APPELLATE LITIGATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel
- Member of the New York County Lawyers' Association
Abigail Everett is a career public defender. She started at The Legal Aid Society of New York, Criminal Appeals Bureau and subsequently joined the team at CAL. At these two organizations, she has represented countless individuals challenging their criminal convictions. From 2012-2019, she led CAL's Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) defense project, working with clients facing legal restrictions resulting from sex offense convictions.
Abby is a member of the New York County Lawyers' Association and received that organization's 2012 Public Service Award. She previously served as Chair of the New York City Bar Association's Criminal Justice Operations Committee.
Adrienne Wells graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2012. While in law school, she interned for The Children's Law Center, representing minor children in custody and visitation proceedings, and for The Legal Aid Society's Integrated Domestic Violence practice, representing adults in family and criminal court proceedings. Upon earning her J.D., she joined the Criminal Defense Practice of The Legal Aid Society as a staff attorney, representing indigent clients in Kings County. As a public defender, Adrienne spent 10 years litigating all manner of misdemeanor and felony cases at the trial level. She also graduated cum laude from Southern Methodist University with concentrations in Political Science and French.
Aidan holds a B.A. in Humanitarian Studies and Political Science with a Minor in Spanish from Fordham University. While in college, he was closely involved in criminal justice work both as a defense investigator and as an intern client advocate at CAL. He also worked as an exhibition coordinator to implement the Hostile Terrain 94 exhibit; a participatory art project created by Undocumented Migration Project. Aidan wrote his Senior thesis on security and deterrence at the US-Mexico border and the violent impact of US migration policies. After graduating, Aidan spent a year volunteering with the Kino Border Initiative as a shelter community supervisor in Nogales, Mexico.
Alejandra is a state-certified court interpreter ranked in the top fifty interpreters of the state of New York. Prior to joining CAL, she served as a trial interpreter at New York County Supreme Criminal Court. She began her career as a staff interpreter/translator at the Bronx County District Attorney's Office. She is an active member of the American Translators Association and the National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney & Director, Justice First Project
Alexandra Mitter graduated cum laude from NYU School of Law, where she was the Symposium Editor of the Annual Survey of American Law. Through the Reentry Clinic in law school, she helped formerly incarcerated individuals obtain employment licensure in administrative hearings before the Secretary of State.
Upon graduation, Alexandra worked as an associate at Arnold & Porter LLP, where she represented corporations and individuals in a wide range of internal investigations as well as complex criminal and civil litigation. She also clerked for the Honorable Andrew L. Carter, Jr. and James L. Cott, both in the Southern District of New York.
Alexandra graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with highest distinction in History and Anthropology from the University of Michigan.
Alexandra Schoenborn graduated magna cum laude from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in Renaissance Studies, minoring in Italian Studies and English. After teaching ESL and studying Italian literature in Italy, she moved to New York and began volunteering for Books Beyond Bars as a fulfilment intern.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney & Director of Mitigation Advocacy
Allison Haupt graduated Order of the Coif, magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law. While in law school, she was a student advocate in the Federal Defender Clinic; a Senior Articles Editor on the Review of Law and Social Change; and a student teacher with the Prisoners' Rights and Education Project. She also interned with the ACLU's LGBT project, was a summer associate at Covington & Burling, and served as a research and teaching assistant to Professor Arthur R. Miller. Upon graduation, Allison clerked for the Honorable Janet C. Hall on the District of Connecticut. She was a fellow at CAL before becoming a staff attorney with the Criminal Defense Practice of The Legal Aid Society, representing indigent clients in Queens County on misdemeanor and felony cases in trial court. She graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Government.
Job Titles:
- Appellate Counsel, Immigrant Justice Project
Allison (Allie) Mandeville graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from New York University School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar. While at NYU, she served as a Student Advocate in the Immigrant Rights Clinic and Advanced Immigrant Rights Clinic and as Executive Chair of the International Refugee Assistance Project. She also interned with Safe Passage Project, Brooklyn Defender Services, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Amman, Jordan. Before law school, Allie was an Immigrant Justice Corps Community Fellow, working alongside clients at the Arab American Association of New York, the Karnes Pro Bono Project, and the AWC Representation Project.
Alma received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Journal of Race and Law, Banquet and Alumni Chair for the Latinx Law Students Association, and Recruitment Chair for the Criminal Justice Action Network. During her time at Columbia Law, Alma was an advanced student in the Challenging the Consequences of Mass Incarceration Clinic in which she litigated conditions of confinement issues in state and federal court. In addition to interning at CAL, Alma interned with the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, externed with the Legal Aid Society's Immigration Law Unit, and led a student caravan to the Berks County Family Detention Center to assist families seeking asylum. Alma is honored to have been a 2019 Bid for Justice Honoree for her dedication to public interest and pro bono work and the recipient of the Honorable Rolando T. Acosta Award for her strong presence in the Latinx community and commitment to public interest work.
Prior to law school, Alma received her B.A. in International Relations, with honors, and a minor in Italian Studies from New York University.
Ariana received a BA in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University. While in college, she worked at the offices of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Jerrold Nadler as a casework intern, assisting constituents with public benefits access and immigration applications. She also worked at multiple pro-bono immigration law and policy organizations throughout college. After graduating, she spent a year as a Litigation Paralegal at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, where she worked on commercial litigation matters and white-collar investigations.
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel and Co - Director Court of Appeals Litigation
Barbara Zolot received her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, where she was a Wigmore Scholar and a member of the Northwestern Law Review.
Barbara joined CAL at its inception and has represented hundreds of clients on direct appeal and in other post-conviction proceedings. She has appeared over 20 times in the New York Court of Appeals, winning broad relief for clients in the areas of drug law reform and sentencing. From 2000-2005, Barbara served in the appeals unit of the New York Capital Defender's Office and participated in arguing the first death penalty case before the New York Court of Appeals, People v. Darrell Harris, winning vacatur of Mr. Harris' death sentence. Barbara authors CAL's "Issues to Develop at Trial," a newsletter distributed to the statewide defense community, and co-directs CAL's Court of Appeals practice.
Barbara is a past recipient of the New York County Lawyers' Association's Public Service Award.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney Director, Books Beyond Bars
Ben A. Schatz has represented clients on matters pending in federal and state courts at all levels, including the Supreme Court of the United States and the New York Court of Appeals. Before joining CAL, Ben served as law clerk to the Honorable Ronnie Abrams, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, and handled high-profile First Amendment and complex commercial matters at the law firm of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP. Ben is a past recipient of The Legal Aid Society's Pro Bono Publico Award and a two-time recipient of Sanctuary for Families' Above & Beyond Pro Bono Achievement Award. He graduated magna cum laude from Washington University School of Law in 2008.
Ben received his J.D., magna cum laude, from NYU School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Ben worked as a paralegal for the Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Practice in the Bronx. During his time at NYU, Ben volunteered with the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, served as a Teacher's Assistant for a first-year Civil Procedure course, and participated in clinics with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund as well as an externship with the Equal Justice Initiative. During his law school summers, he interned with the ACLU's Capital Punishment Project and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Upon graduation, Ben spent a year with the Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Practice, Special Litigation Unit, where his work focused on issues of police misconduct and accountability.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney, Co - Director of Plea Project, Summer Internship Coordinator
Ben Wiener received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. At Penn, he was an Articles Editor for the Journal of Constitutional Law, Membership Chair of the Prisoners Education and Advocacy Project, and a legal writing instructor. He also interned at the Innocence Project, where his work focused on reforming eyewitness identification procedures. After graduating, he clerked for Magistrate Judge Cheryl Pollak on the Eastern District of New York. He also holds a bachelor's degree, cum laude, from Dartmouth College. Ben is Chair of the Criminal Justice Operations Committee of the New York City Bar Association.
Bryan Furst graduated magna cum laude from New York University School of Law in 2017. While in law school, he participated in legal clinics at Brooklyn Defender Services and The Bronx Defenders and was the recipient of the David Friedman Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in evidence. He spent his summers working at the International Center for Transitional Justice in Nairobi and the Public Defender Service in Washington D.C. Upon graduation, Bryan served as the George A. Katz Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice for two years before clerking for the Honorable Sterling Johnson in the Eastern District of New York.
Job Titles:
- Appellate Counsel
- Co - Chair of the New York City Bar Association 's Criminal Courts Committee
Carola Beeney received her J.D. from N.Y.U. School of Law, where she worked with the Federal Defenders of New York, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, the A.C.L.U.'s Criminal Law Reform Project, the Immigrant Rights Clinic, and was a research assistant for Professor Erin Murphy.
Carola is a co-chair of the New York City Bar Association's Criminal Courts Committee. Prior to law school, she managed the pro bono program at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett and was an interpreter for the firm's Spanish-speaking pro bono clients. She graduated from Vassar College with honors.
Caroline Steiner graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern University with a B.A. in History and Political Science, with a minor in Law and Public Policy. While at Northeastern, Caroline worked as a Legal Advocate for Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, an organization providing civil rights advocacy for incarcerated individuals. Caroline wrote her senior thesis on the attitudes regarding death penalty jurisprudence on the Supreme Court, with a specific focus on Justice Sotomayor's arguments against capital punishment.
Before joining CAL in 2023, Cathy served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Kathleen M. Williams, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, and worked as a Litigation Associate in private practice, where she focused on criminal defense and commercial litigation. Through her pro bono practice, Cathy represented indigent criminal defendants in federal court.
Cathy received her J.D. in 2017 from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a competing member of the Immigration Law Moot Court, and a publishing member of the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems. Cathy also interned at the Legal Aid Society of New York, where she represented non-citizens facing deportation proceedings. Cathy received her B.A. in Political Science and Economics in 2012 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Honor's College.
Job Titles:
- Director, Clemency Project
Chloe graduated in 2016 from CUNY School of Law, where she was a Notes Editor of the CUNY Law Review, Graduate Fellow, research assistant, teaching assistant, and student attorney in the Criminal Defense Clinic. During law school, she interned with the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center, where she worked on criminal vacatur motions, and externed with Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady's civil rights practice. She also worked as a law clerk for two years with Meyer Suozzi English & Klein's plaintiff- and union-side labor and employment law practice. She was named a Hank Henry Judicial Fellow in 2014.
After graduating law school, Chloe served as a law clerk for two years to the Honorable Deborah A. Batts in the Southern District of New York. She is currently a member of the NYC Bar's Civil Rights Committee.
Corrine Irish is an experienced litigator and strategic advisor, effective in successfully resolving high-stakes legal matters. Her practice spans a variety of subject matters, including contract disputes, business torts, intellectual property enforcement and defense, constitutional law, and employment matters. Corrine also has significant experience representing companies and individuals in creative industries, including beauty, media, publishing and the arts.
Daniel received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. While in law school, Daniel participated in the Bronx Defenders Holistic Defense Externship and the Challenging the Consequences of Mass Incarceration Clinic. He also was a student editor for the Journal of Law and Social Problems.
Upon graduation, Daniel joined The Bronx Defenders as a staff attorney in the Criminal Defense Practice. In that role, he represented thousands of indigent clients charged with felonies and misdemeanors in trial court. Between 2020-2022, as part of the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) at The Bronx Defenders, Daniel defended noncitizen clients in deportation proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
Daniel graduated cum laude from Northwestern University, where he holds a B.A. in history and philosophy.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney, Immigrant Justice Project
Danielle Krumholz received her J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, where she was a Dean's Public Service Fellow. During law school she was a student attorney in the Juvenile Justice Clinic, Criminal Appellate Practice, and Human Trafficking Clinic. She interned with the Legal Aid Society's Immigration Law Unit, The Bronx Defenders, and the Washtenaw County Office of the Public Defender.
Prior to joining CAL, Danielle was a staff attorney with The Bronx Defenders, where she represented detained noncitizens facing deportation through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP). She also worked as an Attorney Advisor with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in New York City. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Michigan.
Dany Greene received their J.D. from New York University School of Law, where they were a Root-Tilden-Kern public interest scholar. As a clinic student and summer intern, Dany worked in several public defender offices in New York City and Alaska.
Prior to joining CAL, Dany was a staff attorney with The Bronx Defenders in the Criminal Defense Practice and LGBTQ Defense Project. Dany graduated from Washington University summa cum laude with a B.A. in Gender Studies and Psychology.
David Klem is a cum laude graduate of NYU School of Law, where he was the Managing Editor of the Review of Law & Social Change, the Editor-in-Chief of the law school newspaper, and a recipient of the Anne Petluck Poses prize for outstanding work in a clinic. After law school, he clerked for Judge Raymond J. Dearie in the Eastern District of New York, as well as for Justice Alan B. Handler in the New Jersey Supreme Court, where he handled capital appeals. David taught and ran the Federal Defender Clinic at NYU School of Law for many years and, prior to that, taught legal research and writing at Brooklyn Law School. He has briefed and argued hundreds of cases in New York's intermediate appellate courts, including nearly 20 in the New York Court of Appeals.
Earl S. Ward has thirty-eight years of experience as a criminal defense and civil rights attorney. He is a partner at the law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel. Mr. Ward began his career with the Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Division and from there he worked as a staff attorney with the New York Civil Liberties Union. Prior to entering private practice in 1996 he was a supervising attorney at the Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem. From 1997 until 2003 Mr. Ward served as a commissioner on the Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent oversight agency established in New York City in 1993 to investigate allegations of police misconduct. Mr. Ward is presently the Chairperson of Board of the Bronx Defenders, an indigent defender organization, the Chair of the Board of Housing Works, an organization committed to helping homeless men and women with HIV/AIDS, and formerly chair of the Board of Esperanza, an alternative to incarceration program for at risk adolescents.
Elizabeth "Liz" Vasily received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, graduating with the International Academy of Trial Lawyers' Student Advocacy Award. At Georgetown, Liz was an editor on the Modern Critical Race Perspectives Journal and a student in the Criminal Justice Clinic where she represented indigent clients in criminal court proceedings. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Senior Judges on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Honorable J. Michael Ryan on the District of Columbia Superior Court. Before joining CAL, Liz was an E. Barrett Prettyman Fellow in the District of Columbia. As a Prettyman Fellow, she worked for two years as a court-appointed attorney for clients in misdemeanor and felony cases and supervised third year law students in Georgetown Law's Criminal Justice Clinic. She received her B.A. from Brown University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Frances Weil received her J.D. from Penn Law, where she was a Franklin Scholar and Managing Editor of the Journal for Law and Social Change. During law school, Frances interned with the Bronx Defenders, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, and Defender Association of Philadelphia. Before law school, Frances was a City Year AmeriCorps member, a Fulbright English teaching assistant, a coordinator at the Brookings Institution, and an intern investigator at the Public Defender Service for DC and Georgetown Law. She holds a B.A. from Tulane University, where she was a Tuition Exchange Scholar.
Prior to joining CAL, Frances worked for four years as a trial attorney in the criminal defense practice at the Bronx Defenders.
Frances is a licensed social worker. She received her M.S.W. from Columbia University where she specialized in macro and forensic social work. While in graduate school, she interned in the interdisciplinary Criminal Defense and Family Advocacy legal clinics at Fordham Law School, advocating for incarcerated clients and parents of children with disabilities. Prior to joining CAL, Frances oversaw the clinical and behavioral health services at Housing Works for justice-involved clients in the Re-entry and Alternative to Incarceration Programs. She graduated cum laude from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Psychology.
Gabriella holds a J.D. cum laude from Boston College Law School. While in law school, she served as a Student Advocate in the Boston College Immigration & Asylum Clinic and completed a human rights externship with Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and The Committee for Public Counsel Services. She also interned in the criminal defense and immigration practices at The Bronx Defenders and The Legal Aid Society.
Upon graduation, she joined The Legal Aid Society as a staff attorney in the Criminal Defense Practice. Serving in that role for nine years, she defended thousands of indigent clients charged with felonies and misdemeanors in trial court. Gabriella graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in English Literature.
Jack Snyder received a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies magna cum laude from Columbia University and a B.A. in Jewish Literature summa cum laude from the Jewish Theological Seminary. After graduating, Jack spent four years as a middle school teacher in New York, teaching courses on United States history and civics. He also helped provide volunteer income tax preparation services to low-income New Yorkers through local community organizations. Prior to joining CAL as a Client advocate, Jack volunteered with CAL's Books Beyond Bars program.
Jacquelyn has spent over a decade as a public defender. She has an undergraduate background in social work and graduated cum laude from American University Washington College of Law in 2013. Prior to joining CAL, she worked as a trial attorney in the Maryland Office of the Public Defender's Baltimore city office for six years, specializing in representing youth charged in the adult system. In 2019, she moved to Brooklyn and became a senior trial attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services.
Job Titles:
- Social Worker
- Conditions Project Supervisor and Client Advocate Coordinator
Jamie Chosak (she/her) is a licensed social worker who earned master's degrees from the Silberman School of Social Work and the University of Oxford. Prior to joining CAL, she led an interdisciplinary team at a rapid-stabilization shelter. In this role, Jamie represented the trauma-informed diversion model at police precincts in the shelter's East Harlem catchment area. Jamie has also worked with and for folks involved in the legal system at New York County Defender Services and as a SIFI-certified forensic social worker within The Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Practice. In addition, she interned with STEPS to End Family Violence's re-entry program and at the Kings County District Attorney's Office in the Domestic Violence Bureau, the Sex Crimes Bureau, and at Grand Jury. Prior to these experiences, Jamie advocated for the rights of individuals who were forcibly migrated in the Middle East, Europe, and East Africa.
Jan Hoth is a career public defender. She started at The Legal Aid Society, Criminal Appeals Bureau, and subsequently joined the team at CAL. At these two organizations she has represented countless individuals challenging their criminal convictions. Jan has been a frequent advocate in the Court of Appeals securing significant victories in People v. Legrand, granting defendants the right to call expert testimony to challenge in-court identifications, and People v. Western Express, limiting the definition of "criminal enterprise."Jan taught and ran the Criminal Appeals Clinic at Brooklyn Law School for over 10 years, and prior to that she taught legal writing at New York Law School.
Previously, she clerked for the Hon. John M. Canella, of the Southern District of New York.
Jane Merrill received her J.D., cum laude, from NYU School of Law, where she was awarded the David Friedman Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in evidence. As a clinic student and summer intern, Jane worked with federal and state public defender offices in New York City and Seattle, WA. She also represented students in disciplinary hearings with the Suspension Representation Project.
Prior to joining CAL, Jane worked as a criminal defense attorney with the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, representing members of the Harlem community accused of crimes committed in Manhattan. Jane graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University and holds bachelor's degree in social policy.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Board
Jenay Nurse Guilford is a Bronx native who has devoted her entire legal career to representing indigent clients. She spent nearly a decade as a public defender at the Bronx Defenders. There, she established the Adolescent Defense Project where she directed a highly effective team of defense attorneys, social workers, housing and family court attorneys working to holistically represent juvenile clients being tried as adults by not only defending their criminal cases, but also assisting them with education, benefits, mental health and addiction support, housing advocacy and immigration defense. She then spent seven years as a senior attorney in Squire Patton Boggs' Public Service Initiative ("PSI"), where she litigated death penalty and federal habeas cases for indigent clients with a focus on vindicating the innocent, remedying purposeful and harmful constitutional violations, and wrongful infliction of the death penalty. Some of Jenay's accomplishments during her tenure in PSI include winning parole eligibility for an intellectually disabled client in Georgia who spent 37 years on death row. As well as securing the release of two incarcerated clients in Louisiana who each spent more than three decades in prison. One client was initially sentenced to death at 16 years old and the other was sentenced to life in prison without parole as a teenager.
She has served on various boards and committees, including the New York City Department of Corrections Adolescent Advisory Board. In this capacity, Jenay collaborated with the Deputy Commissioner of Youthful Offender and Young Adult Programming and various city agencies to reform the conditions at the young adult facilities of Rikers Island. Jenay also served on the New York State Bar Association Criminal Law Committee. She received the Legal Aid Society 2011 Pro Bono Award for her work on Amador v. Andrews and was featured in the New York Magazine article: "New York's Women Leaders in the Law." Jenay received her J.D. cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law and her B.B.A. in International Business and Consulting from Emory University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Attorney Support and Development
John Palmer received his J.D. from NYU School of Law, where he was a Dean's Award Scholar. During law school, he was a student advocate in the Criminal Defense and Reentry Clinic as well as the Federal Defender Clinic. He was a member of NYU's Black Allied Law Students Association and the Prison Reform and Education Project. During summers in law school, John was an intern at the Re-Entry Project of Mobilization for Justice (formerly MFY Legal Services) and The Bronx Defenders Criminal Defense Practice. He also holds a B.A. in Economics and B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati.
Job Titles:
- Appellate Counsel, Immigrant Justice Project
Julio Castillo received his J.D. from NYU School of Law, where he was a Latinx Rights Scholar. Prior to joining CAL, Julio clerked for the Hon. Andrew L. Carter, Jr. of the Southern District of New York. While at NYU, Julio was a student advocate in the Immigrant Rights Clinic, and he interned with Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem in their Immigration Defense Practice, the ACLU's Racial Justice Program, and Wardenski. P.C., a civil rights law firm based in Brooklyn, NY. He also served as the Co-President of NYU's Latinx Law Student Association (LaLSA), Diversity Co-Chair of NYU OUTLaw, and Staff Editor in the NYU Review of Law and Social Change. Julio received his B.A. from Princeton University in 2017 and he worked as a paralegal with the Public Policy Litigation and Law team at Planned Parenthood Federation from 2017 to 2019.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member / Sher Tremonte LLP
- Partner at Sher Tremonte LLP
Ms. Harris is a partner at Sher Tremonte LLP representing clients in a wide variety of high-stakes criminal matters complex regulatory proceedings. She has served on the CJA panels of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York since 2010. Prior to joining Sher Tremonte LLP, Ms. Harris was a partner and co-founder at Colson & Harris LLP. From 2001 to 2010, she was an assistant federal defender at the Federal Defenders' office for the Eastern District of New York. Her experience also includes an associate position at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Ms. Harris is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Harvard College, and clerked for the Honorable Eugene H. Nickerson.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President and CEO of Genesis Companies
Karim is the President and CEO of Genesis Companies, a top multifamily developer he founded in 2004. A leader in affordable housing development, Hutson brings over 20 years of experience in development, finance, and asset management to foster sustainable communities. Under Karim's leadership, Genesis has completed over $1 billion in development activity, showcasing his expertise as an urban real estate investor dedicated to creating and preserving mixed-income communities in underserved neighborhoods.
Karim has been honored as a Notable Black Leader by Crain's New York Business. He actively contributes to various nonprofit and civic organizations, including the Harvard Divinity School Dean's Council, the NYC Independent Budget Office, the Vera Institute of Justice, and the Citizen Budget Commission. Karim has served on the boards of The Dalton School and Habitat for Humanity NYC. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from Amherst College, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School.
Kathryn graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in History, minoring in African American studies. At Wesleyan she studied the intersection of race and social movements in the 19 th and 20 th century with a focus on structural freedom and abolition. She wrote her senior capstone on jury trials during the Abolition Era and their implication on conceptions of humanity. In college, Kathryn partnered with the Connecticut Legal Services to study the prevalence and impact of legal deserts in the state. She also interned for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington D.C. on their Economic Justice Project, working on healthcare reform, workers' rights, and reproductive justice for incarcerated people.
Katia Barron received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. During law school, she participated in the Immigrant Justice Clinic, working with clients in immigration removal proceedings. She also interned at the ACLU of North Carolina, the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Katia holds a B.A. in Development Studies and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Laura McFeely received her J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a recipient of the Lowenstein Fellowship for dedication to public interest law and the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Prize for outstanding academic achievement. At Columbia, she was a Max Berger '71 Public Interest/Public Service Fellow and an Articles Editor for A Jailhouse Lawyer's Manual. She interned with the Legal Aid Society and the Federal Defenders for the Middle District of Alabama, where she worked on trial and capital habeas cases. She also externed at CAL and the Bronx Defenders and participated in the Paralegal Pathways Initiative, which helps to prepare formerly incarcerated people for careers in the legal field.
Job Titles:
- Senior Appellate Counsel & Director, Parole Advocacy Project
Lauren Springer received her J.D. from NYU School of Law. During her tenure at CAL, in addition to having represented clients on their direct appeals, she has worked on CAL special projects, including post-release supervision resentencings, SORA, In Forma Pauperis motions, and client support services. She currently directs CAL's Parole Advocacy Project, represents clients in post-conviction proceedings, and supports CAL initiatives, for example, by serving on the Wellness Committee.
Leanna Duncan began her career working in Lafayette, Louisiana as a Gideon's Promise Fellow- an organization dedicated to improving the quality of public defense in the most needed jurisdictions across America. Over the course of her fellowship, Leanna spent three years as a public defender in the 15th Judicial Public Defender's Office, where she represented juveniles charged with both misdemeanors and felonies and adults in resentencing hearings pursuant to Miller v. Alabama.
Most recently, Leanna worked at the Children's Law Center, as a court-appointed attorney for the child, where she advocated for children's rights throughout custody and child protective proceedings in Brooklyn Family Court.
Leanna graduated from Hofstra University School of Law in 2015, during which time she advocated on behalf of indigent clients accused of crimes in the District Court as a student attorney in the Criminal Justice Clinic.
Job Titles:
- Appellate Counsel & Director, Access to Appeals ( A2A ) Project
Lena Janoda received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, where she was an Edward Sparer Public Interest Law Fellow, and a member of the Moot Court Honor Society - Appellate Division. During her third year of law school, Lena was a Public Interest Public Service (PIPS) Fellow working with CAL to help indigent clients from various New York City trial providers, protect their right to appeal and obtain assignment of appellate counsel. Lena also interned for the Legal Aid Society in their Juvenile Rights Practice, and the Children's Law Center.
Prior to law school, Lena received a B.S. summa cum laude, from St. Francis College in Brooklyn where she worked for the head of the Criminal Justice and Sociology Department, helping to run the College's Post Prison Program, a program designed to support and encourage previously incarcerated people pursuing post-secondary education.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean
- Member of the Board
Lisa Hoyes is the Assistant Dean for Public Service at NYU School of Law, where she directs the Public Interest Law Center. Lisa serves on the Boards of the Center for Appellate Litigation and Still She Rises, Tulsa.
Prior to joining NYU Law School, Lisa was an Assistant Federal Defender in the Eastern District of New York, a Supervising Attorney and member of the Advanced Felony Trial Unit at the Bronx Defenders, and an NYU Fellow at the Equal Justice Initiative.
After graduating from NYU Law, Lisa was a Soros Justice Postgraduate Fellow at the Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Division and The Door's Legal Services Center, where she provided civil legal services to young people involved in the criminal justice system and their families.
While in law school, Lisa was a Root-Tilden-Kern Sinsheimer Service Scholar, a member of BALSA, an Associate Editor of NYU Law Review, and a participant in the Juvenile Rights clinic. Lisa received a BA in Language and Culture and Political Science from SUNY Purchase.
Lissette is a culinary graduate from Peter Kumps, currently known as I.C.E. Institute of Culinary Education. She has experience in the fashion, diamond, aerospace, defense, and banking industries. She is also a longtime supporter of Save the Children.
Liz graduated from Stanford Law School, where they were a Public Interest Fellow and received Highest Pro Bono distinction. During law school Liz was a student attorney in the Immigrants' Rights Clinic, and they interned with Orleans Public Defenders and the MacArthur Justice Center Appellate Project. They also co-led Outlaw, Stanford's LGBTQ student association, and the Immigration Pro Bono Project.
Before joining CAL, Liz clerked for Chief Judge Sidney R. Thomas on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Billings, MT. Liz has also worked as an economic consultant and was a Fulbright-Garcia Robles English Teaching Assistant in Mexico City. Liz holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish and Economics from the University of Virginia.
Luz Beato received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law where she was the Managing Editor of the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law. During law school, Luz interned with the Public Defender Service for D.C., Bread for the City, Washington Lawyers' Commitee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and the Whitman Walker Name and Gender Change Clinic. Luz clerked for the Honorable Jeffrey Geller in Baltimore City Circuit Court. Prior to joining CAL, Luz worked as a trial attorney in the criminal defense practice at the Bronx Defenders.
Madeline graduated summa cum laude from The George Washington University with a B.A. in Criminal Justice and Political Science, minoring in Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies. Madeline's article was selected for publication in the GW Undergraduate Law Review, which argues the diminished criminal culpability of young people and demonstrates the legal and scientific inaccuracies embedded in the "permanent incorrigibility" standard used to sentence youth to life without parole. While in DC, she interned with the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in the Prisoners' Rights Project, where she collaborated with federally incarcerated people and their families to investigate conditions issues, and supported class action litigation against the Bureau of Prisons. Madeline also interned at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in the Baltimore Juvenile Division, working directly under the Chief Attorney. Before joining CAL, Madeline worked as a Paralegal Client Advocate at the Legal Aid Society - Juvenile Rights Practice in the Bronx.
Manu is a former Cook County Jail workshop facilitator and cancer biologist, and came to CAL through previous work in the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic, Chicago. His research interests include institutionalisation, illness, and ethics. Much to his chagrin, he holds a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney and Director, Immigrant Justice Project
Marianne Yang directs CAL's Immigrant Justice Project, which pursues post-conviction relief for noncitizen clients at risk of immigration detention and deportation as a result of their conviction. Before joining CAL, Marianne directed the Immigration Practice of Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS), where she developed and spearheaded BDS's Padilla unit, its Immigrant Youth and Communities unit, and its assigned counsel role in a first-in-nation assigned counsel program-the New York Immigrant Family Unity Program-for indigent immigrants in detained removal proceedings. Earlier in her career Marianne was a staff attorney and then project director of the Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) and, before that, an associate attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
Marianne is a past recipient of the New York City Bar Legal Services Award, BDS's inaugural Harvey Mandelcorn Defender of Justice Award, and The Legal Aid Society's Pro Bono Publico Award. She is a board member of the MinKwon Center for Community Action. Marianne received her A.B., magna cum laude, in American History and Literature from Harvard College and her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she served on its Law Review as Articles Editor
Mark Zeno - Chief Legal Officer
Job Titles:
- Legal Director
- Member of the Board
- Member of the New York City Bar Association
Mark Zeno has been at CAL since its founding, having previously served as appellate counsel at The Legal Aid Society's Criminal Appeals Bureau and, before that, practicing civil litigation. A frequent advocate in the New York Court of Appeals, Mark's clients' cases have advanced the rights of criminal defendants in the areas of forensic evidence (e.g., People v. Williams, 35 N.Y.3d 24 (2020) (successfully challenging the introduction of advanced DNA testing by the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner on reliability grounds)); jury trial guarantees (e.g. People v. Suazo, 32 N.Y.3d 491 (2018) (recognizing that immigrant New Yorkers were guaranteed jury trials by the Sixth Amendment, even when charged with class-B misdemeanors)); drug-law reform (e.g. People v. Pratts & Paulin, 17 N.Y.3d 238 (2011)(extending eligibility for reduced sentences under the Rockefeller Drug-Law reforms to parolees)); double jeopardy (e.g. People v. Williams & Rodriguez, 14 N.Y.3d 198, cert. denied sub. nom., New York v. Williams, 562 U.S. 947 (2010)(striking down, on constitutional double jeopardy grounds, statewide practice of correcting offenders' sentences by adding periods of post-release supervision)); and limitations on homicide offenses (e.g., People v. Suarez, 6 N.Y.3d 202 (2005)(reformulating the elements of New York's depraved indifference murder statute, dismissing client's second-degree murder conviction)). His commitment to protecting the rights of immigrant New Yorkers led to his spearheading the work of our Immigrant Justice Project and his continued supervision of all direct appeals of our noncitizen clients.
Mark is an active member of the New York City Bar Association, having served on its Board of Directors, and Judiciary and Criminal Law Committees.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney & Director, Impact Litigation Project Co - Director, COA Litigation
After graduating from law school in 2011, Matthew clerked for Judge Robert S. Smith of the New York Court of Appeals for three years. In 2015, he joined the Center for Appellate Litigation, where he has since practiced appellate and post-conviction law in criminal cases arising out of the Bronx and Manhattan courts. Matthew represents clients at all levels of the state and federal court system, including the New York Court of Appeals, the United States Supreme Court, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Matthew co-directs CAL's Court of Appeals Project and is Director of its Impact Litigation Project. He served as the co-chair of the Appellate Courts Committee of the New York County Lawyers' Association from 2018-2022. Matthew has published two articles critical of New York Court of Appeals doctrine: A Sufficiency-of-the-Evidence Exception to the New York Appellate Preservation Rule (CUNY Law Review 2015) and The Court of Appeals Should Abandon the Corroboration Rule Governing the Admissibility of Expert-Identification Testimony (CUNY Law Review 2021).
Molly has spent over a decade in criminal defense and has represented clients at both trial and appellate levels. Prior to joining CAL, Molly was a senior staff attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services where she fought for New Yorkers charged with felonies and misdemeanors at the trial level. Molly has also worked at a private firm, where she represented individuals in white-collar criminal and regulatory investigations. Molly graduated with honors from the University of Chicago Law School where she was a member of the University of Chicago Law Review.
Nick Adamo received his B.A from Hunter College, cum laude, with a triple major in Interdisciplinary Honors, History and Political Science. He also minored in Sociology, was a member of the Thomas Hunter Honors Program, and was a recipient of the Helen E. Witmer prize for excellence in the study of History at graduation. Nick participated in two public policy fellowships at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute and a judicial internship with the Honorable Ruth Pickholz, during his three years as an undergraduate student. He also received a master's degree in public administration from the Marxe School of Public & International Affairs at Baruch College and was a recipient of the Marxe Dean's Excellence award at graduation.
Before joining CAL, Nick worked as a Senior Legal Specialist for a large investment firm, and as a Project Manager for the Legal Aid Society, where he helped pair immigrants in ICE custody with pro-bono legal services. He also spent six years as a paralegal in the Army Reserves.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney Director, SORA Project
Nicole Geoglis received her J.D. cum laude from NYU School of Law where she served as the Moot Court Board's Marden Competition Editor and co-authored the Spring 2012 Marden Competition problem. While in law school, she interned at the Mental Hygiene Legal Services and worked as a research assistant for Professor Erin E. Murphy, whose research focuses on technology and forensic evidence in the criminal justice system.
Prior to joining CAL, Nicole worked as a litigation associate at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP where her practice included the representation of criminal defendants in Federal court. She graduated summa cum laude from Stony Brook University, earning a B.S. degree in both Psychology and Political Science, and was awarded the Valedictory Distinction in the Psychology Bachelor of Science Program. Presently, she is the Chair of the SORA Subcommittee of NYSBA's Criminal Justice Section and a member of the Criminal Justice Section's Executive Committee. She also serves as the Chair of the NYC Bar's Sex Offense Working Group.
Job Titles:
- Accounts Payable Specialist
Nina has a BA in English from Fordham University. She has worked in fundraising and community organizing in Seattle and Oakland, and for the past several years she has been working as a bookkeeper. Nina is also an actor.
Nkechi Erondu received her J.D. from Columbia Law School where she was a Greene Public Service Scholar, Racial and Social Justice Fellow, Max Berger '71 Public Interest/Public Service Fellow, and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. While at Columbia, Nkechi interned at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and the Bronx Defenders and externed at CAL and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She also served as Executive Notes Editor of the Columbia Law Review, Empowering Women of Color Secretary, and the Black Law Students Association Scholarship Chair. Nkechi was the recipient of the Eric H. Holder, Jr. Scholarship, Constance Baker Motley Scholarship, and Sheila Abdus-Salaam Award for her dedication to public service and social justice.
Prior to law school, Nkechi was a justice policy researcher at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. She holds a BA in Political Science and African & African American Studies from Stanford University.
Phoenix Rice-Johnson received her J.D. from Yale Law School. During law school, she was a clinic member and teaching assistant with the Criminal Justice Advocacy Clinic, where she successfully defended clients facing parole revocation proceedings and worked on a class action lawsuit that resulted in home confinement for over 100 medically vulnerable individuals who were incarcerated during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was a member of the Yale Transitions Medical Legal Partnership, where she supported formerly incarcerated individuals with their reentry needs. Phoenix interned with the Bronx Defenders and the San Diego County Public Defender. Prior to law school, Phoenix worked as a Research and Program Associate at the Brennan Center for Justice's Voting Rights Team. She obtained her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, during which time she was awarded a Truman Scholarship for her commitment to public service. She received a master's in public policy from King's College London as a Marshall Scholar.
Rachel graduated summa cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Women's and Gender Studies. In college, Rachel worked as a research fellow studying the expansion of trauma-informed care in women's prisons. She also volunteered with a community organization advocating for currently and formerly incarcerated women in Boston. After graduation, she worked as a Research and Administrative Assistant in Wellesley's Anti-Carceral Co-Laboratory, an emerging academic center focused on women and girls impacted by incarceration.
Rashad graduated cum laude from St. John's University School of Law. There, he served as a senior staff member for the Moot Court Honor Society and Journal for Civil Rights and Economic Development (JCRED). During law school, Rashad interned at the Legal Aid Society's Decarceration unit and CAL, externed at the Appellate Division Second Department, and was a Student Advocate in St. John's Defense & Advocacy Clinic. In his final year, Rashad was a Pro-Bono Scholar at the Legal Aid Society's Criminal Appeals Bureau.
Job Titles:
- Director, Workplace Experience
Robin Nichinsky supervised CAL's Immigrant Justice Project. She is a veteran appellate criminal defense lawyer with specialized knowledge in post-conviction relief practice for immigrants. In 2017, she was recognized by the Immigrant Defense Project for her work spearheading CAL's practice in this area. Robin has extensive experience seeking post-conviction relief for clients in the New York trial courts, Appellate Division, and Court of Appeals. Before CAL, Robin was a Supervising Attorney in the Criminal Appeals Bureau of The Legal Aid Society of New York. She is a cum laude graduate of Cardozo Law School, where she was Managing Editor of the Cardozo Law Review. She has a B.A. in Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook and an M.S. in Counseling from the College of New Rochelle.
Sarah Siegel holds a J.D. cum laude from NYU School of Law and a B.A. in History, with Honors, from Vassar College. While in law school, she worked as a student attorney with the Federal Defenders of New York and the NYCLU, where she helped to sue New York State to provide counsel to indigent defendants in upstate counties. She served as a legal writing instructor and as an Articles Editor on the Annual Survey of American Law. During school breaks, she worked for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, the team representing Albert Woodfox, and the Orleans Public Defenders, where she preserved a Batson error that led to reversal in the Supreme Court.
Upon graduating, she clerked for the Honorable Colleen McMahon in the Southern District of New York. During a fellowship at CAL, she briefed an issue that became the premise of a federal habeas order invalidating state procedures that denied appellate counsel to indigent defendants. Before returning to CAL, she spent seven years as a trial attorney in the Legal Aid Society's Criminal Defense Practice, defending people against charges including homicide.
Shaina Watrous received her J.D. from NYU School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar. At NYU, Shaina was a student advocate in both the Family Defense Clinic and the Criminal Appellate Defender Clinic, and she served on the board of the Prison Reform and Education Project. During law school, Shaina interned with CAL, the Orleans Public Defenders, and the Special Litigation Unit of Brooklyn Defender Services. She was also a volunteer advocate with the Parole Preparation Project.
Shaina graduated cum laude from Princeton University, with a B.A. in public policy and certificates in African American Studies and South Asian Studies.
Job Titles:
- Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Shaun graduated in 2022 from Columbia University with an M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. While in graduate school, Shaun studied the development of systemic racism in the United States from 1600-Present and the Northern Ireland conflict using Dynamical Systems Theory (DST). Before graduate school, Shaun worked at a K-12 school where he focused on DEI strategy, recruitment, and teaching.
Shaun comes to CAL as a trained dialogue facilitator of race relations, climate change, and international conversations. During his time as a facilitator and trainer, he facilitated conversations with people from around the world, including NATO cadets, the Afghan Independent Bar Association, the Gaza Strip, and Israel. Shaun continues to foster facilitation skills, teach DEI workshops, and lead conversations around empathy and unlearning."
Job Titles:
- CAL 's Paralegal Supervisor
- Paralegal Supervisor
Stacey Simone is CAL's Paralegal Supervisor and has been with our office since its inception. Before joining CAL Stacey also worked as Paralegal Supervisor at The Legal Aid Society's Criminal Appeals Bureau in New York City. Stacey received her B.A. from St. John's University, where she studied Criminology and Justice.
Susan J. Walsh is a career trial and appellate lawyer who represents individuals in employment and criminal defense cases, often against large corporations or the government. Susan began her career as a public defender, transitioned into private practice, where she serves both private and court appointed clientele, and devotes substantial efforts to promoting law reform. She balances vigorous advocacy against formidable adversaries with a keen sensitivity to her clients' life experiences and multi-faceted needs.
Susan understands that litigation can be an overwhelming ordeal for clients and that an effective lawyer must display compassion, empathy, and strength. Having tried dozens of cases, Susan knows how to build or deconstruct a case and argue winning positions in the courtroom. Equally important, Susan's experience as a skilled appellate advocate complements her trial skills enabling her to effectively apply the law at the trial phase and establish the strongest possible record for appellate review when necessary.
Highly regarded by her peers, Susan receives the majority of her employment matters through referrals from other colleagues in the criminal defense bar. They know her work and judgment, and trust her with their clients and friends seeking employment representation. Former adversaries in criminal defense or employment litigation also refer clients to Susan, sometimes even after she has bested them in a matter. Courtroom professionals, judges and other members of the bar know Susan by reputation. For a trial lawyer, credibility means everything - no matter the area of practice.
Susan is highly committed to pro bono service to the legal profession and the community. (https://www.vladeck.com/community-engagement) Strongly believing that every lawyer should call out systemic injustice and promote on-going legal reform Susan has devoted a significant amount of her career to that end. She has held leadership positions in local and state bar associations, contributed to changing Fourth Amendment privacy law on the state and national levels through her amicus (friend of the court) legal work, and led numerous efforts to end abusive plea practices and promote sentencing reform. Susan currently serves as the Second Circuit representative to the United States Sentencing Guidelines Practitioner Advisory Group and as a liaison to the ABA Task Force on Sentencing. During the Obama administration clemency initiative, Susan secured sentence commutations for seven pro bono clients, all of whom were serving extremely long prison sentences. Susan maintains that her greatest satisfaction comes from the notes or holiday cards from former clients who have successfully moved on from their legal challenges and are now thriving.
Susannah Karlin received her M.S.W. from Columbia University and her B.A. from the University of Michigan. She has over 20 years of experience in criminal justice settings, including work in the courtroom as a mitigation specialist and as a mental health clinician in NYC correctional facilities. Susannah is a member of the New York State Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney & Director, Trial Court Litigation & Co - Director, Forensic Science Project
Marika joined CAL to lead the office's trial court litigation. Marika received her J.D. cum laude from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and had been a public defender for nearly 20 years. She spent over 14 years at The Bronx Defenders as a trial attorney handling serious felony cases where she tried over 35 cases to verdict and conducted over 50 suppression hearings. As Legal Director of The Bronx Defenders, she litigated complex and novel issues and supervised all in-house and pro bono appeals, including two cases that she briefed and argued before the New York State Court of Appeals that resulted in favorable decisions. As the Director of the Forensic Practice Group, she led the office in challenging unvalidated forensic science and seeking the admissibility of validated forensic science and gained expertise in DNA and other forensic sciences. She has presented at trainings all over New York and has testified before the City Council. Prior to working at The Bronx Defenders, she worked at the Criminal Defense Division of the Legal Aid Society, at Appellate Advocates and as a Staff Attorney at the Second Circuit.
Victoria graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College with a B.A. in Sociology. In college, she volunteered at an undergraduate organization dedicated to providing information about small claims law to low-income clients in Massachusetts. She has also interned at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the Bronx Defenders, where she worked with parents impacted by the family policing system. In her senior thesis, she studied a family policing reform and traced how it became a novel mechanism for investigating and punishing parents.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney & Director, Survivors Advocacy Practice
Zoë Root received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law where she completed four "co-ops" working at the Center for Appellate Litigation, the Bronx Defenders, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the Committee for Public Counsel Services.
Upon graduation, Zoë joined the Bronx Defenders where she worked for five years as a staff and supervising attorney, directed the Prostitution Conviction Vacatur Project and served as coordinating attorney in the Bronx County human trafficking intervention court. Thereafter she worked as Senior Policy Counsel at the Justice Programs Office (JPO) at American University. At JPO, Zoë directed two nationwide initiatives dedicated to providing training and technical assistance to judicial stakeholders on best practices for survivors of human trafficking facing criminal charges, and juveniles in drug treatment courts. She also served as an Adjunct Instructor at American University's Justice Law and Criminology department within the School of Public Affairs.