Senior Staff

Erica Adams is a Senior Paralegal with the Consumer Practice Group.  She has been with Legal Aid Chicago for 22 years. She started with Legal Aid Chicago in the SSI Project.

As a Paralegal with the Consumer Practice Group, Erica does intake for senior clients, files consumer complaints with the Attorney General’s office, Better Business Bureau, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, assists clients with home loan modifications, and various other duties supporting attorneys in the Consumer Practice Group. Erica graduated from South Suburban College with a Paralegal Degree. She is a long time member of the Illinois Paralegal Association.

Kulsum Ameji is a Senior Attorney in the Community Engagement Unit. Kulsum’s role includes community legal education and community engagement. In her previous role as a staff attorney, she provided legal advice and representation. Kulsum is the current Chair of the Domestic Violence Task Force. Kulsum is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the Chicago Foundation for Women Impact Award, the KANWIN Community Changemaker Award, the Community Renewal Society’s 35 Under 35 Nonprofit Leaders Award, and the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy. After graduating with honors from Smith College, Kulsum received her law degree from the DePaul University College of Law.

Ben Bennett is a Senior Staff Attorney in Public Benefits and Complex Litigation. In the Public Benefits Practice Group, Ben assists clients with accessing and maximizing public benefits, including Social Security and Supplemental Security Income, public medical insurance, food assistance, and cash benefits. Ben also works across the practice groups to support other lawyers litigating complex cases. Ben began his career in legal services and public benefits after college as an Avodah/AmeriCorps corps member at Bread for the City in Washington, D.C., where he also worked as a case manager.

Ben received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a 2019 graduate of Columbia Law School, where he was a Kent and Stone scholar.

Hannah Berkowitz is a Senior Staff Attorney in the Children and Families Practice Group. Hannah joined Legal Aid Chicago as a Staff Attorney in October 2020. Her practice focuses on representing students, primarily youth in care in special education, school discipline, and other education-related matters. Hannah received her undergraduate degree in Special Education and Cognitive Studies from Vanderbilt University, and her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Hannah Bernard joined Legal Aid Chicago in March 2022 as a social worker after interning with the Client Support Services team in 2019-2020. Hannah completed her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2020 and is a licensed social worker in Illinois. She previously worked at Thresholds, a community mental health organization, providing intensive case management services and clinical support to clients experiencing severe and persistent mental health symptoms. As a member of the Client Support Services team, Hannah works collaboratively with the legal team in an interdisciplinary model to support clients in meeting their legal goals. Hannah works primarily with the Housing Practice Group supporting clients who are facing eviction and supports staff across the agency respond to client mental health crises.

Ashley Berta is a Senior Paralegal in the Pro Bono and Community Partnerships Practice Group. Prior to joining Legal Aid Chicago, she was an Americorps Member on a project called City Year, which focused on supporting students here in Chicago. She joined Legal Aid Chicago in 2022 and works on the Criminal Records Relief Project. Ashley’s role involves helping clients to expunge and seal their criminal records. She is responsible for client intake and referrals, gathering the necessary documents such as RAP sheets, filing petitions for expungement and sealing in Cook County, and more. She also handles the training of new incoming paralegals and interns on the criminal records team. Ashley earned her B.A. in Criminology, Law, and Justice at the University of Iowa.

Letisha joined Legal Aid Chicago in September. As a member of the Finance team, Letisha has a wide range of responsibilities including reconciling bank statements, assisting in audit requests, and ensuring accurate financial reporting to Legal Aid Chicago’s grantors among other important tasks. Letisha earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Robert Morris University.

Nicole Capretta is a Senior Staff Attorney in the Housing Practice Group. Nicole joined Legal Aid Chicago as a Staff Attorney in March 2022. Her practice focuses on representing clients facing eviction proceedings or facing difficulties with subsidized housing benefits. Nicole also is heavily involved in Legal Aid Chicago’s fair housing work including investigating housing discrimination complaints and advocating on behalf of discriminated individuals. Nicole has worked as a public interest lawyer her entire legal career. Prior to attending law school Nicole worked for several non-profit organizations in various roles. Nicole received her undergraduate degree from Notre Dame College of Ohio and her law degree from the Cleveland State University College of Law.

Mara Casado joined Legal Aid Chicago in May of 2023 as a Social Worker on the Client Support Services (CSS) team. She primarily works with the Trafficking Survivor’s Assistance Project, and Immigrants and Worker’s Rights Practice Group, connecting survivors of trafficking and domestic violence with stabilization and support services. Mara works closely with the CSS team and legal staff to provide trauma-informed services that strive to reduce clients’ barriers and assist clients in reaching their legal goals.

Mara obtained her Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago in 2020 and is a Licensed Social Worker in Illinois. Mara previously worked at Heartland Alliance, providing employment case management and housing support to survivors of violence in a rapid re-housing program.

Ashley Castillo is a Senior Paralegal with the Children and Family Practice Group.  She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Carthage College. Ashley joined Legal Aid Chicago as a paralegal in August 2022. As a paralegal, she works with survivors of domestic violence in divorce, custody, order of protections, and family defense & preservation matters. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Ashley strives to create a safe and supportive environment where survivors can access the legal resources and representation they need.

Jeanette Chico (Sandoval) is a Senior Paralegal in the Public Benefits Practice Group. Jeanette joined Legal Aid Chicago in 2013. Jeanette’s role at Legal Aid Chicago is to provide outreach and enrollment to Chicago residents and families who are looking to apply for benefits from the Department of Human Services (DHS), such as SNAP, TANF/AABD CASH, Medical benefits and Medicare savings program. This involves representing and advocating for clients with the DHS office. She does in person outreach at the City of Chicago South Chicago DFSS service center. Jeanette also has been working with non-citizen individuals and families who qualify for benefits based on being victims of trafficking, torture, or other serious crimes. Jeanette received her undergraduate degree from Purdue University Northwest.

Eduardo Cisneros is a dedicated BIPOC advocate and attorney who specializes in culturally competent, trauma-informed legal services for survivors of human trafficking. With a profound commitment to human rights and justice, he brings extensive experience navigating the complexities of the legal and immigration systems with sensitivity to each client’s unique cultural background and trauma experiences, ensuring compassionate and effective legal advocacy. Through his work, Eduardo strives to create a safe and supportive environment where survivors can access the legal resources and representation they need on their journey toward healing and justice. Eduardo received his law degree from The University of Illinois Chicago School of Law in 2018. He joined Legal Aid Chicago in May 2019 as an Equal Justice Works Crime Victims Justice Corps Fellow in the Trafficking Survivors’ Assistance Project (TSAP). After his fellowship, Eduardo continued in TSAP as a staff attorney.

Ines Clemmer is an accomplished senior paralegal specializing in immigration law, currently serving at Legal Aid Chicago. With over five years of dedicated experience, she expertly navigates the complexities of immigration benefits for victims of crime. A graduate of St. Petersburg College with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Paralegal Studies, she graduated Summa Cum Laude, demonstrating her academic excellence. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Ines brings exceptional communication skills and a compassionate approach to her work, ensuring clients receive comprehensive support throughout their legal journeys.

Colleen Connelly is a Senior Attorney in the Children & Families Practice Group.

Denise Davis is a Senior Crime Victim Advocate in the Children & Families Practice Group. Denise started her legal career at the Cook County Bar Association, pro bono project and later working for several law firms. Denise started working with Legal Aid Chicago, then known as Legal Aid Foundation, in 1992 as a paralegal handling Public Aid and SSI cases.  During that same year, Denise took on the position of Crime Victim Advocate. Denise is now working with the Children & Families Practice Group as a paralegal/crime victim advocate.  Denise graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana campus and attended Northern Illinois University, School of Law.

Soyini Duff is a Senior Accountant in the Finance department. Soyini joined Legal Aid Chicago in 2019 as a Staff Accountant.  In her role as Senior Accountant, she works with multiple grants in which she completes quarterly reports, monthly invoicing, and reconciliation for each grant.  Her other duties include the Accounts Payable process in which she handles the bills for the agency. Soyini is a graduate of DePaul University with a B.A. in Accounting and M.S. in Public Service Management and certificate in Urban Planning.

Carolyn Faller is a Senior Paralegal in both the Housing Practice Group and Client Support Services. Carolyn is a housing navigator and specializes in working with people living with chronic health conditions especially people living with HIV/AIDS. In her role, Carolyn supports clients in obtaining and maintaining healthy housing whether that be by assisting in landlord/tenant disputes, searching for subsidized housing, or obtaining other supportive services that client may need for their housing. Carolyn is a graduate from Fordham University and before joining Legal Aid Chicago she served in Peace Corps Eswatini working on HIV/AIDS outreach.

Kaaren Fehsenfeld is a Senior Staff Attorney in the Public Benefits Practice Group at Legal Aid Chicago. She works on public benefits legal issues through the Health Forward/Salud Adelante Medical Legal Partnership with Cook County Health, where Cook County Health refers patients with health-harming legal needs for direct legal support. Specifically, Kaaren works on Social Security Disability cases and SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid appeals. Kaaren has also worked on eviction defense for tenants in subsidized housing, criminal records sealing and expungement, and on behalf of trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive clients. Kaaren is a co-chair of MLP Illinois Task Force, a statewide coalition of medical-legal partnerships seeking to increase access to justice through direct contact with health systems.

Mona Green is a Senior Intake Specialist in the Client Screening Unit where she serves as the first point of contact for members of the community who are unable to afford an attorney but often are dire need of legal assistance. Mona has served in this role for over 20 yrs with 11 of those years being spent at CSU. During her long tenure at Legal Aid Chicago, Mona has assisted in the training of staff, interns and volunteers and she has participated in community engagement projects where she acted as a spokesperson for Legal Aid Chicago.

Mona has particular expertise in working with clients who are HIV+ and she interviews these clients while understanding the many nuanced legal and social needs of this extremely marginalized population.

Her skill in screening for legal needs combined with her empathy, flexibility and confidence allow her to efficiently handle calls that span a wide range of subject matter and emergency level. Mona aspires to provide the highest level of service that Legal Aid Chicago can offer to clients. When callers do not qualify for legal advice, Mona strives to provide valuable information or suitable referrals to all callers.

Alexander Hartz is a Senior Staff Attorney in the Housing Practice Group. He represents tenants facing eviction and subsidy termination. Alexander also represents people facing housing discrimination because of their source of income, disability, race, and sex. Alexander’s background in a working-class family provides him with an understanding of the challenges low-income people face while also fueling his passion for serving his clients.

Alexander joined Legal Aid Chicago in November 2021. He received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from the University of Arizona and his Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Luceli Hernandez Mena is a Senior Paralegal in the Immigrants & Workers’ Rights’ Practice Group. Luceli has been at Legal Aid Chicago since May 2021. Prior to joining Legal Aid Chicago, Luceli was a community organizer and has been has been working with the immigrant community in Chicago since 2018.  She is a paralegal with the Trafficking Survivors’ Assistance Project (TSAP).  Luceli’s primary focus is providing victim advocacy to clients when they are reporting to law enforcement agencies, helping trafficking survivors obtain legal status, and connecting them with other resources. Luceli excels at implementing trauma informed practices and providing a safe space for clients who have experienced severe trauma. These last couple of years have sparked an interest in law school for her. She has recently started studying for the LSAT. Legal Aid Chicago awarded Luceli the service award for the organization’s core value of Equity. She is passionate about transformative justice and centering the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in her work.

Luceli obtained her B.A. degree in 2018 from Denison University.

Gabi (Gabriela) Jovanoski is a Senior Paralegal with the Immigration Project in the Immigrants & Workers’ Rights Practice Group. She joined Legal Aid Chicago for the second time in 2022 after working in the transportation and logistics industry for a couple of years. Previously, Gabi served as an AmeriCorps VISTA for Legal Aid Chicago’s Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) in the Public Benefits Practice Group.

Gabi’s primary focus is ensuring her clients receive the best possible representation in their respective matter and assists them in their claims for a variety of forms of immigration relief, including asylum, U Visas, and VAWAs. Gabi received her undergraduate degree from DePaul University and obtained a Paralegal Certificate from Loyola. Gabi speaks Spanish and English.

Adam Kennaugh is a Senior Office Assistant with the Operations team at Legal Aid Chicago.

Aziza Khatoon is a Senior Staff Attorney in the Children & Families Practice Group. She joined Legal Aid Chicago as a Staff Attorney in 2017. Her practice focuses on representing survivors of domestic violence in family law matters, including divorce, child custody, and Order of Protection cases. In addition to her work as a litigator, Aziza frequently provides trainings to Legal Aid Chicago’s community partner agencies. Aziza is an American Bar Association Family Law Fellow (2022-2024) and is also an active member of the American Bar Association’s Commission of Domestic and Sexual Violence.

Aziza received her undergraduate degree from DePaul University, master’s degree from the University of Chicago and law degree from DePaul University College of Law.

Derek Koshinski is a Senior Ombudsman Paralegal in the Long-Term Care Practice Group. Derek has worked at dozens of facilities spread over southern Lake County and northern Cook County. At these long term care facilities, Derek strives to inform the residents about their rights and ensures that their voices are heard. Derek has assisted residents and their families to apply for Medicaid, fight evictions, get staff to replace an uncomfortable bed, and improve the quality of meals.

Emerson Marsiglia is a Senior Paralegal in the Pro Bono & Community Partnerships Practice Group. Emerson joined Legal Aid Chicago in 2022. Emerson’s role at Legal Aid Chicago is to provide records relief and expungement services for folks who have juvenile records in Cook County. This involves staffing the Juvenile Expungement Help Desk located in the Cook County’s Juvenile courthouse, assisting walk in clients and referrals from the probation office. Emerson also coordinates with volunteer pro bono attorneys, and assists on adult expungement and sealing cases. Emerson additionally works at the monthly Community Legal Clinics, and is a member of the LGBTQ Taskforce. Emerson received their undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Beverly Nunnally is a Senior Ombudsman Paralegal in the Long-Term Care Practice Group. She joined Legal Aid Chicago in 2000. Beverly provides assistant to residents living in long-term care facilities who need help from abuse and neglect. Beverly assists individuals with Community Medicaid and educates residents of long-term care facilities about Advance Directives, such as Power of Attorney, simple wills, and help with Guardianship. Beverly is also an Ombudsman instructor. She has earned Associate’s degrees from Georgia Military College, Cameron University, and South Suburban College. Beverly is a United States Army veteran.

Maggie (Margaret) O’Connor is a Senior Staff Attorney with the Immigration Project and Trafficking Survivors Assistance Project (TSAP) in the Immigrants & Workers’ Rights Practice Group. She joined Legal Aid Chicago as a Staff Attorney in 2022 after practicing commercial litigation for about 5 years. Maggie advocates for the rights of trafficking survivors in criminal proceedings against her clients’ traffickers. She also represents her clients in state and federal court in cases involving unemployment, wage violations, and pesticide exposure. Before U.S. Customs and Immigration Services and the Executive Office for Immigration Review, she advocates for clients in their claims for a variety of forms of immigration relief, including asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U Visas, and T Visas. Maggie received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her law degree from the University of Chicago. Maggie speaks Spanish and English.

Marco Penaloza Macha is a Senior Paralegal in the Immigrant & Workers’ Rights Practice Group. Since 2008, Marco has been working on immigration and asylum issues for governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, both in Argentina and in the Dominican Republic. He joined Legal Aid Chicago in 2019, first as a paralegal in the Employment team, then as a paralegal in the Immigration team of the Immigrants & Workers’ Rights Practice Group. Marco’s work focuses on providing immigration relief for vulnerable undocumented immigrants, in particular survivors of certain gender-related crimes and newly arrived asylum seekers. Marco is particularly skilled in assisting with a complex caseload that requires appropriate legal communication with clients whose first language is not English.

Marco graduated as an attorney from the School of Law at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2008.

Ana Reynoso began with Legal Aid Chicago in 2017 as an office assistant. Ana joined our Client Screening Unit as an intake specialist in 2019 and in 2022 became a Senior Intake Specialist. Since that time, she has been one of the primary points of intake on an array of legal issues, with a focus on Chicago seniors.  Ana has a talent for working respectfully and patiently with difficult clients. She has a broad understanding of all our practice groups. Ana takes care of her cases to make sure she effectively connects clients to the services they need. She mentors others on her team to help guide them through the intake process. More recently Ana has become a member of the Intake Improvement Project to improve our intake process as an agency. Ana speaks English and Spanish.

Justine Rodriguez began her career at Legal Aid Chicago in 2008, starting as a floating Intake Specialist before being permanently assigned to the Westside Office. While in the Client Screening Unit (CSU), Justine worked in a special project with Mujeres Latinas en Accion where she obtained her 40-Hour Domestic Violence certificate. Justine also volunteered at Katten De Diego Legal Clinic.  In 2016, Justine became a Paralegal for the Children & Families Practice Group where she assisted with cases and interpreted in Spanish for court proceedings. She then went on to become a Long- Term Care Ombudsman. As of 2022 Justine has been a Paralegal for the Pro-Bono & Community Partnerships Practice Group assisting with adult and juvenile criminal records expungement and sealing. Justine received her degree in Paralegal Studies from Wright College in 2002 and studied Justice at Northeastern Illinois University.

Lija Siliunas is a Senior Staff Attorney with the Long-Term Care Practice Group. Certified also as a long-term care ombudsman, Lija advocates on behalf of residents of long-term care facilities. Most of Lija’s work involves contesting involuntary discharges and Medicaid decisions before administrative agencies. Understanding that her clients often face institutional violence, Lija strives to create a safe and empowering space for each of them as they navigate the legal system. Having experience in street outreach, Lija is sensitive to barriers to justice and offers in-person advocacy whenever it is needed.

Lija began her career at Legal Aid Chicago in June 2020 immediately after graduating from Berkeley Law where she focused on criminal defense, restorative justice, trial advocacy, and homeless services. She received her Bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Saint Louis University.

Eric Sternberg is a Senior Staff Attorney focusing primarily on the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic within the Consumer Practice Group. Since joining Legal Aid Chicago in 2022, Eric has dedicated his efforts to assisting individuals and families with their tax disputes. He holds a J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law (2012) and brings extensive experience from his previous roles as staff attorney and director of Ladder Up’s Tax Clinic. In addition to his legal aid work, Eric has contributed to the legal community as a former Chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s YLS Federal Taxation Committee and still regularly provides trainings to taxpayers and organizations on various tax issues. Having represented hundreds of clients before the IRS, Illinois Department of Revenue, and United States Tax Court, Eric is committed to advocating for fair treatment and justice in all tax matters.

Jose Soto is a Senior Paralegal in the Public Benefits Practice Group at Legal Aid Chicago. Jose is part of the Public Benefits Outreach and Enrollment project where he advocates for clients in need of public assistance. His expertise in Victims of Trafficking, Torture or Other Serious Crimes (VTTC) benefits allows him to help clients navigate this complex and confusing program and to share valuable knowledge with colleagues at Legal Aid Chicago and other agencies. Jose is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is fluent in Spanish.

Eva Torres is a Senior Ombudsman Paralegal in the Long-Term Care Practice Group. Eva first worked with Legal Aid Chicago for three years starting in 2008, serving as an intake specialist in the Client Screening Unit. After time in private practice, she rejoined Legal Aid Chicago in 2017 as a Crime Victim Advocate in the Children & Families Practice Group, ensuring that survivors receive access to services and compensation. In 2020 ,she transitioned to the Long-Term Care Practice Group where she has found her calling serving seniors and people with disabilities. Eva received her degree in Paralegal Studies from Wilbur Wright College in 2011.

Feliciana Torres is a Senior Ombudsman Paralegal in the Long-Term Care Practice Group. As a certified Ombudsman, she works to protect the rights of residents living in long-term care facilities. Feliciana helps residents with challenges related to financial, physical, and mental abuse as well as a myriad of other complaints that may arise. Her role also entails educating residents, families, and long-term care facilities’ staff about the rights of residents. Feliciana graduated from Northwestern College as a Registered Medical Assistant. She is fluent in Spanish.

Sadie is a Senior Paralegal with the Public Benefits Outreach and Enrollment Project. She returned to Legal Aid Chicago in 2024 after serving in the Peace Corps. Previously, Sadie served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Pro Bono & Community Partnerships Practice Group and worked as a Paralegal with the Veterans’ Rights Project. She has experience supporting clients with issues related to housing, criminal records, advance directives, public benefits, and more.

In her current role, Sadie assists Chicago residents with securing and maintaining benefits from the Illinois Department of Human Services, such as Medicaid, SNAP benefits, Cash Assistance, and Medicare Savings Program benefits. She received her undergraduate degree from Goucher College. Sadie speaks English and Spanish.

Cindy Villagran is a Senior Paralegal with the Immigration Project in the Immigrants & Workers’ Rights Practice Group. She joined Legal Aid Chicago in 2021 after graduating with honors from Loyola University Chicago. Cindy’s practice focuses on helping clients file a variety of immigration petitions before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, including T Visa, U Visa, Adjustment of Status, Asylum, TPS, and Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement (DALE). She provides victim advocacy and resources to survivors of trafficking, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other crimes. Her work also explores the connection between employment and immigration law, particularly how certain labor violations can lead to immigration relief. Additionally, she manages reporting for one of our agency’s grants and trains staff. Cindy speaks Spanish and English, and she is one of the voices you will hear on our recorded phone menus.