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.

Gavin Bates serves as the Deputy Director for South Coastal Counties Legal Services. He joined the organization in 2014 and previously served as Managing Attorney, where his work centered on direct representation for clients facing eviction and barriers to accessing public benefits. As Deputy Director, his role has expanded to include a broad range of legal and organizational responsibilities.

­­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.

Andrew L. Bardetti is the Supervising Attorney of the Elder Law Unit at SCCLS. His practice involves advising and representing older adults in a variety of civil legal matters including public benefits, health care, and nursing home rights. He began with SCCLS as a Borchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging Fellow. Andrew is a member of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Barnstable County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Boston College and Northeastern University School of Law.

Sasha Benov is a Supervising Attorney in the Housing Unit. After starting her legal career as a housing attorney at SCCLS, Sasha worked as a public defender and as the Mobile Home Project Supervising Attorney and Tenant Legal Services Trial Supervisor at the Community Economic Defense Project in Colorado. Sasha graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Tom Conley is the Senior Accountant 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.

Emily Flaherty currently works as the Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) Coordinator at South Coastal Counties Legal Services. As the PAI Coordinator, Emily leads pro bono and volunteer initiatives and expands SCCLS’s service capacity through collaboration with private attorneys in the area.

Emily is a graduate of the University of Vermont, where she earned a degree in Business Administration. Emily received her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and joined SCCLS as a Staff Attorney in 2022. Emily’s primary areas of practice are Housing and Family Law, where she provided direct representation services to clients. She is barred in Massachusetts.

Jamie Gau currently serves as the Managing Attorney of our New Bedford Office. She originally joined the organization in April 2023, as the Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) Coordinator, where she led pro bono and volunteer initiatives, built strong partnerships within the legal community, and expanded SCCLS’s service capacity through strategic collaboration with private attorneys.

Jamie earned her law degree from Roger Williams University School of Law, where she currently teaches Trial Advocacy to third-year students.

Prior to joining SCCLS, Jamie practiced criminal defense in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  She later deepened her ties to the community through her work in residential and commercial real estate law. Jamie brings a strong commitment to access to justice, and she remains a passionate advocate for expanding legal services to meet the needs of underserved clients.

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.

Melissa Gilmete is the South Coastal Counties Human Resources Director.  Her journey began in business operations, where she learned the importance of efficiency and collaboration. That foundation sparked her commitment to building HR strategies that not only support business goals but also empower individuals to reach their full potential. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Johnson & Wales University and continued her professional growth through advanced studies at Bryant University, focusing on Business Management, and Human Resources Management. She further distinguished herself by achieving the Professional Human Resources (PHR) Certification through HRCI and Payroll Management at Worcester State University. Throughout her career she has championed a forward-thinking approach to HR; one that prioritizes engagement, inclusivity, and innovation. She believes that a positive culture is the cornerstone of organizational success and fosters an environment where employees feel valued, inspired, and motivated to grow. Her mission is to continue driving meaningful change, shaping strategies that align talent with vision, and building a workplace that reflects the future of work.

Sarah Levy is the Managing Attorney of the Brockton Office. Prior to taking on that role, Sarah was a Senior Attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services where she represented clients in benefits issues.  Sarah represented clients in negotiations, administrative hearings and litigation, with an emphasis on clients with disabilities and who experienced domestic violence.  Sarah’s systemic advocacy included class action litigation to make the state welfare system more accessible to individuals with disabilities and to make subsidized child care more affordable and accessible to families.  Her policy work included collaborations with community partners and social service providers, addressing issues around domestic violence, disability and children’s issues.  At SCCLS, she is helping to open our new office and to build a team that applies a trauma informed holistic lens and partners with the community.  Sarah is a graduate of Amherst College and earned her J.D. from Boston College Law School and a Master’s in Social Work from Boston College Graduate School of Social Work.

Ericka is the supervising consumer attorney at SCCLS. Sowing the seeds of the consumer unit, her practice currently involves advising and representing clients in a variety of consumer matters including matters related to debt collection, bankruptcy, used vehicle lemon law, and consumer protection for unfair and/or deceptive practices under 93A. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina – Beaufort and Roger Williams School of Law. She is barred in Massachusetts, New York, and New Hampshire. She is a native of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

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.

Rob Mount is the Managing Attorney of the Fall River Law Office. In this position, he oversees and ensures the delivery of high quality legal services to clients in the greater Fall River, Taunton, and Attleboro areas. Previously he worked in the New Bedford Law Office of SCCLS and as a Staff Attorney at the Committee for Public Counsel Services. He is a graduate of Elizabethtown College and Roger Williams University School of Law.

Jeannine Schoos is the Director of Housing Advocacy at South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS). In her role, Jeannine oversees the work of the housing unit at SCCLS and represents tenants in their housing related matters, specializing in cases involving survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and other harms. Prior to joining SCCLS, Jeannine was a Staff Attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC) and exclusively represented survivors of sexual assault in civil legal matters including restraining orders, evictions, privacy hearings, and education. Before joining the VRLC, Jeannine was an AmeriCorps Attorney at SCCLS in the housing unit in Fall River. In her spare time, Jeannine is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for Haven Box, a non-profit organization supporting survivors of sexual violence in their healing journeys. Jeannine is a graduate of New York University and the City University of New York School of Law. She is barred in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, and the United States District Court of Massachusetts.

Lissl Thelin is a Human Resources Administrator with the Fall River Administration Office of South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS). She joined SCCLS in December 2020 and her role includes job postings, new hire on boarding, PFML and all other leave management, fiscal reporting, grant reporting, employee and workplace benefits & welfare and event planning.

Nayomi Vazquez-Berrios is a Supervising Attorney in the Housing Unit. She works out of SCCLS’ New Bedford Office.

Ruthie Withers is the Supervising Attorney of the Family Law Unit at South Coastal County Legal Services.  In her role, Ruthie supervises the advocates and attorneys handling domestic relations cases, including divorce, custody, parenting time, child support, and restraining orders.   She also handles a limited number of direct representation cases, advocating for clients in various Probate and Family Courts across the Southeast Region of Massachusetts. Ruthie is passionate about access to justice and providing quality legal representation for low-income individuals, as well victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Ruthie is a 2005 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, MA, and a 2000 graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she majored in Spanish Language and Literature.

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.