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 a number of years with the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, including serving as Chief Attorney in its Prince Georges-Montgomery County Office. She served for a number of years on the Board of Directors of a local transitional housing program for women.
Ann Marie spends much of her time training, mentoring and case counseling volunteers from our sites at the Dinner Program for Homeless Women, the Downtown Services Center run by the Downtown Business Improvement District, and So Others Might Eat (SOME). She also maintains her own caseload. Ann Marie coordinates all police-related civil rights work in the office, which includes monitoring police treatment of homeless persons in D.C.; representing clients in citizen complaints before the Office Of Police Complaints; researching and giving presentations on criminalization of homelessness issues; doing public education on street rights; doing training for MPD recruits on homelessness; negotiating with the city over creation and implementation of a policy for safeguarding personal property in public spaces; and working on litigation strategies for criminalization issues in D.C. In addition, Ann Marie does some advocacy around the DC Housing Authority and shelter issues.
Sczerina Perot
Staff Attorney
202-328-5507
Contact by email
Sczerina Perot joined our staff in 1996 as a Fellow, funded through the law firm of Crowell & Moring and the National Association for Public Interest Law (now called Equal Justice Works). She came to the Legal Clinic with significant public interest experience, including a clinical placement at D.C. Law Students in Court and a summer internship with our organization.
Sczerina 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, the office where DC families that have become homeless apply for government funded shelter. In addition, she is a case counselor for the DC Bar Pro Bono Program in landlord and tenant cases. Sczerina maintains her own case load, as well. Most of her clients have legal problems with shelter (admissions and expulsion cases), transitional housing, or permanent housing. Her advocacy work focuses on improving the programs upon which low-income families rely (shelters, welfare, emergency assistance, school access for homeless children, housing production trust fund, affordable housing programs, DC budget). Sczerina is a member of the Fair Budget Steering Committee, the Homeless Services Reform Act Work Group, Family Focus Group, the Family Self Sufficiency Advisory Committee, the National Student Partnership Advisory Board, and the Affordable Housing Alliance. She is a trainer for DC Bar Public Benefits Training. She presents workshops on legal rights in housing, shelter, and public benefits programs, to shelter residents and shelter providers. She co-teaches the Homelessness and Legal Advocacy Seminar at Georgetown University Law Center, along with Legal Clinic director Patty Mullahy Fugere.
Scott McNeilly
Staff Attorney
202-328-5508
Contact by email
Scott McNeilly joined the Legal Clinic in April 1994, after more than five years practice in the legal aid field, specializing in public benefits law at the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau. Prior to law school, he had a wide range of public service experience.
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. He maintains his own case load, as well. The advocacy efforts with which he is involved include development and implementation of the Interim Disability Assistance program, reform of the Office of Administrative Hearings and reform of the shelter laws. Scott also mentors staff of other legal services providers and pro bono attorneys from other programs, primarily on Social Security issues. He is a trainer for several DC Bar Pro Bono program trainings.
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 the District 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 work focuses on advocating for Housing First and permanent supportive housing for those who have been chronically homeless, including engaging those who would be a part of the Housing First or permanent supportive housing program to make sure that they are a part of the policy-making process. A large portion of his time is spent advocating with DC government officials for a transition of the current homeless system to one of Housing First and permanent supportive housing while building support amongst other advocates as well as service providers and developers. He also conducts client trainings and provides individual representation.
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.
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.
Eryca Kasse
Coordinator of Volunteers
202-328-1263
Contact by email
Eryca Kasse joined the staff of the Legal Clinic in March 2007 as our Coordinator of Volunteers. Her social work background with runaway and homeless youth and passion for ending homelessness drew her to the Clinic. Previously, Eryca was a board member of the Mid-Atlantic Network of Youth and Family services and a representative to the National Network for Youth, National Council on Youth Policy. Most recently, she worked at the GMU Multicultural Center with the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) diversity leadership program. As of January 2008, Eryca will be a part time MSW student at Howard University with a clinical focus.
Eryca is responsible for the recruitment, training, retention and scheduling of volunteers for the seven Legal Clinic intake sites. She is the Clinic's liaison to each of the shelter, dining and day programs at which we do intake. Eryca organizes a number of legal clinic activities including trainings, volunteer appreciations and recruitment events, discussion series and community presentations on behalf of the Clinic. She also assists with street outreach and coordination of the Womens Service Providers committee.
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.
