Our Team
We are proud of the diverse and talented people who work with us to achieve housing and justice for our clients and for those experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County.
Leadership
Adam Murray is Chief Executive Officer of Inner City Law Center, a non-profit poverty law firm serving the most vulnerable individuals and families in Los Angeles County. Founded on the fundamental principle that every person should always be treated with dignity and respect, Inner City Law Center’s 100+ staff and 400+ volunteers provide legal representation and advocacy to thousands of homeless and working poor clients, focused on combating slum housing, preventing homelessness, and aiding homeless veterans.
An expert on both housing and homelessness, Adam has developed and promoted innovative approaches and policies that reduce homelessness and lead to safe, healthy, and affordable housing. Prior to joining ICLC, Adam was a litigator with the international law firm Howrey LLP. In 2001, he worked pro bono on the momentous Rosales slum housing case in which Inner City Law Center secured $1.9 million for 59 parents and children. Adam has led Inner City Law Center’s efforts to develop effective programs, including groundbreaking programs that prevent homelessness and that meet the legal needs of homeless veterans in Los Angeles. In his thirteen years as Inner City Law Center’s Executive Director, Adam has guided Inner City Law Center’s transformation from a five-attorney law firm with a $1.4 million budget to a fifty attorney law firm with a $10 million budget. In addition, over the past four years, pro bono attorneys from private firms have donated over $40 million worth of free legal services to Inner City Law Center clients.
Adam serves on the board of directors of The Legal Aid Association of California and the advisory board of Street Symphony. He has served as president of the boards of the Housing Rights Center of Southern California and the Immigration Center for Women and Children and has taught economics and political science at East Los Angeles College. Adam is also a former board member of the Fair Housing Council of the San Gabriel Valley, the ACLU of Southern California, and the Center for Progressive Leadership, and is a former member of the Los Angeles County Citizens’ Committee on Economy and Efficiency.
Adam received a B.A. in International Relations from Pomona College, an M.A. in Economics from Claremont Graduate University, and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law. In 2009, the Los Angeles Daily Journal named Adam one of the top 20 attorneys in California under the age of 40. Adam was a Stanton Fellow with the Durfee Foundation in 2014 and 2015. When not working, Adam enjoys playing soccer with his wife and two young children.
Writings by and about Adam:
· Best way to end homelessness? Prevent it from happening in the first place. – LA Daily Journal, November 7, 2019.
· What if LA’s homeless population were a city? – LA Times, January 16, 2018
· L.A. has 46,874 people who are homeless. If we’re not smart, we’ll have 250,000 more – LA Times, July 13, 2016
· 4 myths that make L.A. County’s homeless problem worse – LA Times, December 31, 2015
· Preventing Homelessness – LA Daily Journal, October 1, 2015
· Budget hints at less focus on homelessness – LA Daily Journal, May 3, 2017
· Lax enforcement keeps slumlords from cleaning up act – LA Daily Journal, June 11, 2009
· Adam Murray chosen by Daily Journal as one of their “Top 20 Under 40” – LA Daily Journal, January 21, 2009
Shawn Bolton is an integrity-driven and passionate nonprofit professional dedicated to enhancing and motivating under-represented communities. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Shawn served as the Assistant Vice President of Program Operations at Chrysalis, focused on working with and supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and seeking employment. Shawn’s passion, skillset, and work experience revolve around putting people first. Shawn has been grounded in her work through fostering a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, innovation, and continuous improvement. Leading by example, she encourages quality over quantity among her staff and promotes an organizational culture of excellent customer service, innovation, and quality services. Shawn has over 15 years of experience in operations, program design, staff development, program implementation, and overseeing Federal, State, and locally funded community programs.
Shawn believes strongly that the key to cultivating a positive work environment and therefore improving client experience, lies in nurturing a healthy staff morale and a shared vision. Moreover, Shawn’s experience with collaborating to implement community-based programs has allowed her to confidently navigate the process of developing sustainable systems for individual and community growth. Shawn holds degrees in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management, Education in Leadership and Change, and Public Health/Kinesiology. Shawn believes the key to a successful community-based approach is embedded in the intersections of these disciplines, each acting as an anchor to provide wrap-around services and eradicate poverty.
Juliet joined Inner City Law Center as Director of Administration in October 2013. She started her career in legal services in 2000 and has experience working in all levels of personnel, including as support staff, advocate, and administrator. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Juliet worked with the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ) as the Director of Administration. Juliet has effectively managed government contracts, private grants, financial audits, human resources, office operations and supervision of support staff and volunteers. Juliet enthusiastically believes in the cause of legal services and views her role in administration as a support system that makes the direct services model possible. Her dedication to social justice issues stems from the parallels between Inner City Law Center’s clients and her own experience growing up in Southeast Los Angeles.
Tai joined the Inner City Law Center leadership team in September 2015. She has been an influential advocate for the rights of poor and low-income individuals for over 20 years. Tai initiated and oversaw the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’ highly regarded Housing Improvement Proshject from 2000 to 2008, during which time the project successfully litigated groundbreaking cases including the first case asserting a tenant’s right to return after being paid emergency relocation benefits by the City of Los Angeles and Cruz v Superior Court, in partnership with Western Center on Law and Poverty, which expanded low-income Californians’ right to access the courts and was the first California decision regarding fee waivers in almost 20 years. She was appointed to the City of Los Angeles Rent Adjustment Commission by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2013 and was the 2011 recipient of Loyola Law School’s Public Interest Award. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Tai served as the Executive Director of Levitt & Quinn Family Law Center.
Kym Pietsch joined Inner City Law Center as Director of Development in March 2019. As a strategic and creative development professional with a passion for helping to end homelessness, she brings more than 25 years of fundraising experience to her role. Kym has managed teams of staff and volunteers to raise more than $56 million in philanthropic revenue, and has a long track record of helping non-profit organizations to grow and reach their fundraising potential. Kym led successful capital campaigns at Union Station Homeless Services, Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA, and Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children.
Before becoming a Managing Attorney, Doug Carnahan spent 29 years as a court commissioner, first with the South Bay Municipal Court (Torrance, LA County) and then with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. During his time on the bench, Doug handled calendars in general and limited civil, unlawful detainers, small claims, traffic, probate, and misdemeanor and felony criminal cases. He retired from the bench in 2013 and volunteered from 2014 to 2018 with Inner City before becoming the AffLit Team’s director in 2018.
Before his time on the bench, Doug was a senior associate with the firm of Schell & Delamer in Los Angeles, practicing insurance defense litigation in state and federal courts. Before that he was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Law at USC, and has continued to teach over the years at various paralegal, undergraduate, and law school programs in southern California, including the paralegal programs of UCLA and El Camino, the law schools of Whittier, Loyola, the University of West Los Angeles, and UCLA, and in the department of Politics at Pomona College. Early in his legal career he was a sole general practitioner and then a partner in a small firm in Marina del Rey and Woodland Hills.
Doug has a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law (1975), a B.S. in Engineering from UCLA (1968) and an MPW (Master of Professional Writing) from USC (2008). He has authored many legal columns and articles, and several books. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army (1971-73).
Donella was born and raised in California’s Central Valley in Merced. She graduated from UCLA, where she earned degrees in Philosophy and African-American Studies. While at UCLA, she participated in the Law Fellows Program at the UCLA School of Law.
She graduated from Fordham Law School. While in law school, she interned at the Merced County Office of the Public Defender in Merced, California, and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, in Washington, D.C. She was also named a New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation Fellow and given the opportunity to work in the Feerick Center for Social Justice, where she worked in the Domestic Violence and Consumer Law Project, which focused on the intersection of domestic violence and consumer law issues affecting survivors of domestic violence. She also participated in the Community Economic Development Clinic where she learned how to counsel nonprofit start-up organizations in a social justice setting.
Prior to Inner City Law Center, she worked as a Staff Attorney for the Legal Aid Society, in the Criminal Defense Practice, in Brooklyn, New York. Donella is committed to social justice and honored to provide legal services to her clients.
A 2013 graduate of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, Jon joined Inner City Law Center as an Equal Justice Works Legal Fellow working with the Homeless Veterans Project. Jon started a medical legal partnership with the West Los Angeles Veteran’s Hospital and works with veterans who are patients in the VA’s homeless primary care clinic. During law school, Jon clerked at the Northwest Justice Project where he helped low-income residents access state healthcare benefits. Jon also externed at Mental Health Advocacy Services and the Disability Rights Legal Center. Prior to law school, Jon was a Jesuit Volunteer working as a case manager and operations supervisor at a homeless shelter in Spokane, Washington.
Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Carolyn served as the Self-Help Services Manager at the Orange County Superior Court. Carolyn started her legal career as a staff attorney at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA, providing family law and immigration representation to domestic violence survivors. She was also a Project Director at Advancing Justice – LA and oversaw a pilot project that developed a national model for remote citizenship services. Before that role, she managed the organization’s legal intake unit that provides legal assistance to limited English proficient callers through multilingual legal helplines. Carolyn is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law and Northwestern University.
Kara joined Inner City Law Center in 2012 and is the Directing Attorney of the Homeless Veterans Project. She supervises a legal team that represents veterans experiencing homelessness to get them access to stable income, healthcare, and housing. Kara specializes in advocating on behalf of survivors of military sexual violence and combat trauma, as well as veterans with complex mental health disabilities.
During law school, Kara was a fellow in the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, and her article exploring the pervasive nature of psychotropic medications in the military was published in the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice. She also worked in USC Law’s Immigration Clinic where she represented clients seeking asylum and other forms of relief after escaping persecution in their home countries.
Kara is a graduate of USC Gould School of Law and earned her A.B. from Georgetown University. She has also worked as a lecturer-in-law at UCLA School of Law, where she taught the course Introduction to the Lawyer-Client Relationship.
Laura joined Inner City Law Center in October 2018 as a member of the finance team. Laura holds an MBA from University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and BA from University of Puget Sound. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, she served as the Associate Director of Accounting and Employee Services at SFCC, a nonprofit education and job training program supporting low-income young adults. As an LA native, she came to Inner City Law Center with a passion for supporting change in her community through supporting vulnerable populations.
Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Angelica served as the Grant Systems Director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA. There she managed the legal department’s grant administration, program evaluation, and wide network of community partners. Angelica also spent several years working at NALEO Educational Fund, where her work focused on the political and civic participation of the Latinx community. She holds a Masters in Public Affairs and Politics from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Latin American Studies from UCLA.
Vidhya joined Inner City Law Center as its Pro Bono Coordinator in January 2015 and is currently its Director of Pro Bono. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, she practiced complex commercial litigation for over five years at the law firms of Crowell & Moring LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Vidhya handled a variety of matters relating to antitrust, real estate, contracts, environmental law, and insurance. Vidhya also maintained an active pro bono practice, representing a variety of clients on issues such as immigration, guardianship, and housing law.
Vidhya is active in the legal community, currently serving on the board of the Women Lawyer’s Association of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee. She was a member of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC), a president of SABA-SC’s Public Interest Foundation, a board member of the South Asian Network, and a member of the State Bar of California’s Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services. Vidhya received degrees in Political Science and Psychology from UCLA and her J.D. from UCLA.
Rob Reed joined Inner City Law Center as Director of Homelessness Prevention in January 2017. As an attorney, Rob has exclusively represented tenants for almost the entirety of his legal career. While living in Chicago, a leaky roof and a bookclub including several public interest attorney members inspired him to become a people’s lawyer. Moving to Los Angeles after graduating law school, Rob began his education in housing law in 2004 by volunteering with the Coalition for Economic Survival’s bi-weekly West Hollywood Tenants’ Rights Clinic. Soon thereafter, he began working at the Eviction Defense Network (EDN), where he represented thousands of families in eviction cases and later served as EDN’s co-executive director. In 2011, Rob joined Public Counsel’s new Shriver Eviction Defense Unit in order to help ensure the success of California’s groundbreaking civil Gideon pilot project. At Public Counsel, he litigated hundreds more eviction cases and served as a mentor to many of the Shriver attorneys across partner organizations. Rob received his JD from the University of Illinois College of Law and BS in Chemical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Eve Rutzick joined Inner City Law Center in March 2018 as a senior staff attorney on the public benefits Technical Assistance team. Since January 2020, Eve has been the supervising attorney for the public benefits hearings team. Eve began her legal career at the Eviction Defense Network in Los Angeles helping low-income tenants fight eviction actions. She then worked at the Social Security Administration in the disability program as an attorney advisor and a supervising attorney. Eve received her B.A. in sociocultural anthropology from the University of Washington and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where she was a member of the UCLA Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. During law school, Eve interned at the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law, Public Counsel, and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. She strongly believes that the law can be used as a tool to increase social justice.
Lisa’s expertise is in administration and operations. Through interdepartmental partnership and collaboration, she develops systems and processes that promote increased efficiency, consistency, and impact of the organization. Lisa is skilled at spearheading day-to-day operational activities including hiring and onboarding, professional development, project management, budgetary oversight, grants management and compliance, health and safety, vendor relationships, inventory management, procurement, and organizational development.
As Operations Manager at Inner City Law Center, Lisa continues to hone her capacity as a leader, and incorporates insights gained as a participant of executive education programs, and as a member of the Project Management Institute. Lisa feels particularly at home at Inner City Law Center because she can continue working on reducing social inequalities, an area in which she has amassed over a decade of community outreach experience. She has coordinated teams to develop community vegetable gardens, provide food and clothing to those experiencing homelessness, and taught computer and interviewing skills to non-native English speakers
Projects Teams
Ben joined Inner City Law Center in January 2022 as a senior staff attorney with the Tenant Defense Project. Before coming aboard, Ben served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Anthony W. Ishii of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. He also previously practiced civil litigation at a law firm in Chicago, and served as a judicial law clerk at both the Idaho Supreme Court and the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Ben received a J.D. and an M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago, and a B.A. in psychology and political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He considers it a privilege to be able to use his collective experiences to help those in his community who are most in need of an advocate.
Vanessa joined Inner City Law Center as TDP’s Project Coordinator in May 2022. She previously worked as ICLC’s Development Associate supporting the organization’s fundraising efforts the prior year. She brings several years of nonprofit experience in community organization, community-based research, fundraising and development, program implementation and evaluation. She received a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Santa Clara University which solidified her commitment to social justice and fighting against environmental issues.
Sarah joined Inner City Law Center as a Tenant Defense Fellow in May, 2020. During law school, Sarah represented tenants in the Boston Housing Court as a clinical student with the Harvard Housing Clinic, was part of the Harvard Tenant Advocacy Project, and served as an editor on the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. She spent her 1L and 2L summers advocating for economic justice with the National Consumer Law Center, Health Law Advocates, and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. Sarah has aa Bachelor’s Degree in Politics from Oberlin College and a JD from Harvard Law School.
Fernanda joined Inner City Law Center as an administrative clerk in the Tenant Defense Project in August 2021. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in Italian. She is passionate about advocating for marginalized and underrepresented communities. Prior to Inner City Law Center, she worked at Downtown Women’s Center as a services coordinator where she connected unhoused women with the services needed and provided crisis support. Fernanda wants to attend law school to continue to help people that need it the most.
Scott joined Inner City Law Center as a Tenant Defense Fellow in May, 2020. During law school, Scott worked with New Yorkers experiencing homelessness as a member of REACH (Research, Education, and Advocacy to Combat Homelessness), served as a Research Assistant with the NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, and was as an editor on the NYU Review of Law and Social Change. He spent his 1L summer with the Housing Unit of East Bay Community Law Center, and his 2L summer at the Western Center on Law and Poverty. Scott has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from UNC-Chapel Hill and a JD from NYU School of Law.
Erica joined Inner City Law Center in May 2018 as a paralegal trainee on the Homelessness Prevention team. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Erica was a legal assistant at the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice, where she supported the Immigration and VOCA team. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach in 2015 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Criminal Justice. During her senior year at CSULB, Erica became a JusticeCorps member and volunteered at the Norwalk Courthouse self-help center, where she educated and helped self-represented litigants with family law and unlawful detainer cases. Erica is originally from East Los Angeles and is very passionate about helping vulnerable individuals and advocating for their rights. Erica’s goal is to attend law school and hopes to someday open a non-profit to help people in her community.
Zoe Dolan is a graduate of UC Hastings College of the Law and has been practicing since 2006 – first in New York City for several years, and, more recently, here in Los Angeles. She has handled a variety of matters ranging from individual and small business representations to tech and crypto stuff to litigation and criminal defense at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal court. Zoe’s outside interests include writing books, cycling, hiking and skydiving.
Neri joined Inner City Law Center as a paralegal in the Tenant Defense Project in April 2021. He attended UCLA where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. He worked in the education field as a consultant for first generation prospective college students and then as a substitute teacher in lower income communities. He observed a lack of social equity during his time in education and decided to obtain training in the legal field in an effort to make a difference. He obtained his paralegal certificate with distinction from UCLA Extension and hopes to take everything he learned to provide social justice and equity to individuals who are more often than not marginalized.
Born and raised in Washington, DC, Sam first moved to Los Angeles to attend college at UCLA. After graduating, Sam stayed in the city and worked as a Page at NBC Universal and then as a reporter for the Los Angeles bureau of the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper.
After working as a foreign correspondent in his own country for two years, Sam left Los Angeles to attend Harvard Law School. In law school, Sam served as the President of the Student Mental Health Association and represented clients in the housing and criminal defense clinics.
Sam is now working as a legal fellow in the Tenant Defense Project and is very happy to be back in his strange, adoptive city.
Jessica joined Inner City Law Center in February 2017 as a Document Specialist, and now works as a paralegal. Having graduated from Cal State LA in 2016, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Pursuing an interest in the legal field, Jessica interned in the Arraignment Court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center for over a year, assisting the District Attorney with administrative duties. As a Document Specialist, Jessica is responsible for certified mailings, attorney service requests, and creating and closing cases on Time Matters. Jessica also works closely with the Project Assistant, Lisa Charles, and Chief Counsel, Tai Glenn, to ensure the accuracy of data collection for each of the teams. Inspired by the work and passion of our attorneys, Jessica hopes to attend law school in the future and practice public interest law.
Barbara is excited to join the TDP team as a Homelessness Prevention Fellow. A California-native, Barbara grew up in a small town named Ojai (about 80 miles north of LA) and is a proud UCLA Bruin. Inspired to help vulnerable communities, Barbara studied law in Washington DC and dedicated her studies and work experience to public interest law. After graduating in 2019, she completed a clerkship at the D.C. Superior Court, where she managed a misdemeanor criminal calendar for the Senior Judges. Struck by the number of defendants suffering from homelessness, mental health and substance abuse issues who appeared in court on a daily basis, Barbara decided she wanted to advocate to prevent homelessness and keep people housed. Then COVID happened, and now she is even more grateful to be working with Inner City Law Center during such unprecedented and challenging times for tenants. Aside from the law, Barbara’s interests include hiking, anti-racism & social justice, basketball, sea otters and cooking delicious meals.
Hannah Ibañez joined Inner City Law Center in 2020 as a staff attorney, licensed to practice law in Florida and California. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, she was a Public Defender representing clients charged with misdemeanors, felonies, and capital/life felonies in the State of Florida. Having tried over 20 jury trials, including attempted murder, she rarely had the opportunity to help clients through the root issues that landed them in the system to begin with. Compounding with issues of modern policing and race politics, most of her clients struggled with a lack of stable housing and assistance, arguably the first step to lifting them out of their circumstances. Having dealt with the criminalization of homelessness, she was ready to take on the homelessness crisis itself. With her eyes set on California, she found Inner City Law Center at the heart of the American housing crisis, and jumped at the opportunity to work towards the elimination of homelessness “by any means necessary.” She is committed to social justice advocacy and a career in public service.
Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Carolyn served as the Self-Help Services Manager at the Orange County Superior Court. Carolyn started her legal career as a staff attorney at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA, providing family law and immigration representation to domestic violence survivors. She was also a Project Director at Advancing Justice – LA and oversaw a pilot project that developed a national model for remote citizenship services. Before that role, she managed the organization’s legal intake unit that provides legal assistance to limited English proficient callers through multilingual legal helplines. Carolyn is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law and Northwestern University.
Forest joined Inner City Law Center as a Housing Justice Fellow in August, 2021, hoping to do his part in the fight to end homelessness. He attended law school at University of Southern California (USC), where he defended clients from deportation in the USC Immigration Clinic. He also served as a Staff Editor on the USC Review of Law and Social Justice. He spent his 1L summer with Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and 2L year summer with Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). Forest has a BA from University of San Diego and a JD from University of Southern California. During his free time, Forest is probably riding his bike or digging for the perfect record for his next DJ set.
Alex served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves for seven years and received an Honorable Discharge in May 2001. He considers his time in the military as one of the most impactful and valuable times in his life. He was presented with ample opportunities to help those in need and gained a deeper admiration for ideals of justice and fairness. With the G.I. Bill, Alex obtained a paralegal certificate in 1998. For the following 15 years, Alex gained extensive experience in criminal defense, general liability, insurance defense, and construction defect.
In 2015, Alex carried his experience and passion for justice to Inner City Law Center. Alex grew up in a low-income immigrant family in Northeast Los Angeles and empathizes with clients’ struggles. He cares deeply about the community and is constantly inspired by his clients’ strength and resilience against adversity. He wholeheartedly believes every individual deserves to have their rights protected.
Eduardo, who also goes by Eddie, graduated from CSU Channel Islands with a B.S. in Biology, and a minor in Political Science. Eduardo developed a passion for helping disadvantaged communities while working with low-income first-generation students at his university through the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). In his work with California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), he supported rural communities with information and resources for education, labor, and housing rights. Additionally, Eduardo is a fellow of the Legal Education Access Pipeline (LEAP), he advocates for environmental, LGBTQ, disability, and educational issues, and he hopes to one day become the first person in his family to become an attorney and continue to support and serve marginalized groups.
Cherry received her BA from Pomona College in 2015 and graduated from Harvard Law School in May 2020. She went to law school to build skills that would be useful for communities fighting against poverty, disinvestment, and displacement. During law school, Cherry was part of Harvard Defenders, where she represented individuals in criminal hearings. She also spent two years representing tenants and post-foreclosure homeowners facing eviction at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. Cherry led canvasses with Project No One Leaves, informing tenants of their rights and directing tenants to community-based organizations in Boston. She spent her law school summers interning with Greater Boston Legal Services and TakeRoot Justice in New York City.
Jeffrey joined Inner City Law Center as a Tenant Defense Project staff attorney in April 2022. Before joining ICLC he was a staff attorney at Eviction Defense Network. He is excited to work together to preserve affordable housing and mitigate the homelessness crisis. Prior to his career helping tenants stay in their homes, he was building homes; in his youth he worked as a carpenter in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Jeffrey received a B.A. in English from the University of Arkansas and a J.D. with Public Interest Law and Policy concentration from UCLA School of Law.
Héctor Candelario Peña Ramírez received his Juris Doctorate from the People’s College of Law in Downtown Los Angeles. Peña received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chicana and Chicano Studies from the University of California Los Angeles, UCLA in 2009. From 2010 to 2011 he was the United Farm Workers Foundation Communications Fellow. He served previously for the Cesar E. Chavez Center for Chicana and Chicano Studies at UCLA as Project Director of the Media Melee in MacArthur Park Project: A digital Recreation of the 2007 Immigration Rights March and Rally.
Prior to entering law school, he also served as a Project Coordinator at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, working on the Hate Speech in the Media Project under the guidance of Francisco Javier Iribarren, MSW, Psy.D. As an undergraduate Peña also served as Co-Editor-in-Chief for La Gente de Aztlán, UCLA’s Chicana/o Student Newsmagazine. He is currently the Vice-President of the Board of Directors at the People’s College of Law and a proud member of the National Lawyers Guild.
His activism and work have ranged from helping to improve living conditions for farm working families to playing a fundamental role in helping to develop an integrative methodology to quantify hate speech in commercial talk radio for the CSRC’s Hate Speech in the Media Project.
Haley joined Inner City Law Center as a Housing Justice Fellow on the Tenant Defense Project in August, 2021. While in law school at Southwestern in Los Angeles, Haley was a board member on the homelessness prevention law project student association, which sparked her interest in pursing a legal career defending tenants from eviction. As a student, Haley worked in family law, immigration, and employment law. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Brandman University and a Juris Doctorate from Southwestern, where she focused on public interest law. In her free time, Haley enjoys walking around Los Angeles with her two terrier rescues, Vin Scully and Ruth Barker Ginsburg.
Rob Reed joined Inner City Law Center as Director of Homelessness Prevention in January 2017. As an attorney, Rob has exclusively represented tenants for almost the entirety of his legal career. While living in Chicago, a leaky roof and a bookclub including several public interest attorney members inspired him to become a people’s lawyer. Moving to Los Angeles after graduating law school, Rob began his education in housing law in 2004 by volunteering with the Coalition for Economic Survival’s bi-weekly West Hollywood Tenants’ Rights Clinic. Soon thereafter, he began working at the Eviction Defense Network (EDN), where he represented thousands of families in eviction cases and later served as EDN’s co-executive director. In 2011, Rob joined Public Counsel’s new Shriver Eviction Defense Unit in order to help ensure the success of California’s groundbreaking civil Gideon pilot project. At Public Counsel, he litigated hundreds more eviction cases and served as a mentor to many of the Shriver attorneys across partner organizations. Rob received his JD from the University of Illinois College of Law and BS in Chemical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
While studying law in Nashville, Chelsea interned with the Nashville Public Defender’s Office for two years. After witnessing firsthand the effects of poverty in the rural South, as well as the frequent interaction between homelessness and the oppression of the criminal legal system, she was inspired to become an advocate for people facing eviction. She has a BS in Sociology from Middle Tennessee State University and a JD from Belmont University College of Law. In her free time, Chelsea can be found hiking with her dog, Ziggy.
Sandra joined Inner City Law Center as a staff attorney in January 2018. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, she was as a law clerk at a small criminal defense firm where she primarily assisted low-income clients facing criminal charges ranging from minor misdemeanors to serious felonies. Sandra received her B.A. in Spanish and a minor in French from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2015, and a J.D. from Southwestern Law School in 2018. While in law school, she participated in Southwestern’s Ninth Circuit Litigation Clinic where she represented an indigent client in deportation proceedings. She was also an extern at various public interest entities such as the Central American Resource Center, the Los Angeles Air Force Base, and the Inglewood District Attorney’s Office. She is committed to a career in public service and representing those who would otherwise not have access to legal services.
Andrew has spent his entire legal career representing low-income clients. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Andrew practiced as an eviction defense attorney at Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, as part of their Shriver unit. Before that, he was a legal aid attorney in Massachusetts, where he represented tenants facing eviction and homeowners facing wrongful foreclosure. Andrew received his law degree from Boston University in 2014.
Kaimi joined Inner City Law Center in August 2018. He previously worked as a law professor and Director of the Center for Law and Social Justice at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He also taught as a visiting professor at University of San Diego and University of Nice, France. Kaimi has published and presented frequently on civil rights topics, including as an invited panelist at the Annual Legislative Conference of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2008, 2010 and 2014. He was also the Lead Faculty Organizer of the 2010 Women and Law Conference at Thomas Jefferson, which focused on “Women of Color and Intersectionality” and was held in conjunction with UCLA School of Law’s Fourth Annual Critical Race Studies Symposium. Prior to joining Thomas Jefferson in 2005, he clerked for Judge Jack B. Weinstein of the Eastern District of New York and practiced law with Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP, in New York City. He is a graduate of Columbia University School of Law where he was an articles editor for the Columbia Law Review.
Alex joined Inner City Law Center in May 2020 as a Tenant Defense Fellow. While in law school, Alex interned with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and with the Affirmative Litigation Team at Inner City. She was also a member of National Moot Court and the Criminal Defense Clinic at her law school. Prior to law school, Alex worked as an AmeriCorps member with City Year Los Angeles. Alex received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.
Before becoming a Managing Attorney, Doug Carnahan spent 29 years as a court commissioner, first with the South Bay Municipal Court (Torrance, LA County) and then with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. During his time on the bench, Doug handled calendars in general and limited civil, unlawful detainers, small claims, traffic, probate, and misdemeanor and felony criminal cases. He retired from the bench in 2013 and volunteered from 2014 to 2018 with Inner City before becoming the AffLit Team’s director in 2018.
Before his time on the bench, Doug was a senior associate with the firm of Schell & Delamer in Los Angeles, practicing insurance defense litigation in state and federal courts. Before that he was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Law at USC, and has continued to teach over the years at various paralegal, undergraduate, and law school programs in southern California, including the paralegal programs of UCLA and El Camino, the law schools of Whittier, Loyola, the University of West Los Angeles, and UCLA, and in the department of Politics at Pomona College. Early in his legal career he was a sole general practitioner and then a partner in a small firm in Marina del Rey and Woodland Hills.
Doug has a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law (1975), a B.S. in Engineering from UCLA (1968) and an MPW (Master of Professional Writing) from USC (2008). He has authored many legal columns and articles, and several books. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army (1971-73).
Deanna joined Inner City Law Center in February 2021 as a Staff Attorney for the Lawyers Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project. She previously worked as the Senior Law Program Coordinator and Staff Attorney at La Raza Centro Legal in San Francisco’s Mission District. There she represented older adults and adults with disabilities in various areas of law, including Social Security Disability appeals, Trusts & Estates, Consumer Debt Defense, and Immigration. Deanna is a Veterans Affairs (VA) accredited attorney and the winner of the 2020 Crystal Award presented by the San Francisco Justice & Diversity Center to recognize her pro bono legal work for the Consumer Advocacy Project. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Emerson College and earned her J.D. at Glendale University College of Law.
Camilla joined Inner City Law Center in 2021. Prior to Inner City Law Center, Camilla clerked at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. During law school, Camilla interned at the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada as well as the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada. With Legal Aid Center for Southern Nevada, Camilla taught divorce and custody courses to pro per litigants and intellectual property courses to small business owners. Before law school, Camilla worked as a writer for various technology companies, including Adobe and Twitter. Camilla received her B.A. from Brigham Young University and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with Highest Pro Bono Honors, signifying over 100 hours of pro bono work.
Donella was born and raised in California’s Central Valley in Merced. She graduated from UCLA, where she earned degrees in Philosophy and African-American Studies. While at UCLA, she participated in the Law Fellows Program at the UCLA School of Law.
She graduated from Fordham Law School. While in law school, she interned at the Merced County Office of the Public Defender in Merced, California, and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, in Washington, D.C. She was also named a New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation Fellow and given the opportunity to work in the Feerick Center for Social Justice, where she worked in the Domestic Violence and Consumer Law Project, which focused on the intersection of domestic violence and consumer law issues affecting survivors of domestic violence. She also participated in the Community Economic Development Clinic where she learned how to counsel nonprofit start-up organizations in a social justice setting.
Prior to Inner City Law Center, she worked as a Staff Attorney for the Legal Aid Society, in the Criminal Defense Practice, in Brooklyn, New York. Donella is committed to social justice and honored to provide legal services to her clients.
Shane is a Registered Legal Services Attorney in Inner City Law Center’s Lawyers Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project (PEHP). Shane previously worked as a Fellowship Attorney at Legal Aid Chicago in their Housing Practice Group, where he represented indigent clients in eviction defense, advocated for reasonable accommodations for clients with disabilities, and filed affirmative litigation to restore clients to federally subsidized housing. Prior to being a lawyer, Shane worked as a campaign staffer on federal congressional races. Additionally, Shane served as a Deputy Chief of Staff to a Michigan State Senator, where he worked on the expansion of citizens’ disability and housing rights. In law school, Shane interned for the United States Committee on the Judiciary and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section.
Shane received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and graduated Cum Laude from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Shane is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois.
Daniella Hernández (they/she) joined Inner City Law Center in July 2021 as an Administrative Clerk for the Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project. Her previous professional experience includes working and advocating for women farmworker rights across the state of California and providing educational awareness on issues such as domestic violence, adult and child sexual assault, pesticide malpractice, and environmental (in)justice in culturally competent and accessible ways. She has a Bachelor’s degree from CSU Channel Islands in Sociology and Chicana/o/x Studies where she researched femicide and transfemicide in Latin America. Daniella is completing her Master’s degree in Chicana/o/x Studies at CSU Northridge where she is researching how first-generation Chicana/xs use spirituality and other coping mechanisms to overcome institutional barriers in higher education and academia at large. She has a passion for uplifting underserved and marginalized communities and aspires to put the teachings of her community into praxis by attending law school. In her spare time, Daniella likes to spend quality time with friends and family, dance, and go to the gym or beach.
Kendra is a supervising attorney on Inner City Law Center’s preventing homelessness project. She previously worked on “Clean Slate” initiatives with folks returning from incarceration, aiding in removing and reducing barriers to success. She has also worked with the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated teens of Washington State. During school, Kendra interned in dependency court and with a prison law project. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Literature, and earned her J.D. at University of Washington School of Law.
Chris Kung is a Senior Staff Attorney at Inner City Law Center, a non-profit poverty law firm dedicated to providing legal services to the Los Angeles County community. In the last 8 years, Chris has focused primarily on providing legal services to survivors of domestic violence and the low-income population. Prior to working at ICLC, Chris spent the last 8 years working in the non-profit sector. Most recently, Chris spent the last 4 years at Peace Over Violence, a Los Angeles based non-profit dedicated to assisting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. While, at POV, he assisted clients with their family law issues and housing issues stemming from their experiences from domestic violence or sexual assault. He is also a former 2018-2020 Non-Profit Fellow at the American Bar Association – Family Law Section. As an ABA Fellow, Chris moderated several panel discussions on a variety of family law topics.
Chris received a law degree from the University of Denver Law School and his undergraduate degree from the University of California Riverside. Chris has traveled and lived in many different parts of the country and world, but he will always consider Los Angeles as his hometown. He enjoys serving and giving back to the community where he grew up.
Ethan recently joined the Inner City Law Center’s Lawyers Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project after practicing law for the past 3 years as a Staff Attorney for Southern Arizona Legal Aid, Inc., where he handled civil, consumer, family, orders of protection, probate, public benefits, and property matters, including foreclosures, housing, and eviction cases. During the pandemic, Ethan also worked as a volunteer hotline operator for the Arizona Attorneys Respond, COVID-19 Legal Hotline, where he provided legal information and referrals to callers to legal aid organizations for free legal advice from attorneys on COVID-19 related legal matters. Earlier, Ethan worked as a judicial law clerk for judges of the Connecticut Superior Court for 2.5 years. Ethan enjoys partnering with community organizations to address systemic housing and public benefits issues and is grateful to be joining the Inner City Law Center at this important time. Ethan received his B.A. degree from Franklin & Marshall College, J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School, and LL.M. degree from Santa Clara University School of Law.
Míchel Angela Martinez joined Inner City Law Center in June 2018 as the Project Coordinator with our Lawyers Preventing and Ending Homelessness Team. She is a longtime organizer and photographer born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. A first-generation college graduate, she has a Ph.D. in Politics and Photography from USC where she focused on the right to photograph and how to use images to fight police brutality. As a member of the National Lawyers Guild and National Police Accountability Project, she shows fellow organizers the “know your rights” ropes, and trains people in direct action and strategic campaign escalation. She comes to Inner City Law Center from USC where she taught courses in community organizing, international law, human rights, criminal justice, and constitutional law and policy, while also advocating on behalf of students experiencing racism and gender discrimination. Prior to that, she was a National Organizer for the National Lawyers Guild in New York, where she worked on issues as varied as prisons, poverty, war, environmental justice, capital punishment, torture, and workers’ rights. She puts her diversified toolbox to good use with a “by any means necessary” approach to social justice. A former collegiate triathlete, she now enjoys sports and the outdoors as a way to connect with friends, family, and her partner, a radical lawyer.
Matthew Nussbaum joined Inner City Law Center’s Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project this year after graduating from NYU Law School. During law school, he co-directed the Prison Teaching Project – a program offering classes on legal research methods to prisoners in Rikers, Taconic Correctional Facility, and Bedford Correctional Facility. He also participated in the school’s Immigrant Rights Clinic, where he worked to contest the deportation of a client, and the Racial Justice Clinic, where he prepared a client for their upcoming parole board hearing. During the summers, Matt interned at Staten Island Legal Services’ Housing Unit and the Public Defender’s Office of Alameda County.
Prior to law school, Matt worked as an assistant paralegal for Fragomen, a law firm specializing in business immigration, and was a member of the Glide Harm Reduction Clinic in San Francisco. Matt received his B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University, graduating in 2016.
Dennise Onchi-Molina (she/hers) serves as an Administrative Clerk for the Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project after joining Inner City Law Center in September 2021. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Latin American/ Latinx Studies and Politics. There, she was a student researcher for the Human Rights Investigations Lab where she used open-source investigation skills to study abuses in specific regions. Dennise was quickly promoted to lead her own team of researchers and collaborate with partners. During her time at UCSC, she also served as a student program coordinator for El Centro, the Chicanx/ Latinx Resource Center where she provided a safe space for students of color. In this position, she facilitated events to promote cultural inclusivity. Dennise went on to become a research fellow conducting qualitative coding for Federal Trade Commission immigration scam cases in the U.S. This past summer, she drafted an analysis for scam denunciations in collaboration with other researchers.
With a passion for human rights and social justice advocacy, Dennise hopes her work will help marginalized communities and reduce racial disparities facing the community. Coming from a low-income background, she recognizes the positive change ICLC is making and is proud to be working with the team. Dennise aims to become an attorney or lead her own non-profit organization in the future. In her spare time, she likes to be with family, go bowling, and try new foods!
Sarah is a Senior Paralegal in Homelessness Prevention’s Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project. She started her social services career over two decades ago, working in a residential care program with individuals who were released from Northampton State Hospital (MA) upon its closure. Sarah later worked as an independent study teacher with teens in a dual diagnosis program, and then for a charter school to facilitate homeschooling for families throughout Los Angeles County. Prior to joining ICLC, Sarah worked at Public Counsel for 11 years, doing government benefits and other advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS, and for residents of Skid Row, in addition to running the Homeless Court. She is also a dedicated yogi, and has taught restorative yoga in Skid Row. Sarah is deeply committed to serving the most vulnerable and marginalized Angelenos through a holistic approach of heart and zeal.
Born and raised in west Los Angeles, Max Spivak is a May 2021 graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law with a certificate from the Law and Indigenous Peoples Program and coursework in federal Indian law, tribal law, and environmental law. Max previously worked for Native American Rights Fund’s Anchorage office, the Southwest Women’s Law Center in Albuquerque, DNA-People’s Legal Services in Window Rock, Navajo Nation, and the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic in Chicago (n/k/a Ascend Justice). In 2018, Max received a B.A. in International Studies from American University in Washington, D.C. Aside from his work at Inner City Law Center, Max’s interests and experience include environmental and cultural preservation, pro-poor economics and policy, and intersectional reproductive justice.
Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Deborah worked as a Litigation Legal Secretary at Knight Law. In May 2019, she graduated from California State University Channel Islands with a Bachelors in Sociology and a double minor in Chicano Studies and Political Science. As a first generation Chicana, she has great interest in immigration policy and social justice issues, so she intends to attend law school to continue to serve those unrepresented groups. In her spare time, she is either volunteering, at the beach with her partner, or binge-watching Crime & Rom Coms on Netflix.
Bindhu Varghese joined Inner City Law Center in April 2021. Prior to this, Bindhu served as a legal consultant and corporate attorney for start-ups, most recently consulting for a virtual platform that supports women in their careers, motherhood, and political engagement. In addition, Bindhu has defended employers and insurance carriers in matters of workers’ compensation. She is committed to using her broad experience in administrative litigation to improve the lives of Los Angeles’ most marginalized and underserved population.
Believing in the power of community discourse to create change, Bindhu advocates for more inclusive communities as a Director on the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, and currently serves on the McGeorge School of Law Diversity Board. During her time in private practice, she did pro bono work for various non-profit organizations, including ICLC. Bindhu received her Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from University of California, Berkeley, and J.D. from McGeorge School of Law.
Erin joined Inner City Law Center in July of 2019 as a Senior Paralegal for the Lawyers Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project. Erin graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA degree in Law and Society and earned her Paralegal Certificate from the UCLA Extension Program in 2005. Prior to ICLC, Erin worked as a Paralegal for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, the US Attorney’s Office working in a special unit facilitating hundreds of Petitions from incarcerated individuals seeking early release based on new guidelines form the Sentencing Commission, and as a Senior Paralegal doing litigation work for a Civil Rights Law Firm.
In her 9 year career, Erin has provided trial support to attorneys, as well as mitigation work for felony and death penalty cases. Working with the Public Defender’s Office opened Erin’s eyes to all the injustices that take place in our criminal justice system and how it deeply affects our marginalized communities. She knew that social justice was where her focus would remain thrilled to be a part of the ICLC team, where she can make a difference and work towards ending of homelessness.
Ariel is a 2021 graduate of Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California. She received a Criminal Law Concentration distinction upon graduation in May 2021. She joined Inner City Law Center as a Norton Rose Fulbright Fellow working on the Lawyers Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project. During law school, Ariel worked in various fields of criminal law, including internships at a private criminal defense firm, the LA District Attorney’s office, and the LA Alternate Public Defender’s Office. She volunteered in the Street Law Clinic by teaching underserved high school students about their rights, including housing law and more. Further, Ariel previously interned at a California-based legal non-profit, Root and Rebound, and helped formerly convicted persons overcome barriers to obtaining housing and employment. She hopes to bring a holistically based approach to empower disadvantaged groups in Los Angeles. In 2017, Ariel received her Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
Adam has practiced in the areas of juvenile dependency, civil and criminal law. His public interest experience includes work with Public Counsel, the Voluntary Legal Services Program of Northern California, and the Department of Parks and Recreation for the State of California. With a focus on indigent legal defense and access to justice for some of our most vulnerable populations, Adam has worked with service providers and colleagues to help clients overcome a variety of institutional, cultural, mental health, and substance-abuse related barriers to regaining their parental and other fundamental rights. Adam studied Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego, and received his Juris Doctor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.
Mary Boyd is a Senior Staff Attorney in Inner City Law Center’s homeless veterans project. She formally served as an attorney with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals in Washington D.C. At the Board she drafted decisions for the Veterans Law Judges. While in law school Mary focused on public interest law; and she interned with the City of Springfield: Code Enforcement Division where she worked to help tenants stay in their homes and brought landlords to justice for unsafe housing conditions. Mary also interned with the Hampton Public Defenders Office, Juvenile Justice Division in Virginia, the International Human Rights Clinic of Massachusetts, and had the privilege of serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Tina S. Page at the Superior Court of Hampden County in Springfield, Massachusetts. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with her B.S. in Print Journalism and History, and earned her J.D. at Western New England College School of Law.
Billy received his BA from UCLA in 2015 and graduated from Harvard Law School in May 2020. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Billy worked representing parents in dependency court with Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers. Billy previously served at the Public Defender in Miami, fighting for people accused of crimes. During law school, Billy was President of Harvard Defenders, an organization that represents people in criminal hearings. He also spent two years representing low income clients in family proceedings with the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.
A 2013 graduate of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, Jon joined Inner City Law Center as an Equal Justice Works Legal Fellow working with the Homeless Veterans Project. Jon started a medical legal partnership with the West Los Angeles Veteran’s Hospital and works with veterans who are patients in the VA’s homeless primary care clinic. During law school, Jon clerked at the Northwest Justice Project where he helped low-income residents access state healthcare benefits. Jon also externed at Mental Health Advocacy Services and the Disability Rights Legal Center. Prior to law school, Jon was a Jesuit Volunteer working as a case manager and operations supervisor at a homeless shelter in Spokane, Washington.
Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Charles worked as an Appellate Case Briefer for the Daily Journal Corporation. In 2019, he graduated from Loyola Law School where he participated in several clinical experiences. Charles was a certified law student at the Center for Juvenile Law and Policy and a member of the International Human Rights Clinic. Charles is a Los Angeles Native and grew up in the East San Gabriel Valley.
Sydney joined Inner City Law Center in August of 2021 as a paralegal on the Homeless Veterans Project. Prior to joining the team, Sydney graduated from UC Riverside where she obtained a B.A. in Psychology. During her time at UCR, Sydney worked for her campus’ wellness center as the President of External Affairs for Active Minds where she created and oversaw the implementation of campus-wide mental health programs. Additionally, Sydney worked as President’s Office Intern with the National Organization for Women in Washington D.C. where worked on campaigns to change policy for women nationwide. After her graduation, Sydney worked as a community organizer for Gente Organizada where she led and organized Pomona community members around campaigns focused on improving the conditions of Pomona, CA’s immigrant, low-income community. Through her time with Gente, Sydney saw the impact the law could have on the lives of historically disenfranchised communities. This inspired her to receive her A.S. in Paralegal Studies from Mt. San Antonio College. Sydney looks forward to continuing her work in uplifting, assisting, and advocating for marginalized communities.
Abbey joined Inner City Law Center’s Homeless Veterans Project in September of 2018 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by Kirkland & Ellis, LLP and Raytheon. Her fellowship project is to develop a medical-legal partnership with the Center of Excellence clinic at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and join the primary care physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers on the team there to provide holistic care to the clinic’s homeless patients. During law school, Abbey served as the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles fellow with Inner City Law Center’s Homeless Veterans Project, where she assisted women veterans in their claims for VA benefits and discharge upgrades. She was also a student attorney in the Michigan Innocence Clinic and interned at Legal Services of South Central Michigan. She earned both her B.A. in Psychology and her J.D. from the University of Michigan.
Kara joined Inner City Law Center in 2012 and is the Directing Attorney of the Homeless Veterans Project. She supervises a legal team that represents veterans experiencing homelessness to get them access to stable income, healthcare, and housing. Kara specializes in advocating on behalf of survivors of military sexual violence and combat trauma, as well as veterans with complex mental health disabilities.
During law school, Kara was a fellow in the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, and her article exploring the pervasive nature of psychotropic medications in the military was published in the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice. She also worked in USC Law’s Immigration Clinic where she represented clients seeking asylum and other forms of relief after escaping persecution in their home countries.
Kara is a graduate of USC Gould School of Law and earned her A.B. from Georgetown University. She has also worked as a lecturer-in-law at UCLA School of Law, where she taught the course Introduction to the Lawyer-Client Relationship.
Chad is deeply committed to social change, primarily through his work with faith-based organizations striving for racial justice and LGBTQ equality. He has served as a minister at progressive, multicultural churches in New York City and Pittsburgh. Prior to ministry, Chad worked as a corporate accountant on Wall Street, where he was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs. He earned a B.S. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.
Benjamin Phillips joined Inner City Law Center in 2021 as a Housing Justice Fellow in ICLC’s homeless veterans project. From 2020-2021, he clerked for Senior U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn O. Silver in Phoenix, Arizona. In law school, Benjamin interned with the United States Department of Justice, Public Counsel, and the Homeless Action Center. He served as a research assistant for Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. Prior to law school, Benjamin was an AmeriCorps member with City Year Los Angeles at UCLA Community School, teaching and mentoring ninth grade students. He also clerked for Mental Health Advocacy Systems and taught religious school at Wilshire Boulevard Temple. He earned his B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Southern California and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Amanda is a 2017 graduate of the University of Miami School of Law in Miami, Florida, and joined ICLC as a Staff Attorney working with the Homeless Veterans Project. During law school, Amanda served as a HOPE Fellow with The Door Legal Services in New York, an agency that addresses a wide range of legal, education, and health needs for New York City youth. She also served as a HOPE Summer Public Interest Fellow with Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., where she focused on housing and veterans’ issues. She was a law clerk with the Florida Justice Institute, working on prisoners’ rights issues. Prior to law school, Amanda worked as a victim advocate and a therapist for children with autism. She earned a B.A. in Speech Pathology and a B.A. in Psychology from Northern Arizona University.
Ruth is a Central American Latina who grew up in the Pico Union area of Los Angeles. Prior to joining the Homeless Veterans team, she graduated from the University of California, Merced where she obtained a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Political Science. After graduating, she worked with CARECEN (Central American Resource Center) where she joined the Survivors of Violence team in helping a large low-income population obtain legal status. Her time at CARECEN allowed her to value work centered around the Los Angeles community and specifically with helping folks obtain as many resources as possible. She hopes to continue empathetically being an asset and a voice to those around her.
Thomas joined Inner City Law Center in August 2019, as an attorney with a focus on Social Security and other public assistance programs. After graduating from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2013, he worked in plaintiff side Personal Injury and discovered his passion for public interest while volunteering his time advocating for victims of domestic violence with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program. From 2015 to 2019, Thomas worked for Bay Area Legal Aid – with a focus on Economic Justice (public benefit advocacy) – in a Medical-Legal Partnership with Contra Costa Health Services. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his heartmate, Niko.
Jaradie is a Paralegal on Inner City Law Center’s Public Benefits team. She works with the Hearings Team assisting those who were denied at the initial claim level with appealing their decision. Having graduated from U.C Irvine in 2017 with a B.A in Public Health Policy, she decided to pursue a career in public interest. Prior to ICLC, Jaradie worked at Lutheran Social Services and Help Me Help You as a Benefits Specialist assisting disabled, homeless individuals with applying for Social Security Benefits or CAPI Benefits at the initial claim level.
Lucy Fitzpatrick is the Project Coordinator for the CBEST program, for which Inner City Law Center provides technical assistance and training to partner agencies that are working towards enrolling eligible homeless individuals in federal disability benefits. She has many years of experience in this area, having done benefits advocacy work at Public Counsel, HALSA, and the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee. In addition to practicing law, Lucy has been a classroom teacher at all levels from preschool through high school, and has had the opportunity to teach in California, Wisconsin, Mexico, and Cameroon.
Henry is a Paralegal with Inner City Law Center’s Benefits Hearings Team. He returned to Los Angeles after spending two years in Georgia working with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation in their Safe Families Offices, assisting clients experiencing intimate partner abuse in court matters related to protective order filings. Prior to this, he worked with survivors of IPA, hate crimes, and discrimination at the Los Angeles LBGT Center after a previous position focusing on underserved victims at the LA City’s Victim Assistance Program.
Kyle Gilliam joined Inner City Law Center as a Staff Attorney on the Public Benefits Hearings team in April 2022. He previously worked at Mental Health Advocacy Services, where he provided free legal services to patients of DHS facilities as part of a medical-legal partnership in matters involving fair housing and public benefits.
He received his B.A. in Political Science from Lewis & Clark College in Portland Oregon in 2013, and his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2017. He has previously interned with Inner City Law Center, Neighborhood Legal Services, the Los Angeles County Public Defender, and the Federal Public Defender.
Andrea Gutierrez joined Inner City Law Center in June 2018 as a Paralegal Trainee on their CBEST Hearings Team helping people who have been denied or are at risk of losing their benefits. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Andrea worked at BASTA, Inc. as a Community Affairs Coordinator for six years where she assisted low-income tenants facing eviction and asserting their tenants’ rights, specializing in Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Andrea was born and raised in South LA which has inspired her to do more for her community in order to assist others and help people assert their rights.
Diana joined Inner City Law Center in April 2021 as a staff attorney on the public benefits team. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, she was a staff attorney at Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, where she advocated for parents to regain custody of their children. She also has experience representing consumers in lemon law actions. Diana received her B.A. in sociology from UC Berkeley, where she was on the Dean’s Honors List, and her J.D. from UC Hastings. Diana considers it a privilege to be able to use her education and legal training to help people in need.
Jin joined Inner City Law Center’s Public Benefits team in September 2017 as a Senior Staff Attorney. A long-time resident of Los Angeles, she graduated from Scripps College and Southwestern Law School. Throughout law school, she clerked with the California Women’s Law Center and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles where she worked with victims of domestic violence. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, she was with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles for over seven years where she specialized in CalWORKs, GAIN, CalFresh, CAPI, General Relief, and Social Security benefits. In addition to providing direct legal services to clients in these benefit areas, she has worked extensively on policy advocacy to address systemic problems and barriers faced by benefit recipients. As a public benefits advocate, she believes strongly in decreasing the stigma associated with receiving benefits and in increasing access to benefits for the most vulnerable.
Rima joined Inner City Law Center as a Staff Attorney in the Public Benefits Hearings Team in August 2021. She previously worked in public benefits advocacy in Alameda County at the Homeless Action Center for over four years. She received her B.A. degree in Political Economy from UC Berkeley in 2012 and her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2015. She believes that good legal practice affirms the inherent and equal value of every member of the community.
Mike joined Inner City Law Center in January of 2021 as a Senior Staff Attorney with the Public Benefits Technical Assistance Team. Before coming to Inner City Law Center, Mike was a staff attorney at OneJustice where he provided technical assistance to domestic violence shelters, immigrant advocacy organizations, and rural social services providers looking to expand legal resources for their clients. He previously worked as a staff attorney in the Reno office of Nevada Legal Services focusing on re-entry issues and coordinating legal/medical partnerships. He has also worked with the Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection, and practiced consumer law with the Public Law Center in Orange County. Mike has a B.A. in political science from UC Irvine, and a J.D. from UC Davis School of Law where he focused on public interest law.
Eve Rutzick joined Inner City Law Center in March 2018 as a senior staff attorney on the public benefits Technical Assistance team. Since January 2020, Eve has been the supervising attorney for the public benefits hearings team. Eve began her legal career at the Eviction Defense Network in Los Angeles helping low-income tenants fight eviction actions. She then worked at the Social Security Administration in the disability program as an attorney advisor and a supervising attorney. Eve received her B.A. in sociocultural anthropology from the University of Washington and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where she was a member of the UCLA Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. During law school, Eve interned at the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law, Public Counsel, and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. She strongly believes that the law can be used as a tool to increase social justice.
Emily Sabillon is a Paralegal Trainee with the Benefits Technical Assistance Team at Inner City Law Center. She grew up in Los Angeles County, east of DTLA. She obtained a B.A. in English and Communications at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). During her time in undergrad, she was part of a Pre-Law Organization and a Communications Honors Society. She was also part of a mentorship program called UCLA Law Fellows which prepares students for a career in law. Emily also had the opportunity to study abroad in Italy. This experience gave her a better understanding of her identity as a U.S. citizen in the global context. Upon graduating from UCSB, she aspired to work in the legal field due to prior experiences with injustice against workers’ rights and immigrants’ rights. Prior to Inner City Law Center, she worked at a private family law firm based in Pasadena. During this time, she helped clients with custody disputes, divorce requirements, and child support. As someone who has always wanted to work in public interest law, Emily is excited to be a part of Inner City Law Center and assist the homeless population in obtaining public benefits.
Lily joined Inner City Law Center in March of 2018. As an Arizonan by birth but a Californian by choice, Lily graduated from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law with pro bono distinction and a certificate in Indian Law. Since relocating to the Golden State, Lily has provided legal services to seniors in California’s Central Valley, including assistance in estate planning, as well as consumer, elder abuse, and foreclosure litigation. Before joining Inner City Law Center, she defended low-income tenants in eviction cases in San Diego through the Sargent Shriver Civil Counsel Act. Lily is now proud to be part of a passionate team dedicated to helping those who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes secure crucial benefits they deserve.
A lifelong Angeleno, Helen graduated from UCLA where she received her BA in English with a minor in Civic Engagement. During her time at UCLA, she was able to apply her passion for protecting and advocating for marginalized communities through internships with various nonprofits such as CHIRLA and CollegeSpring. At CHIRLA, she supported a team of lawyers that provide crucial legal immigrant services. At CollegeSpring she tutored students from underserved schools, and mentored them through the college application process. Helen is excited to continue to serve and assist the vulnerable community members of Los Angeles and is committed to raising awareness of public issues and encouraging others to actively participate within their communities.
Pedro joined Inner City Law Center as a Paralegal Trainee on the Litigation team. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Pedro worked as a housing case manager, working closely with LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS communities in Los Angeles. He’s assisted many undocumented black and brown folk access housing and resources throughout the city, including those at ICLC. Pedro graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A in Sociology. He’s been a part of various non-profits in both the Bay Area and Southern California, focusing on work that uplifts and transforms marginalized communities of color. He grew up in South Central LA, and strongly believes that safe, affordable housing is a right and not a privilege. Pedro is excited to join the passionate team at Inner City Law Center, who are committed to defending the rights all tenants are entitled to.
Prior to Inner City Law Center, Amy worked for Titan Offices as the Front Desk Receptionist and as a Family Law Paralegal for Neighborhood Legal Services. Amy attended Cal State University, Northridge and majored in Social Welfare/Justice. Amy enjoys spreading awareness throughout her community and will always make sure to remind herself/others to feel the greatness in each day of life. Amy is excited to be part of Inner City Law Center where she can put all her passion and experience into action.
Deborah joined Inner City Law Center in July 2019 as a Senior Staff Attorney in the slum housing litigation unit. A mid-westerner by birth but a Californian by choice, Deborah graduated magna cum laude from Indiana University School of Law. During law school, she volunteered with the Inmate Legal Services Clinic and served as research assistant to Professor Joseph Hoffman, a nationally recognized authority on the death penalty. Since law school, she successfully obtained political asylum for two refugees from Somalia and volunteers with LA Works. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Deborah represented aggrieved employees for more than a decade in discrimination, harassment, and whistleblower retaliation cases. Deborah is now proud to be part of the passionate team at ICLC.
Ted is a NAPABA Law Foundation Community Law Fellow at Inner City Law Center’s Affirmative Litigation team. Having grown up as a low-income, undocumented youth in Koreatown, Los Angeles, Ted is committed to serving those who are most deeply affected and harmed by racial and economic injustice.
Throughout law school, Ted served the community as a clinical student at East Bay Community Law Center’s Consumer Justice Clinic and Consumer Justice Workshop.
In May 2021, Ted received his J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law, where he won the Pro Bono Champion Award and the Honorable Mention for the Brian M. Sax Award for Excellence in Clinical Advocacy.
Laura joined Inner City Law Center in September 2021 as a senior staff attorney in the slum housing litigation unit. Before joining Inner City Law Center, she worked at Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, where she focused on tenants’ rights and unlawful detainer defense. She began her legal career in Alaska, where she clerked for the Alaska Superior Court and the Alaska Court of Appeals, and then worked as a staff attorney for Alaska Legal Services Corporation. She received her B.A. from Grinnell College and her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.
Eric joined Inner City Law Center as a Tenant Organizer in June 2014. He became a certified Paralegal and joined the Affirmative Litigation unit in August 2015. Prior to working at ICLC, Eric interned with the Coalition for Economic Survival, where he first gained exposure to tenants’ rights and other housing issues. He later collaborated with psychologists at Cedars Sinai Medical Center on a project that helped the disenfranchised and Spanish-speaking, HIV-positive community in Los Angeles. Eric is originally from Brooklyn, New York and graduated from Occidental College in 2014 with a B.A. in History and a minor in Political Science.
Fely joined Inner City Law Center as a Tenant Organizer in April 2011. Fely educates tenants about habitability issues through the Rent Escrow Account Program to promote safe and healthy housing. She comes to ICLC with three years of tenant organizing experience with the Coalition for Economic Survival. Prior to CES, Fely owned, operated and managed a catering and restaurant business in Lynwood, CA. Her success as an entrepreneur allowed her to contribute to her community in a personal manner by providing work experience and culinary knowledge to underprivileged teens.
Jose Luis Surio joined Inner City Law Center in 2014 as a Tenant Organizer. He educates tenants about healthy housing through the Rent Escrow Account Program. As someone who grew up in similar conditions, Jose Luis can connect with our clients through those firsthand experiences. Jose is a mentor for Youth Mentoring Connections where he mentors high school students and volunteers. These experiences have empowered Jose Luis to educate others about how to live in safer housing and protect their rights as tenants.
Ernesto Velazquez joined the Organizing team at Inner City Law Center in March 2018. He works on educating tenants through the Rent Escrow Account Program and focuses on tenant rights. Ernesto is a native of Los Angeles and his connection to this community makes the work he does all the more meaningful. He is passionate about social justice and helping the vulnerable members of our community. Prior to joining ICLC, Ernesto worked on low-income energy consumption and education. He has a Bachelors degree in History from the University of California, Riverside, where he graduated in 2015.
Sasha Harnden has joined Inner City Law Center as a Public Policy Advocate focused on issues related to housing and homelessness. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Sasha was a Housing Policy Advocate with the Western Center on Law & Poverty, drafting and lobbying for the passage of legislation related to housing supply and tenant protections, including AB 1482 and SB 329. Sasha began his legal career at LAFLA, providing direct services to tenants, technical assistance to community organizations and coalitions, and participating in impact litigation on housing, land use and environmental justice issues. Sasha was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended UC Santa Cruz as an undergrad and UC Davis for law school.
Mahdi joined Inner City Law Center as a Public Policy Advocate in May 2020. His work focuses on developing and advocating for policies to end and prevent homelessness in Los Angeles County. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Mahdi worked with the ACLU of Southern California where he planned and managed ACLU SoCal’s Schools and Communities First Campaign efforts. He has worked on electoral and issue organizing campaigns in Los Angeles, Orange County, Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia including organizing efforts to defend the Affordable Care Act in pivotal Orange County congressional districts. Mahdi is a graduate of UCLA and speaks Farsi and Urdu.
Recently earning his Master’s in Education, Deon yearns to explore passions at the intersection of public policy and law. Given Deon’s dynamic educational and experiential trajectory, he seeks to employ a social and economic justice framework aimed at sparking civic engagement at the grassroots’ level. Thus, he has become well-versed in federal, state, county, and city policy analysis while assessing how program implementation affects our diverse communities and constituencies. He is thrilled to launch his career in public policy with Inner City Law Center in hopes of leveraging a platform to construct an authentic, inclusive, and collaborative Los Angeles community. In his spare time, Deon is enthusiastic about fitness – perpetually searching for different hiking or biking trails. He finds his spark and inspiration through nature. You can often find him enjoying a good read along the shorelines of Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach.
Grace Buchholz comes to the Inner City Law Center team by way of the St. Joseph Worker Program in Los Angeles where she is completing a year of service. Prior to joining ICLC, she attended Merrimack College and graduated in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting and Global Management. A New York native, she was drawn to the Los Angeles area by the intersection of social justice areas, about which she is very passionate.
Vidhya joined Inner City Law Center as its Pro Bono Coordinator in January 2015 and is currently its Director of Pro Bono. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, she practiced complex commercial litigation for over five years at the law firms of Crowell & Moring LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Vidhya handled a variety of matters relating to antitrust, real estate, contracts, environmental law, and insurance. Vidhya also maintained an active pro bono practice, representing a variety of clients on issues such as immigration, guardianship, and housing law.
Vidhya is active in the legal community, currently serving on the board of the Women Lawyer’s Association of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee. She was a member of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC), a president of SABA-SC’s Public Interest Foundation, a board member of the South Asian Network, and a member of the State Bar of California’s Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services. Vidhya received degrees in Political Science and Psychology from UCLA and her J.D. from UCLA.
Before joining Inner City Law Center, Jazmine represented corporate clients in a variety of complex civil litigation matters relating to state constitutional law, securities, bankruptcy, and SEC and DOJ investigations. Throughout her academic and professional careers, she has been deeply dedicated to representing the interests of marginalized communities. While in law school, she worked as a student advocate in the East Bay Community Law Clinic where she helped at-risk consumers successfully represent themselves in third-party debt collection suits. As part of her pro bono practice, she helped to secure asylum for refugees fleeing female genital mutilation. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she served as Academic Advisor to the Law Students of African Descent and was a Boalt Hall Dean’s Fellow. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Spelman College. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking and learning new languages.
Erin works closely with Chief Executive Officer, Adam Murray, and the Board of Directors and Advisors to coordinate logistics for special initiatives. She manages Inner City Law Center’s affiliate website www.Homeful.LA and the team it takes to make people in Los Angeles aware of how they can volunteer, advocate, or donate towards ending homelessness. Erin has a Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School and a B.S. in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management from Columbia College Chicago. Erin is an experienced Operations Manager, Business Developer, Administrator, Leadership Coach and Small Business Consultant. She is also the founder of E3 Enterprises LLC and a nonprofit organization called The S Word Project.
Development
Viki Battaglia brings over 20 years of non-profit experience along with a passion for alleviating homelessness. Viki has used her talents of fundraising and event planning at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens; Pilgrim Place; and the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese Office of Restorative Justice, among other organizations. She is looking forward to helping bring attention and support to those most defenseless in our community. In her spare time, Viki can be found teaching Sunday school, doing clothing and food drives for migrant farmworkers, or reading the next L.A. Times bestseller.
Kym Pietsch joined Inner City Law Center as Director of Development in March 2019. As a strategic and creative development professional with a passion for helping to end homelessness, she brings more than 25 years of fundraising experience to her role. Kym has managed teams of staff and volunteers to raise more than $56 million in philanthropic revenue, and has a long track record of helping non-profit organizations to grow and reach their fundraising potential. Kym led successful capital campaigns at Union Station Homeless Services, Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA, and Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children.
Aldra joined Inner City Law Center as Grants Manager in April 2018. She began her career in the nonprofit sector in 2001 through the AmeriCorps VISTA program, working with Habitat for Humanity. Throughout her career, Aldra has focused her work on helping veterans and people experiencing homelessness access the resources they need to achieve stability. She is honored to continue serving low-income people by supporting the work of Inner City Law Center’s attorneys and paralegals in their fight to protect vulnerable Angelenos.
Administration & Finance
Oneida has an extensive background and experience with nearly 20 years as grants management professional in government and the nonprofit sectors, focusing on the areas of health, housing, veteran’s services, emergency management and homeland security, law enforcement and public safety. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Oneida served as the Development Management at QueensCare Health Centers, responsible for coordinating, managing and leading the proposal development and post award processes. Oneida received an MA in Justice Systems with a specialization in Human Rights and Discriminatory Processes from Universidad del Sagrado Corazon in Puerto Rico, and a BA in Criminal Justice from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. In addition, Oneida obtained a Paralegal Studies Program Certificate from Florida International University’s Legal Studies Institute in Miami, and served over 10 years as a senior litigation paralegal at major law firms in Puerto Rico. Oneida is passionate about her work and being able to contribute to the overall wellbeing of individuals and families in underserved communities.
Juliet joined Inner City Law Center as Director of Administration in October 2013. She has over 14 years of legal services experience, working in all levels of personnel, including as support staff, advocate, and administrator. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Juliet worked with the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ) as the Director of Administration. Juliet has effectively managed government contracts, private grants, financial audits, human resources, office operations and supervision of support staff and volunteers. Juliet enthusiastically believes in the cause of legal services and views her role in finance and administration as a support system that makes the direct services model possible. Her dedication to social justice issues stems from the parallels between ICLC’s clients and her own experience growing up in Southeast Los Angeles.
Nell joined Inner City Law Center in May 2018 to help expand our organization’s recruiting efforts. She graduated from Missouri State University in 2013 with a B.S. in Hospitality and Restaurant Administration. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Nell managed restaurants and hotels, organizing teams of cooks, servers, bartenders, housekeepers, and guest service agents. She is passionate about protecting and uplifting marginalized communities, as well as facilitating safe workplace environments where each individual is treated with dignity and respect. Nell feels honored to be able to use her hospitality skills to make Inner City Law Center a warm and inviting environment for both clients and staff.
Lisa’s expertise is in administration and operations. Through interdepartmental partnership and collaboration, she develops systems and processes that promote increased efficiency, consistency, and impact of the organization. Lisa is skilled at spearheading day-to-day operational activities including hiring and onboarding, professional development, project management, budgetary oversight, grants management and compliance, health and safety, vendor relationships, inventory management, procurement, and organizational development.
As Operations Manager at Inner City Law Center, Lisa continues to hone her capacity as a leader, and incorporates insights gained as a participant of executive education programs, and as a member of the Project Management Institute. Lisa feels particularly at home at Inner City Law Center because she can continue working on reducing social inequalities, an area in which she has amassed over a decade of community outreach experience. She has coordinated teams to develop community vegetable gardens, provide food and clothing to those experiencing homelessness, and taught computer and interviewing skills to non-native English speakers.
Gloria is a Screener and Receptionist at Inner City Law Center and has been with the organization since 2006. Gloria appreciates learning from clients as well as helping them. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Gloria served as Office Clerk at Elco Lighting. Gloria has a variety of artistic skills including painting, decorating and dancing.
Tai joined the Inner City Law Center leadership team in September 2015. She has been an influential advocate for the rights of poor and low-income individuals for over 20 years. Tai initiated and oversaw the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’ highly regarded Housing Improvement Project from 2000 to 2008, during which time the project successfully litigated groundbreaking cases including the first case asserting a tenant’s right to return after being paid emergency relocation benefits by the City of Los Angeles and Cruz v Superior Court, in partnership with Western Center on Law and Poverty, which expanded low-income Californians’ right to access the courts and was the first California decision regarding fee waivers in almost 20 years. She was appointed to the City of Los Angeles Rent Adjustment Commission by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2013 and was the 2011 recipient of Loyola Law School’s Public Interest Award. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Tai served as the Executive Director of Levitt & Quinn Family Law Center.
Daniel is one of the office managers at Inner City Law Center. He graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. He is passionate about social justice and hopes his work will have a meaningful impact on the community. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and going to botanical gardens.
Prior to joining Inner City Law Center in January 2022, Terry served as the Grant Systems Manager for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA. There he managed grant administration, program deliverable progress, and internal tracking systems for grants and reports. Terry also played a critical role in the legal department’s transition to LegalServer and the development department’s transition to Salesforce. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from UCLA.
Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Angelica served as the Grant Systems Director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA. There she managed the legal department’s grant administration, program evaluation, and wide network of community partners. Angelica also spent several years working at NALEO Educational Fund, where her work focused on the political and civic participation of the Latinx community. She holds a Masters in Public Affairs and Politics from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelors in Political Science and Latin American Studies from UCLA.
Odessia started as the Program Assistant with Inner City Law Center in June 2021. Prior to that, she was an outreach paralegal with the community lawyering team at Legal Aid of NW Texas (LANWT) working on affordable housing, environmental justice, and community development legal issues. She has also worked in a medical-legal partnership organization in Tennessee, and for the City Attorney of Chattanooga where she researched transportation policy focused on accessibility in low-income neighborhoods. Throughout high school and college, Odessia organized with state-level legislative campaigns, her campus workers’ union, the local Democratic Socialist of America chapters, and other groups seeking to eradicate poverty and empower vulnerable communities. She has a Bachelor of Science in Political Science: Public Policy and a minor in Sociology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Roland serves as one of our receptionists/call screeners at Inner City Law Center, while also creating various logos, presentations, and other assorted graphic designs for our organization. Before joining Inner City Law Center, he was an English and Performing Arts teacher at the high school and collegiate level for more than ten years. Roland has prior experience in journalism as a reporter, editor, and graphic designer, as well as a broadcast engineer, producer, and voice actor for radio stations throughout Los Angeles. Roland earned his B.A. in Child Development from San José State University and is working towards his Master’s Degree in Education from Mount Saint Mary’s University.
Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Juan worked as an associate at In-N-Out and served as a finance manager for a club known as CASSA. Juan attended California State University Fullerton and graduated with a Bachelors in Liberal Studies. He is the first in his family to graduate from a university and also the eldest of five children. In his spare time, he enjoys going to movies and spending time with his family.
Stephen Gee is a Senior Staff Accountant at Inner City Law Center, a non-profit poverty law firm dedicated to providing legal services to the Los Angeles County community. Stephen has worked in non-profits for over 14 years. In the past 11 years, Stephen has worked at Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) in a similar capacity. While at LAFLA, he has also worked one year helping clients directly as a Shriver attorney and understands the hard work needed to keep up with large caseloads and the fast-paced environment. He believes that working in Accounting/Payroll is like providing customer service and hopes to provide the highest level of service to our employees. Stephen received a law degree from Southwestern Law School and his undergraduate degree from CSU Los Angeles. Whenever he has a chance, Stephen enjoys hiking with his dogs on the local trails like Carbon Canyon and the Laguna Coast.
Jennifer T. Hirsch, CPA joined Inner City Law Center in April 2018. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Jennifer served as a finance, accounting and management consultant to over 25 not-for-profit organizations and the Director of Finance and Accounting at FilmLA. An active community volunteer, Jennifer has also held over 40 leadership roles in educational, youth sports and health advocacy, religious, and political organizations in her community. A native Californian, Jennifer received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis.
Laura joined Inner City Law Center in October 2018 as a member of the finance team. Laura holds an MBA from University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and BA from University of Puget Sound. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, she served as the Associate Director of Accounting and Employee Services at SFCC, a nonprofit education and job training program supporting low-income young adults. As an LA native, she came to ICLC with a passion for supporting change in her community through supporting vulnerable populations.
Anna joined Inner City Law Center as Administrative Coordinator in September 2016 and is now ICLC’s Human Resources Manager. Anna has more than nine years of administrative experience in the legal nonprofit sector. Prior to joining Inner City Law Center, Anna worked at the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law as the Office Manager and the Los Angeles Center for Family Law as the Office Administrator.
Anna holds a Bachelor of Art History from the University of California, Riverside. She earned her Certificate in Human Resources Management from Cal State Long Beach in 2014 and is a Notary Public.
Born and raised in Boyle Heights to immigrant parents, Anna intimately understands the importance of ICLC’s work and is proud to be able to help her community.
Cristina comes from a hotel background, having both worked at Mondrian Los Angeles and The London West Hollywood in the human resources department. She graduated from UCLA with a BA in Communications. She is from South Central Los Angeles.
