Patty Mullahy Fugere
Executive Director
202-328-5504
Contact by email
Patty Mullahy Fugere was one of the co-founders, and previously served as Board president, of the Legal Clinic. Prior to assuming the position of director in 1991, she was engaged in the private practice of law for seven years, specializing in low-income housing and homelessness issues.
Patty is responsible for overall management of the Legal Clinic; fundraising; and advocacy (primarily on affordable housing and shelter-related issues). She is a member of the DC Access to Justice Commission; the DC Housing Authority Advisory Committee; Fair Budget Coalition Steering Committee; Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in DC Core Advisory Group; Homeless Services Reform Act Work Group; and the DC Housing Authority Stakeholders. Patty represents the Clinic in the Consortium of Legal Services Providers. She co-teaches a Homelessness and Legal Advocacy Seminar at Georgetown University Law Center with Legal Clinic staff attorney Sczerina Perot.
Ann Marie Staudenmaier
Staff Attorney
202-328-5509
Contact by email
Ann Marie Staudenmaier joined the Legal Clinic staff in 1996, after working for several years at Marylands Legal Aid Bureau as both a staff attorney and Chief Attorney in various local offices. She is a poverty law generalist, having practiced in virtually every area of civil legal services over the past 20 years.
Ann Marie spends much of her time at the Legal Clinic training, mentoring and case counseling volunteer attorneys at several Intake Sites, in addition to maintaining her own caseload. She also coordinates all the police-related civil rights work in the office, which includes monitoring police treatment of homeless persons in D.C.; filing citizen complaints with the Office of Police Complaints; researching trends in criminalization of homelessness; conducting Street Rights seminars; doing outreach and education to local businesses on the rights of homeless persons; working on litigation strategies related to criminalization issues in D.C.; and conducting Homelessness 101 trainings for all Metropolitan Police Department recruit classes.
Jennafer Dorfman Wagner
Staff Attorney
202-328-5502
Contact by email
Jennafer Dorfman Wagner joined the Legal Clinic staff in 2008. She previously worked in Wisconsin representing low-income fathers in paternity court, and in California representing persons with mental health and developmental disabilities in patients rights and housing rights matters. She also worked in New Jersey supporting litigation in furtherance of low and very-low income residents rights to their fair share of locally available affordable housing.
Jennafer joins Anne Smetak in the Affordable Housing Initiative which focuses on preserving and expanding the supply of affordable and subsidized housing for low-income residents of the District of Columbia. She represents tenant associations in affordable housing preservation cases and low-income tenants in eviction proceedings that arise out of building-wide issues. She advocates with various D.C. government agencies for the creation and preservation of affordable housing. She also conducts trainings on the rights of tenants and tenant associations.
Scott McNeilly
Staff Attorney
202-328-5508
Contact by email
Scott McNeilly joined the Legal Clinic in April of 1994 after more than five years at the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau where he handled domestic violence, child welfare, landlord-tenant, consumer and public benefits cases.
Scott case counsels volunteers at our CCNV, Church of the Brethren and Miriams Kitchen sites. He is responsible, along with other case counseling attorneys, for recruitment, training and general support of the volunteers in our pro bono program. Scott is also a member of the Districts Interagency Council on Homelessness and chairs the ICH Steering Committee.
Nassim Moshiree
Staff Attorney
(202) 328-1261
Contact by email
Nassim joined the staff of the Legal Clinic in mid-July of 2008. During law school, through her participation in the George Washington International Human Rights Law Clinic, Nassim worked alongside Amber Harding of WLCH to represent a client in a disability rights case before the D.C. Office of Human Rights.
Nassims work focuses on the Clinics Access to Employment Project (AEP), the purpose of which is two-fold: to address the immediate need for education and mobilization of emergency shelter residents around the barriers to employment; and to ensure that the homeless services system responds to the needs of its residents both qualitatively and quantitatively by expanding its services into a holistic model that not only supports job readiness, job training, and employment opportunities, but also assures adequate housing accompanied by adequate support services. Through AEP, Nassim provides direct legal representation to clients in shelter cases, conducts trainings and workshops designed to educate residents about their legal rights, and advocates for policy changes that will further the Legal Clinic's ultimate goal of ending homelessness in DC.
Amber W. Harding
Staff Attorney
202-328-5503
Contact by email
Amber Harding joined the Legal Clinic in 2003 as a Steptoe & Johnson Equal Justice Works Fellow. In law school, Amber interned with the office during the summer and several semesters of law school, interned at the Legal Action Center, and was a participant in the D.C. Law Students in Court clinical program. Before law school, Amber worked with the elderly in southern Arizona.
Amber's work focuses on shelter and housing access for persons with disabilities, particularly those with mental illness. She represents persons who face barriers in the emergency shelter system due to a disability. She also represents tenants with disabilities in eviction actions and affirmative fair housing lawsuits. Her policy work focuses on the following objectives: improving disability-rights law compliance of the emergency shelter system and the District as a whole; improving conditions and locations of emergency shelters; developing, improving, and monitoring subsidized housing resources for persons with disabilities (such as Pathways, Home First II, Shelter Plus Care, and Supportive Housing programs); legislative and policy advocacy with the DC Housing Authority (DCHA); reforming the landlord-tenant court, including improving access to the courts for persons with disabilities; reforming and improving mental health services; fighting zoning discrimination and NIMBYism; and budget advocacy with the Fair Budget Coalition.
Marta Beresin
Staff Attorney
202-328-5506
Contact by email
Marta Beresin joined the Legal Clinics staff in Spring of 2000, having had over five years of experience as a legal services attorney -- first with the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, including serving as Chief Attorney of the Southern Maryland Office, and with the Homeless Persons Representation Project in Baltimore. Marta's family law expertise complements the expertise of other staff attorneys here at the Clinic.
Marta's work focuses on improving the lives of families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. She case counsels volunteers who do intake at the Family Resource Center and Rachael's Women's Center. She maintains her own case load, as well. Most of her clients have legal problems with shelter (admissions and expulsion cases) or locally- or federally-subsidized housing. Her systemic advocacy focuses on improving the programs that low-income families rely on (shelter, welfare, emergency assistance, school access for homeless children, affordable housing programs, DC Housing Authority programs, as well as DC budget issues). Marta is a member of the Fair Budget Coalition, the Homeless Services Reform Act Work Group, the Family Focus Group, and the Affordable Housing Alliance. She also presents legal rights workshops on housing, shelter, public benefits programs and family law, to both shelter residents and shelter providers.
Andy Silver
Staff Attorney - Permanent Supportive Housing
202-328-5516
Contact by email
Andy Silver joined the staff of the Legal Clinic in September 2007 after graduating from Georgetown University Law Center. During law school, Andy helped organize a residents council at Emery shelter. While interning at the Legal Clinic, Andy assisted the men at Franklin shelter in their successful effort to stop Mayor Williams from leasing the building to a developer. Andy previously worked on the Access to Employment Project for the Legal Clinic before moving onto the Permanent Supportive Housing Initiative.
Andy's policy work focuses on utilizing a rights-based approach to ending homelessness, including advocating for using a Housing First model to end chronic homelessness. Andy works on engaging those who would be part of a Housing First program to make sure that they are a part of the policy-making process. He also provides direct legal representation and conducts client trainings.
Anne Smetak
Staff Attorney - Affordable Housing Initiative
202-328-1260
Contact by email
Anne Smetak joined the Legal Clinic in January of 2007, having previously worked in private legal practice. Prior to and during law school, she worked in affordable housing in a variety of legal and nonlegal capacities.
Anne focuses on preserving and expanding the supply of affordable and subsidized housing for low-income residents of the District of Columbia. She represents tenant associations in affordable housing preservation cases and low-income tenants in eviction proceedings that arise out of building-wide issues. She advocates with various D.C. government agencies for the creation and preservation of affordable housing. She also conducts trainings on the rights of tenants and tenant associations. Anne is a member of the Affordable Housing Alliance and serves as a mentor through the DC Bar Pro Bono Program.
Eric Schroeder
Development Associate
202-328-5510
Contact by email
Eric Schroeder joined the Legal Clinic in October 2008 as our Development Associate. Previously, Eric worked for Hillary Clinton for President as a Human Resources Associate in charge of managing tax and healthcare matters. He is interested in the legal field and has experience working for the Deputy District Attorney of Cumberland County Pennsylvania. Eric is a 2007 graduate of Dickinson College with a B.A. in Law and Policy.
At the Legal Clinic, Eric will be in charge of developing and diversifying the fundraising program as well as strengthening relationships with DC area law firms. He will be working to increase law firm partnerships as both financial supporters and pro bono partners. Eric will be organizing the annual fundraiser Lawyers Pitch In as well as assisting Georgetown Law School students with Home Court.
Kristi Matthews
Grass Roots Advocacy Coordinator
202-328-1262
Contact by email
Kristi Matthews joined the staff of the Legal Clinic and Fair Budget Coalition in October 2006 after graduating from Guilford College in May 2006. Before coming to the Legal Clinic, Kristi worked as a job coach for Prince Georges Health Department. There she worked with high school students on developing professional skills that helped them in their career pursuits. Before moving to Washington, DC, she worked with low income refugee families as the Co-Coordinator of the Glenhaven Multicultural After School Tutorial Program. There she helped children develop English skills as well as facilitated discussion about cultural differences around the world.
Kristi's work focuses on helping families, individuals, and youth in Washington, DC develop advocacy skills which aids in advancing funding and support to help move people out of poverty. She has developed an advocacy training which helps people find their power in the system and therefor work towards change. She presents the training at non-profits and shelters for people who are experiencing poverty. She helps people develop testimonies and letters to city officials to ensure that their story is heard. She also works on the supportive housing initiative to ensure that people who are chronically homeless voice their opinion as part of the process in developing a housing first plan.
Mary Ann Luby, OP
Outreach Worker
202-328-5505
Contact by email
Mary Ann Luby joined the Legal Clinic in 1995 in the newly created position of outreach worker. Mary Ann previously was the Director of Rachael's Women's Day Center for Homeless Women, was a co-founder of New Endeavors by Women, and served on the Legal Clinic's Board of Directors for eight years prior to joining the staff.
Mary Ann's main work is outreach to individuals and community groups. She maintains a social service caseload of shelter residents and people who stay out on the streets. Mary Ann supports the staff and volunteers with the non-legal aspects of their cases. She belongs to a number of coalitions: Coalition of Housing and Homeless Organizations (COHHO); DC Advocates for Mentally Ill Homeless; Women's Service Providers; the Outreach Committee; Strategic Planning Committee (COHHO); the Consumer Advocacy Committee (DMH); and the Jail Diversion Task Force. The issues upon which she focuses primarily are: mental health, housing, services and conditions in shelters, shelter/street rights, hypothermia, self-advocacy, organizing strategies, jail diversion. Mary Ann produces our monthly client newsletter, Listen Up.
Nick Casalbore
Volunteer Coordinator
202-328-1263
Contact by email
Nick Casalbore joined the Legal Clinic in June of 2009 as our Coordinator of Volunteers. Previously, he served the Clinic as an intern while completing his undergraduate education in philosophy at DePauw University. Before coming to the Clinic Nick worked at DePauw's Prindle Institute for Ethics.
At the Legal Clinic, Nick is responsible for the recruitment, training, scheduling and retention of our Volunteer Attorneys and acts as the liaison between the Clinic and a number of law firms throughout DC. He manages the Legal Clinic's seven intake sites, which include shelters, churches, and dining and day programs. In addition, Nick organizes volunteer appreciation events, discussion series, and community presentations on behalf of the Clinic.
Leslie Plant
Administrator
202-328-5511
Contact by email
Leslie Plant has been with the Legal Clinic as our administrator since 1988. She developed her management, administrative and data system skills at Partners for Livable Places and the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment.
Leslie is responsible for fiscal operations, including bookkeeping, payroll, budget preparation, reporting, filing organizational and tax reports, and annual audit. Leslie also provides fundraising support, and office and information management. She troubleshoots our technology and other office systems.
LaJuan Brooks
Administrative Assistant
202-328-5500
Contact by email
Lajuan Brooks joined the staff of the Legal Clinic in September 2007 with prior experience on the Fair Budget Coalition and being an advocate for the homeless population in DC.
Lajuan is the first point of contact for all Legal Clinic clients and potential clients. She is also available to assist staff in any and all tasks as needed. Lajuan is a volunteer with the Fair Budget Coalition and a member of the Housing and Homeless Prevention Sub-Committee.
