LAWYERS ALLIANCE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Information Systems Manager
As Information Systems Manager, Aaron Perlson oversees and maintains Lawyers Alliance's computer network. He is responsible for ensuring that Lawyers Alliance's servers, workstations, databases, and other technical systems run smoothly. He also helps Lawyers Alliance collect, maintain, and analyze data in an efficient and effective manner. He has been part of Lawyers Alliance since 1996. Aaron received his B.A. in Applied Mathematics from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1985.
Pronouns: he/him
Among Lawyers Alliance's staff attorneys are law firm associates who work full-time at Lawyers Alliance. They each serve as an extern at Lawyers Alliance for four months. Amy is from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.
As Pro Bono Associate, Anna Saum is a key liaison between Lawyers Alliance and its volunteers. She engages in pro bono outreach to law firms and corporations and coordinates the staffing of pro bono matters, striving to ensure that volunteers have the most rewarding experience possible. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2021, Anna worked as Senior Internet and Special Orders Manager at Book Revue, Long Island's largest independent bookstore. She received a B.A. in English from Haverford College in 2018 where she focused her studies on interdisciplinary work between the natural sciences and humanities.
Pronouns: she/her
Favorite hobby: Rare & Antiquarian Book Collecting
Job Titles:
- Legal Fellow / Staff Attorney
- Legal Fellow / Staff Attorney, Czhu@Lawyersalliance.Org, ( 212 ) 219 - 1800
Celine Zhu is a Legal Fellow/Staff Attorney sponsored by the National Center on Philanthropy and the Law at New York University School of Law. She graduated from New York University School of Law as a Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar in 2023, where she worked with communities in South Carolina and Louisiana to combat racially discriminatory infrastructure and voting practices through the Civil Rights Clinic. Celine also served as Digital Articles Editor for the Review of Law and Social Change, and a volunteer advocate for incarcerated New Yorkers eligible for parole through Ending the Prison Industrial Complex. During law school, she interned for the National Institute for Reproductive Health and the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project. Prior to law school, Celine graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College in 2020 with a B.A. in Political Science.
Pronouns: she/her
Ciarra Chavarria is the Senior Staff Attorney responsible for Lawyers Alliance's Quality Education program area, which focuses on providing business and transactional legal services to nonprofits that support, deliver, and improve education and increase access to educational opportunities for low-income New Yorkers. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2017, Ciarra was a senior associate at Covington & Burling LLP. She is also a former Lawyers Alliance extern. Ciarra received a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and a B.A. in English Literature from Austin College.
Pronouns: she/her
As Director of Operations, Dan Greenman manages and improves organizational practices cutting across all aspects of Lawyers Alliance's work. Before joining Lawyers Alliance in 2021, he was the Director of Technology at Auburn Seminary in New York City. His career in nonprofit operations also includes the Jewish cultural organization JDub Records, and managing the production office for award-winning documentary films. He received a B.A. in journalism from Ithaca College.
Pronouns: he/him
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Executive Director, and Jeanine C. D. DeFreese, Board Chair
Elizabeth M. Guggenheimer works with the Board and staff to advance Lawyers Alliance's mission and operations. She leads Lawyers Alliance's activities and positioning with nonprofit organizations, law firms, corporate legal departments, policymakers, and the general public. She also advises nonprofits and their boards of directors on legal issues, with a focus on post-pandemic rebuilding, risk management, corporate governance, fundraising law, and legal ethics. Liz became Executive Director in July 2019, after expanding Lawyers Alliance's client services, pro bono program, national network, and fundraising. She previously served as Lawyers Alliance's Legal Director 1999-2006, Deputy Executive Director 2006-2013, and Deputy Executive Director/Director of Institutional Advancement 2013-2019.
Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance, Liz was Deputy Bureau Chief and Acting Bureau Chief of the New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau and a litigator at Dewey Ballantine LLP. She received a joint J.D./M.P.A. from New York University School of Law and Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and A.B. from Harvard University.
Elizabeth Wytock is a Staff Attorney responsible for the Community Arts program area. Before initially joining Lawyers Alliance as a Legal Fellow sponsored by the National Center on Philanthropy and the Law at New York University School of Law, Liz worked as a tax associate at Proskauer Rose LLP. She graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2018, where she served as executive editor of the Virginia Law Review. She also participated in the UVA Law Nonprofit Clinic and interned for the Honorable Nancy Atlas and the Honorable Mary Milloy at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Prior to law school, Liz worked as a health policy program assistant at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. She graduated from Georgetown University in 2012 with a B.A. in Art History and Psychology.
Pronouns: she/her
Job Titles:
- Development Assistant
- Executive
As Executive and Development Assistant, Elyse Mara supports the Executive Director on program and operations, works with the Development team on fundraising and events, and serves as a liaison to the Board of Directors. Before joining Lawyers Alliance in 2023, Elyse worked with Damayan Migrant Workers Association, serving Filipino migrant workers and labor trafficking survivors. During her senior year of college, she supported the programs, membership, and communications activities as a part-time organizer and Database Management Coordinator. Upon graduation, she transitioned to a full-time Grants & Fundraising Coordinator. Elyse graduated from Barnard College in 2022 with a B.A. in Urban Studies and Public Health with a minor in Latin American Studies.
Pronouns: she/they
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Communications Director
As Marketing and Communications Director, Emily Crossan enhances Lawyers Alliance's visibility among nonprofit clients, volunteer attorneys, and communities served. Emily develops Lawyers Alliance's printed, online, and social media marketing materials and coordinates the promotion of legal services, trainings, and events. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2011, she spent more than 15 years working in communications at a number of nonprofits, including The Children's Aid Society and Child Care Action Campaign. Emily received a B.S. in Marketing Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1994.
Pronouns: she/her
Favorite hobby: Walking around New York City, exploring historical sites, stores, and restaurants
As Legal Director, Hedy O'Hara oversees Lawyers Alliance's legal representation, educational, and client outreach services for nonprofits, and manages the in-house staff attorneys. Lawyers Alliance promoted her to this important management team role in April 2020. Previously, she served as a Senior Staff Attorney, building Lawyers Alliance's program to serve nonprofits engaged in affordable housing development, neighborhood revitalization, supportive housing, and services to the homeless. Hedy continues to use her legal expertise related to financing, real estate, and transactions to help and support Lawyers Alliance's clients, volunteers, and staff in a wide variety of legal matters, including Lawyers Alliance's pandemic relief and recovery efforts. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2002, Hedy was an attorney with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP; Battle Fowler LLP; and Brown & Wood LLP. She received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1991 and B.A. cum laude from City University of New York at Hunter College.
As Development Manager, James Valentin coordinates Lawyers Alliance's fundraising activities and relationships with institutional and individual supporters, and he is a key organizer of the annual Gala. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2016, James worked at Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV) for nearly six years on a variety of operational, fundraising, and communications projects. He has been an English teaching assistant in France and worked as a legal analyst at a boutique law firm. He received a B.A. in History from Yale University and an M.A. in French Language and Civilization from New York University.
Pronouns: he/him
Jonal Hendrickson joined Lawyers Alliance in 2022 as a Staff Attorney. She focuses on employment law and leads Lawyers Alliance's Urban Health program area to provide legal assistance to nonprofits working to promote preventative health, food security, healthy aging, and making New York City a greener place. Prior to Lawyers Alliance, Jonal was in private practice and counseled small businesses on employment, corporate, and transactional matters. She was also Assistant General Counsel, New York City Mayor's Office of Labor Relations and a Policy Analyst advising the Fire & Emergency Medical Services Department in the District of Columbia on labor issues. Jonal received her J.D. from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law and a B.A. in Speech Pathology & Audiology from the University of North Texas.
Pronouns: she/her
Job Titles:
- Program and Strategy Director
Laren E. Spirer is engaged in strategic program innovation and oversees pro bono processes and service delivery. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance, she consulted in the pro bono space through InSpirer Consulting, served as the inaugural Director of Pro Bono Programs at Columbia Law School, where she also co-taught the Externship on Pro Bono and Access to Justice as a Lecturer in Law, and as the Pro Bono Manager at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Before that she worked at Pro Bono Net, including on the rollout of Lawyers Alliance's Community Development and Nonprofit Law section, and was a litigator in private practice in New York City. Laren graduated from New York University School of Law in 1997 and earned a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Women's Studies from Tufts University in 1992.
Job Titles:
- Senior Policy Counsel at Lawyers Alliance for New York
Laura Abel has been Senior Policy Counsel at Lawyers Alliance for New York since 2013. In this capacity, she leads Lawyers Alliance's advocacy-related work on behalf of the nonprofit sector and provides business law representation to nonprofits engaged in advocacy. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance, she was Deputy Director of the National Center for Access to Justice at Cardozo Law School, Senior Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, and a fellow at Gibbons P.C. and the ACLU. She graduated from Yale Law School and Harvard College.
Pronouns: she/her
Job Titles:
- Client Relations Associate
As the Client Relations Associate, Lauren Hayden serves as the primary day-to-day liaison between Lawyers Alliance and its current and prospective clients. She actively engages in outreach to community-based and other nonprofits, coordinates the client intake and screening process, responds to numerous inquiries from nonprofit groups, and strives to ensure that clients receive prompt and appropriate legal assistance. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2022, she worked on a Congressional campaign, as a Program Assistant for a shelter serving women and children experiencing homelessness, and as a Legislative Aide at the state government level. Lauren also spent two years as a Community Economic Development volunteer in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica. She received her B.B.A. from Baruch College and an M.A. in Development Studies specializing in Agrarian, Food, and Environmental Studies from The International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands.
Pronouns: she/her
Lori Moses joined as a Senior Staff Attorney in 2021 and provides real estate, corporate, and other legal guidance to community development and other organizations involved in pandemic recovery and additional timely issues. She also is responsible for Lawyers Alliance's Housing and Human Services program area, which serves nonprofits providing affordable housing, supportive housing, and services to the homeless. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance, she was Assistant General Counsel at TF Cornerstone Inc. and an Honor's Fellow at the New York City Housing Authority. Lori received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and her B.A. from Wesleyan University.
Pronouns: she/her
Matthew B. Zisk is a Volunteer Senior Counsel at Lawyers Alliance for New York. He retired as a partner from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP where he was a transactional patent attorney. Prior to becoming a partner at Skadden Arps, he was Senior Patent Counsel at Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He received a J.D. from Ohio State University College of Law, 1997 (with Honors, Order of the Coif), a Ph.D. from Stanford University (Organic Chemistry 1991) and a B.A. from Boston University in Chemistry, 1985 (A.C.S. Certified, summa cum laude with distinction in chemistry).
Rafi Stern is the Staff Attorney responsible for Lawyers Alliance's Economic Opportunity program area, assisting community development organizations and nonprofits that are providing investment capital and credit services, pursuing earned revenue activities, stimulating and revitalizing commercial activity, and sponsoring job training and job placement programs in New York City. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2019, Rafi was an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and a law clerk to the Honorable Margaret Cangilos-Ruiz in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York. Before law school, he worked as program officer at the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation and as an NYC Civic Corps member at Phipps Community Development Corporation. Rafi graduated from Brown University in 2010 and Cornell Law School in 2017.
Pronouns: he/him
Favorite hobby: Bicycling
As Development Director, Tanya Shpiniova works with Lawyers Alliance's staff, Board of Directors, and individual and institutional donors to mobilize the financial resources for the organization to fulfill its mission. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2023, Tanya spent nearly 15 years working in institutional fundraising and partnership development at The New York Public Library and The Council on Foreign Relations. Before pivoting to the nonprofit sector, she started her career in business and technology consulting at a Fortune 500 financial institution. Tanya received her B.A. in World Politics from Hamilton College in 2008 and her Master's in Public Administration, with a concentration in Urban and Social Policy, from Columbia University in 2021.
Pronouns: she/her
As Office Administrator, Wilma Alexander provides invaluable support for all aspects of Lawyers Alliance's office facility and administrative functions. Prior to joining Lawyers Alliance in 2015, she was a transcriptionist and was engaged in advocacy for workers' rights. She received an A.A. from the City University of New York in 2003.
Pronouns: she/her
Favorite hobby: Ice skating