About Us
What We Do
Maryland Legal Aid is a statewide private, nonprofit law firm that provides free, civil legal services to low-income and vulnerable people to address their most fundamental legal problems. From our 12 offices throughout the state, we help our clients preserve and access safe and affordable housing, maintain and regain custody of their children, and be safe from domestic violence. Maryland Legal Aid increases our clients’ economic security by defending against consumer debt, including foreclosures and tax sales, removing barriers to employment, and accessing critical income supports such as unemployment, food stamps and other vital public benefits. Through special projects, we represent elder adults, nursing home residents, children in alleged abuse and neglect cases, and migrant farmworkers. In its advocacy, Maryland Legal Aid seeks systemic change through impact litigation, in our advocacy, and by storytelling.
Vision
DIGNITY, EQUITY, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
Our Mission
We advocate with and for Marylanders experiencing poverty to achieve equity and social
justice through free civil legal services, community collaboration, and systems change.
Core Values
We are holistic problem-solvers. We care about the whole person and seek to provide
comprehensive and client-centered legal services to address poverty’s causes and
consequences in our communities.
We are visionary. We are bold and audacious advocates, seeing possibilities for individual
and systemic transformation at every juncture.
We are anti-racist. We stand against racism, actively fostering equity and transformative
change in all we do.
We are inclusive. We treat every person with dignity and respect, embrace our differences,
and strive to create brave spaces where differences are celebrated.
We are committed to excellence. We learn from challenges, successes, and failures, using
each encounter as an opportunity to refine our skills and deepen our expertise.
We are compassionate. We approach our work with one another and the people we serve
with empathy, thoughtfulness, and consideration.
We are collaborative. We recognize that the best results emerge from working closely and
collaborating with our client community partners. We actively seek opportunities to work
together across our organization and with our legal services, community, and agency
partners
Leadership
Sophia Barilone, Esq.
Deputy Director for Victim's Rights
Rachel Bitter, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Upper Eastern Shore
Laurence Boylan, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Baltimore City Intake Services Unit
John Butler, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Baltimore County Office
Matthew Braun, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Prince George's County Office
Cornelia Bright Gordon, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Administrative Law
Arlene Callender, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Harford/Cecil County Office
Louise Carwell, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Baltimore City Housing & Consumer Law
Kyle Coleman, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Baltimore City Housing & Consumer Law
Natalie Coley-Lawrence, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Baltimore City Intake Services Unit
Teresa Cooke, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Prince George's County Office
Gregory Countess, Esq.
Of Counsel
Graham Cowger
Director of Development
Anthony Davis, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Consumer Law
Angus Derbyshire, Esq.
Director of Pro Bono
Katherine Gillespie, Esq.
Deputy Legal & Advocacy Director
Bay Golfin, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Anne Arundel/Howard Office
Lee Heithoff, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Southern Maryland Office
John Jeffcott, Esq.
Director of Information Technology
Jeff Kaplan, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Domestic Law Unit
Jennifer Lavella
Director of Marketing and Communications
Erica LeMon, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Children's Rights
Joan Little, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Baltimore City CINA
Ashley Mariner, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Lower Easter Shore Office
Meaghan McDermott, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Community Lawyering and Development
Karim Merchant, Esq.
Chief Development and Communications Officer
Jamie Miliman, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Lower Eastern Shore Office
Christina Moore, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Administrative Law Unit
Alice Mutter, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Montgomery County Office
Eileen Nnoli, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Baltimore City Intake Services Unit
Lee Ogburn, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Impact and Appellate Litigation
Shireen Parsi, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Montgomery County Office
Richard Perry
Supervising Attorney, Prince George's County Office
Kristen Pisani-Jacques, J.D., CWLS
Deputy Legal & Advocacy Director
Jessica Price
Director of Data Analytics and Insights
Priya Sarathy
Chief Financial Officer
Jennifer Schauffler
Director of Grants, Contracts and Compliance
Kristi Schulenberg, Esq.
Chief Operating Officer
Vicki Schultz, Esq.
Executive Director
Mariel Shutinya, Esq.
Director of Training
Janine Scott, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Baltimore County Office
Zafar Shah, Esq.
Advocacy Director for the Human Right to Housing
Rich Sherriffe
Director of Administrative Services
Nina Shore, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Midwestern Maryland Office
James Silver, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Adult Guardianship Program
William Steinwedel, Esq.
Deputy Advocacy Director for Homeownership Preservation
Jessica Sysak
Chief Human Resources Officer
Vicki Taitano, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Prince George's County Office
Jani Tillery, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Montgomery County Office
Frank Vitale, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Anne Arundel/Howard Office
Amee Vora, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Family Law
Shannon Weaver, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Baltimore City CINA
Board of Directors
Brian Hochheimer, Esq.
President
Ora Johnson
Vice President
Richard L. Wasserman, Esq.
Treasurer
Marquita Wise-Jones
Secretary
Emerson L. Dorsey, Jr., Esq.
Member at Large
Richard “Ricky” Adams, Esq.
Lorenzo A. Bivans, Jr., Esq.
Jessica A. duHoffmann, Esq.
Manuel “Manny” R. Geraldo, Esq.
Ashley M. Green
Brandyn J. Hicks, Esq.
Donald “Tim” Howe
Anita Jones
Ranak K. Jasani, Esq.
Lauren Lacey, Esq.
Charles “Chuck” J. Morton, Jr., Esq.
Chelsea Ortega, Esq.
Honorary Board of Directors
Phyllis Butler
Jo Glasco
Gwendolyn Johnson
Warren Oliveri, Esq.