Management and Administration

Christopher has been South Coastal Counties Executive Director since March 1, 2023.  Chris hails from Westchester County, NY and comes to SCCLS with a background in civil legal services, starting his public interest career with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV) in 2014.  Chris served as LSHV’s Pro Bono Director immediately prior to joining in SCCLS. Chris previously practiced law with firms in New York City and White Plains, NY prior to joining LSHV. While an attorney at LSHV, Chris represented clients with disabilities, including HIV/AIDS, and he led the creation of the LGBTQ Legal Project, representing low-income LGBTQ individuals in areas such as job discrimination, housing, government benefits, and family law. Later in his time at LSHV, Chris was also a supervising attorney in their Yonkers office, assisting survivors of domestic violence, individuals with mental health challenges, and people with disabilities.

Chris is a graduate of Vassar College, with honors, and earned his JD degree from the City University of New York School of Law.  Because of Christopher’s LGBTQ+ advocacy and community work in Westchester County, two “Christopher Oldi” days have been named in his honor – June 22, 2016 and September 28, 2017.

Susan served as South Coastal Counties Legal Services’ Executive Director from 2012 through February 28, 2023. She remains with the organization as Special Counsel to Executive Director, Christopher Oldi, as he assumes the duties of Executive Director. Susan began her legal aid career in Massachusetts as a staff attorney in the housing unit at Legal Services for Cape Cod & Islands. She has been with SCCLS, or a predecessor organization, for thirty years serving in a variety of leadership roles prior to being tapped for Executive Director. These roles have included Supervising Attorney of the Housing Practice Group; Managing Attorney of the Plymouth and New Bedford offices; and Director of Advocacy. During her tenure as Executive Director, the organization’s revenues have grown from $4.7 million to more than $10 million per year.

Susan is from the Midwest and received her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law. She is a past recipient of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Community Service Award. In 2017, she was appointed to the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission and serves as co-chair of its Revenue Enhancement Committee.

Susan has witnessed for years the ways in which quality legal representation can help families realize economic stability and opportunity. She is extremely proud of the organizations’ advocates and of the results they achieve on behalf of low income residents of Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod & Islands.

Jenny Chou joined SCCLS as the Deputy Director of SCCLS in July 2020. As Deputy Director, Jenny is part of the senior management team focusing on organizational development and DEI efforts. Jenny most recently was a Senior Attorney and Racial Justice Fellow at the Center for Law and Education, where  her legal work focused on ensuring a quality education for public school students, in particular students who are most impacted by exclusionary policies and practices that adversely affect their educational opportunities. Jenny also led CLE’s Pro Bono Education Law Project in partnership with Choate, Hall and Stewart and the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School. Prior to joining CLE, Jenny directed the EdLaw Project where she represented low-income, mostly court-involved students in Boston who were deprived of an effective education. Her work at the EdLaw Project was recognized through the Jay D. Blitzman Youth Advocacy Award. Jenny brings other legal experience including  AAPI focused legal initiatives at the Asian Outreach Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services, consulting for  MLP Boston, criminal and civil litigation at Stern, Shapiro, Weissberg and Garin and at the Legal Aid Society in NY. She has also worked in marketing for a software company and co-founded an internet e-commerce company. Jenny is a graduate of Wellesley College and Boston College Law School.

­­Tom Kelley is the Chief Financial Officer for South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SSCLS). His responsibilities include the oversight of the monthly financial closing, annual budget and forecasting, financial reporting to the Executive Director, Audit & Finance Committee, and Board of Directors, and oversight of annual audit, tax, and compliance requirements. Prior to SCCLS, Tom has worked in various industries including banking and health care. He is a licensed CPA in Massachusetts and holds a BS and an MS in Finance both from Boston College.

Tom Conley is the Bookkeeper for South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SSCLS). His responsibilities include reconciling bank statements and verifying the cash receipts journal, maintaining the asset inventory system, vouches, verifying, reconciling and processing accounts payable, assisting with processing cash disbursements and vendor file maintenance, assisting with payroll processing, assisting with all support activity required for annual audits, and acting as recording secretary taking and producing minutes for SCCLS Board of Directors Meetings. He holds a BS from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Jeanne Marcotte is the Assistant to the Executive Director of South Coastal Counties Legal Services. She has served in this role for more than thirty years, providing vital support and continuity to the organization in the areas of Human Resources, Grants Management, Payroll, Purchasing and Property Management. Jeanne also works closely with the Executive Director and the Board of Directors on all Board related matters. Prior to joining SCCLS, Jeanne worked as Business Manager for an Employment Agency and Personnel Manager for a Textile Company.

Lissl Thelin is a Human Resources Administrative Assistant with the Fall River Administration Office of South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS). She joined SCCLS in December 2020 and her role includes New Hire on boarding, PFML leave management, fiscal reporting, employee leave records and workplace benefits & Welfare.

Raymond Yox is the Managing Attorney of South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc.’s (SCCLS) Hyannis, MA Law Office.  Previously, he was the Executive Director of Legal Services for Cape Cod & Islands from 1997 until it merged into SCCLS in 2006. Prior to that, he began his legal career in New York State as a staff Attorney with Chautauqua County Legal Services, Inc. from 1983 until 1989 and as Executive Director of that organization from 1989 to 1997. He is a graduate of Valparaiso University School of Law. He currently holds the faculty position of adjunct professor at UMass Dartmouth School of Law, supervising the Mashpee Wampanoag Legal Services Clinic.

Rob Mount has been the Managing Attorney of the Fall River Law Office of South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS) since December 2020. In this position, he oversees and ensures the provision of high-quality legal services to clients in the greater Fall River, Taunton, and Attleboro areas. To provide excellent legal advocacy to the community, he works collaboratively with other managing Attorneys in SCCLS and engages with the organization’s leadership team to develop and manage strategic initiatives and coordinate impact work. Attorney Mount directly supervises advocacy and support staff and works in conjunction with SCCLS senior management for the betterment of the organization. Previously he worked as a staff Attorney in the New Bedford Law Office of SCCLS, a legal advocate for Citizens Disability, and a Staff Attorney at the Committee for Public Counsel Services.

Gavin Bates is the Managing Attorney for SCCLS’ New Bedford Office. He was a staff attorney prior to that, starting with the organization in 2014. His practice focused mostly on direct representation for individuals facing potential eviction and struggling to access public benefits, although he now handles a variety of other sorts of work. He worked in other legal fields prior to his time at SCCLS, including public defense, family law, immigration, and advocacy for juveniles in both school and court settings. Prior to his legal career, he earned his B.A. and then his master’s in public administration (both from Clark University) and worked for both local governments, nonprofit organizations, and the Office of the Inspector General for the US Department of Health and Human Services. He is an enthusiastic advocate for those in need as well as an active community partner with other anti-poverty groups in and around SCCLS’ New Bedford Office

Clare McGorrian is Intake Supervising Attorney for South Coastal Counties Legal Services. In this role, she works with SCCLS leadership and staff to ensure access to civil legal services for low-income residents of Southeastern Massachusetts. Clare develops systems for intake, advice and referral, trains and supervises intake staff, and oversees provision of intake-related services throughout SCCLS. Clare joined SCCLS in September 2018, as the first hire in the newly created Intake Supervising Attorney position.

Prior to joining SCCLS Clare was a Senior Staff Attorney with the non-profit Health Law Advocates, where she represented individual clients, participated in impact litigation, and advocated for policy change. Clare also spent several years running a solo practice focused on health and disability benefit matters. Clare has a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and a B.A. from Harvard College.

Victoria Gautney is the Grants Manager at South Coastal Counties Legal Services. She was the Private Attorney Involvement Coordinator at South Coastal for five years before moving into this role. Prior to joining SCCLS, Victoria served three years as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the Private Bar Involvement program at MetroWest Legal Services and in the CORI Project at Greater Boston Legal Services. She is from Texas and received her BA in Psychology and JD from the University of Alabama.

Jamie Gau joined SCCLS as the Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) Coordinator in April of 2023.  In this position, she manages the pro bono and volunteer projects, engages the local legal community, and helps to bridge the justice gap by increasing SCCLS’ service capacity through pro bono and reduced fee cases.  Jamie is a native New Yorker and graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law, where she participated in the Association for Public Interest Law, Public Interest Clinics, and worked with the Rhode Island Public Defender and Federal Defenders. Prior to joining SCCLS, she practiced in criminal defense law, navigating clients through all stages of the litigation process in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  Most recently, Jamie strengthened her community connections through representation of clients in the field of residential and commercial real estate.  Jamie understands just how essential private attorney involvement is to extending SCCLS’ ability to meet the demand for our services and ensure our clients get the legal assistance they need.