. She recently moved to California with her family and is excited to be working at Legal Aid SMC to help tenants keep their housing in San Mateo County. Prior to becoming a lawyer, she worked at a hotel worker’s labor union as an organizer and legal coordinator.

Shane Sagisi
Staff Attorney
Golden Gate University School of Law, 2018

Shane Sagisi is currently a staff attorney for Legal Aid SMC’s HomeSavers Project. During law school Shane completed a summer internship at Legal Services of Northern California’s Vallejo office, where he developed a passion for providing direct legal services to disadvantaged and underrepresented communities. Prior to joining Legal Aid SMC, Shane completed a fellowship at the Eviction Defense Collaborative in San Francisco. Shane received his B.A. in Legal Studies at UC Santa Cruz and his J.D. at Golden Gate University School of Law.

Pro Bono

Stephanie Bilinski
Pro Bono Director
Seton Hall University School of Law, 2001

Stephanie E. Bilinski is the Pro Bono Director, overseeing all aspects of Legal Aid’s pro bono program. Stephanie reviews cases for placement, conducts training of volunteers and provides guidance and supervision to volunteer attorneys. Stephanie was the Supervising Attorney for Family Law at the Justice & Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco for seven years, where she was the recipient of the 2018 Brosnahan Fellowship Award. Prior to that Ms. Bilinski was a family law litigator and mediator, working in all courts in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Bilinski received her J.D. cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law, and her B.A. in Political Science from Bryn Mawr College.

Ruby Romero
Senior Project Coordinator

Ruby Romero is a Senior Project Coordinator for the Pro Bono program at Legal Aid SMC, where she has worked since 1999. She enjoys serving the community and helping others.

Peninsula Family Advocacy Project/Kids In Crisis

Jessica Arevalo
Senior Project Coordinator

Michelle de Blank
Supervising Attorney and Legal Director, Peninsula Family Advocacy Program
Hastings College of the Law, 1997

Michelle de Blank is Legal Aid's attorney specializing in education and access to healthcare for children with autism. She represents individual clients and also works extensively on systemic issues in both education and health. Michelle’s work has resulted in increased access to autism services for low income children in San Mateo County. Michelle is a graduate of Barnard College and received her law degree from Hastings College of the Law. Prior to coming to Legal Aid, Michelle worked at the Self-Service Center of the Santa Clara Superior Court and worked with individuals with mental health disabilities at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley.

Maraina Weyl
Project Coordinator

Health

Amira Elbeshbeshy
Directing Attorney and Director of Health Consumer Center
The Fordham University School of Law, 2011

Amira Elbeshbeshy is Director of the Health Consumer Center. After graduating from UC Irvine with a double major in Political Science and International Studies as well as a minor in Middle East Studies, Amira moved to New York City to pursue her law degree at The Fordham University School of Law. Upon graduating in 2011, Amira took a job as an agency attorney at the New York City Transit Authority, doing civil litigation defense for the Transit Authority. After moving back to the Bay Area, Amira earned her Master’s in social work with plans to continue working as an attorney in the non-profit sector.

Natalie Keller
Project Coordinator

Araceli Jiminez
Project Coordinator

Jules Lutaba
Staff Attorney
UC Irvine School of Law, 2016

Jules Lutaba is a Staff Attorney with Legal Aid’s Health Consumer Center. Jules received his J.D. from UC Irvine School of Law and his BComm from the University of Calgary. After graduating from law school, Jules worked in international human rights and protected journalists' speech rights at Media Legal Defense Initiative and Southern Africa Litigation Center. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Jules was a staff attorney at Mental Health Advocacy Services as part of Los Angeles County’s Medical-Legal Partnership.

Camille Nguyen
Staff Attorney, Health Consumer Center
UC Irvine School of Law, 2016

Camille Nguyen is a Southern California native who graduated from UC San Diego with a major in Political Science and a minor in Visual Arts. At UCSD, she volunteered at a nonprofit for families affected by cancer, which sparked her interest in advocating for affordable access to healthcare. She is a part of UC Irvine School of Law’s fifth graduating class, where she was a student leader in its Public Interest Law Fund, SSI clinic, and Asian Pacific American Law School Association. Prior to coming to Legal Aid, Camille worked at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, where she represented clients with mental health disabilities.

LIBRE (Linking Immigrants to Benefits, Resources, & Education)

Tseada T. Berhanu
Senior Staff Attorney
University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, 2013

Tseada is a Senior Staff Attorney and works on immigration and public benefits cases. She holds a BA in Political Science from UC Berkeley, an IMBA from the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business, and a JD from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. During her time in law school, Tseada interned with various nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving underserved communities. After graduating, she began her career in private practice, focusing on immigration law, and later transitioned to Colorado Legal Services to serve low-income individuals with a diverse range of civil legal issues.

Jonathan Garcia
Supervising Attorney
Ventura College of Law, 2012

Jonathan Garcia is a bilingual attorney with a passion for immigration law. After graduating UC Santa Barbara with degrees in sociology and history, Jonathan worked his way through the Ventura College of Law as a graveyard shift supervisor at a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. After graduating law school, Jonathan went into private practice, primarily focusing on immigration law. Jonathan also spoke on local Spanish radio broadcasts, presented Know Your Rights seminars in conjunction with the Oxnard Mexican Consulate, participated in free legal clinics at the Simi Valley Clinic, and was a volunteer coach for Oxnard High School’s mock trial competitions team.

Vanessa Hearne
Project Coordinator

After graduating from law school in Peru 15 years ago, Vanessa Hearne moved to the  Bay Area, where she continued her education and became a Paralegal. Currently, Vanessa works for Legal Aid SMC as a Project Coordinator for the LIBRE Project. Along with these professional pursuits, she attempts to keep up with her two young children and husband in her free time.

Jenny Horne
Directing Attorney
Stanford Law School, 1993

Jenny Horne works on the Teen Parent Project and Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence Project. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School and founded the Teen Parents Project as a Skadden fellow at Legal Aid in 1994. Prior to her fellowship, Jenny clerked for Judge Alfred Goodwin in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In recognition of her excellent work, she 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.

Hope Nakamura
Of Counsel
UCLA School of Law, 1986

Hope Nakamura is considered a state-wide expert on government benefits. She graduated with an A.B. in Economics from Stanford University before attending the UCLA School of Law, and began working with Legal Aid SMC after working at the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, D.C. During her time at Legal Aid SMC, she developed programs and worked in partnerships that educate and assist low-income families and individual residents who need safety net benefits.

Sylvia Navarro
Project Coordinator

Ameyalli Rocha Coronel
Project Coordinator / Benefits Assistor

Ameyalli Rocha Coronel is a Program Coordinator/Benefits Assistor at Legal Aid SMC. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and was born and raised in San Mateo County. She graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and Minor in Legal Studies from the University of San Francisco. Before joining Legal Aid, Ameyalli spent time in Mexico advocating for political representation for Mexican citizens living abroad and also as a Meritorious Trainee at the Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office: Justice Center for Women. She enjoys spending time with her dog, running and watching soccer.

Elder Rights & Income Security

Jacqueline Bates
Project Coordinator

Jacqueline Bates is a Program Coordinator at Legal Aid SMC. She is passionate about connecting the community with appropriate resources. She is currently in the process of getting her Bachelor's degree in Psychology.

Mark Cotter
Staff Attorney

Mark Cotter is an Elder Rights Attorney at Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County.  Mark received his B.A. in History from Yale University and his J.D. from University of San Francisco School of Law.  After college, he started his career in the nonprofit sector as an AmeriCorps Member at an employment resource center in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, helping clients to find jobs and housing.  During law school, he participated in the Public Interest Law Foundation after his prior volunteer experience—assisting elderly and disabled clients with their medical benefits at Bay Area Legal Aid—inspired him.  Prior to joining Legal Aid SMC, he clerked at the San Francisco plaintiff’s firm Arns Davis Law and assisted class action attorneys representing victims of elder abuse and wage theft.

Jerron Harding
Supervising Attorney
Hastings College of the Law, 2014

Scott Maurer
Consulting Attorney
Santa Clara University School of Law, 1995

Scott Maurer has been representing low-income consumers since 1996. As a consulting attorney at Legal Aid, Scott is helping consumers resolve their legal issues. He is considered an expert in fair debt collection, auto fraud, and consumer privacy. Scott teaches Consumer Protection and Civil Procedure at Santa Clara Law. He also supervises students who represent consumers at Santa Clara’s civil clinic. Scott received the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA's) Legal Services/Clinical Attorney of the Year in 2003.

Operations

Xitlalli Buenrostro
Receptionist

Lauren Gee
Contracts Administrator

Lauren Gee is the Contracts Administrator at Legal Aid SMC, capping a career that began as a satellite systems engineer and continued through biotech, big pharma, litigation software, and academia in various roles.  She's a native San Franciscan, a Cal Bear (twice), and an enthusiastic Giants fan.

Loreli Lopez
Senior Administrative Assistant

Loreli Lopez is a Senior Administrative Assistant at Legal Aid SMC. She is passionate in assisting seniors and young adults with disabilities with Elder Abuse, Consumer law and Social Security issues. She enjoys dancing, listening to music and watching horror movies. She was born and raised in Redwood City with Mexican roots.

Allison Marseille
Director of Operations

Allison Marseille is the Director of Operations at Legal Aid SMC. She loves the challenge of a workload with lots of moving parts, and is proud to be able to use her talents and skills to support this office of change makers and problem solvers. In her spare time, Allison enjoys spending time outdoors, but with little kids at home she’s mostly just happy to eat dinner sitting down.

Claudia Michel
Office Manager

Claudia Michel is the Office Manager at Legal Aid SMC. She thrives while supporting an office full of social justice warriors. Claudia loves spending time with her family and finding new DIY projects.

Liliya Mukha
Bookkeeper

Liliya Mukha is a Bookkeeper on the Operations team. Liliya received a degree in Economics from Gomel Cooperative Institute in Belarus and worked as an accountant in her home country, Georgia. She immigrated to the United States with her family in 1993 and began her career at Legal Aid SMC in 2000. She enjoys baking, hiking, traveling, reading, and spending time with family.

Development & Communications

Sesa Ferdun
Development Associate

Sesa serves as a Development Associate on the Development & Communications team. She received a degree in International Studies and Nonprofit Management from the University of Oregon in 2020 and is passionate about community development and outreach. She enjoys traveling, reading, and food science! Sesa was born and raised in the South Bay Area but spent the past two years living and working in Madrid, Spain! She is excited to be back in her home state contributing to meaningful work.

JC Renteria
Director of Development & Communications

JC currently leads Development & Communications team. After he graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Biology, JC taught outdoor science to students in grades K-6 and managed summer camp programs across the country. He has since shifted to work in nonprofit communications and is passionate about helping clients and coworkers tell their stories. JC spends most of his time collecting hobbies like crocheting, bonsai, and baking.

Kurt Wigent
Development Associate

Kurt is a Development Associate on the Development & Communications team. He recently graduated from the University of Michigan, where he studied international relations and French. After graduation, he moved to France for a year where he completed a master’s degree from the University of Bordeaux in international education while also teaching in French public schools. In his free time, he likes to hike, camp, and discover new movies.