Staff

Anne M. Silver is the Interim Program Director at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts.  Anne joined South Coastal Counties Legal Services after five years with Boston CASA, a non-profit organization that recruits and trains community volunteers to serve as best interest advocates for children involved with the juvenile court in Suffolk and Middlesex Counties, most often through involvement with the MA Department of Children and Families.  Anne began work with Boston CASA supervising volunteers who directly supported children throughout the court process, but finished her time with Boston CASA  as Program and Interim Executive Director.  Prior to entering the non-profit world, Anne spent the bulk of her career serving in a variety of legal and compliance roles in the financial services industry.  Anne graduated from Boston College with a degree in English and earned her JD from NYU School of Law.

“Desiree Costa is our current Program Director for the AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts (ALA-MA). In 2018-2019, Desiree served with ALA-MA as an AmeriCorps advocate attorney in the South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS) Housing Unit. Since July 2019, Desiree worked to serve clients and strengthen the SCCLS Benefits Advocacy Unit as a Staff Attorney and later as a Supervising Attorney. Desiree continues her passion for legal aid by supporting our ALA-MA program. She holds a non-profit management executive certificate from Georgetown University.”

Emily Leung is the Director of Immigration Advocacy at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. In this role, she oversees a robust team of immigration advocates who engage in direct representation, community education, and impact advocacy affecting immigrant populations. Previously she worked as a staff Attorney at Massachusetts Law Reform Institute focusing on immigration policy and advocacy and was the Albert M. Sacks Clinical & Advocacy Fellow at the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic. She has worked at numerous boutique firms and non-profit organizations focused on asylum law, family-based petitions, removal defense, and other humanitarian-based relief. Emily received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and her M.A. in International Relations, also from Boston University.

Meagan Hecht is a Supervising Attorney on the immigration team at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Her practice involves direct representation of clients to address a wide array of immigration matters, as well as various community education and impact advocacy endeavors affecting immigrant populations. Previously, she has worked as a student Attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services, the Immigration Impact Unit at CPCS, and various other immigrant advocacy organizations. Meagan received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and her B.A. in International Relations from Boston University.

Ashley F Straker is the Supervising Attorney of the Education Unit at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Attorney Straker represents students and their families in various school related issues, including school discipline and special education matters. In 2015, she served as the Bart Gordon Fellow for two years working in partnership with the Center for Law and Education on a project focused on systemically addressing school policies that negatively impacted students who attended Brockton, New Bedford and Fall River school districts. She received her B.A. degree in Political Science at Boston College and received her J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School.

Attorney Straker also serves as the Leader of Organizational Culture. In this enhanced capacity, she partners closely with HR and SCCLS and JCSEM’s leadership team to champion a respectful, collaborative, and accountable workplace. Through strengthened internal communication and clearer shared expectations, she helps to deliver more consistent, effective, and responsive services for the clients and communities we serve.

Marin Tollefson Almeida is is the Immigration Unit Supervising Attorney Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. She works with clients in all types of immigration matters, with a focus on humanitarian relief, including asylum, special immigrant juvenile petitions, and relief for survivors of violence and trafficking. Marin has a particular interest in the intersection of criminal and immigration law and has engaged in federal litigation on detainee rights. Marin speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean Creole. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sao Nicolau, Cape Verde, and in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Before coming to the Justice Center, Marin worked as a law clerk for the Federal District Court of Minnesota. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in Anthropology and Spanish from Washington University in St. Louis.

Melissa Bruehl is an Attorney at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Her work focuses on humanitarian immigration relief, including asylum, special immigrant juvenile petitions, and relief for survivors of violence and trafficking. Prior to joining the Justice Center, Melissa worked as a law clerk for the New York immigration court and as a student attorney at the University of Michigan’s Human Trafficking and Immigration Clinic. She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and her B.A. in Political Science and Peace and Justice Studies from Wellesley College.

Jessica De Loureiro is a Senior Attorney with the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts (“JCSM”). Jessica provides legal advice and direct representation in predominantly immigration matters, with a focus on humanitarian benefits, asylum, and removal defense. She also serves on the state-wide Language Access Coalition and is a staunch advocate of language access rights. Jessica initially joined the JCSM in 2013 as a member of AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts (formerly the Massachusetts Legal Assistance for Self-Sufficiency Program). She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law and Lafayette College. Jessica speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

Natalie Dess is an Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow in the Immigrant Unit at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Her work centers on representing unaccompanied children in both affirmative and defensive matters. Natalie obtained her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She has previously interned full-time at the ACLU of Massachusetts, Greater Boston Legal Services, and Cameron Micheroni & Silvia LLC.

Dwayne Franklin is an Immigration Attorney at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. His role includes direct representation, community education, and impact advocacy.

Amanda Hesse is an Attorney at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Her practice involves advising and representing elderly clients on a variety of civil legal matters, including those related to housing and public benefits. Prior to joining the organization, she worked as an attorney in the Insurance & Financial Services Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and was a law clerk in the Massachusetts Superior Court. Ms. Hesse received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and her B.A. in Law & Society and Public Communication from American University.

Edisel Jarama is an Attorney in the Immigration Unit at the Justice Center, where she represents immigrant clients in a wide array of matters including asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), U‑ and T‑visas, and removal defense. Edisel speaks Spanish. Prior to joining SCCLS, she worked as a Student Attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services and as a Law Clerk at Del Olmo Law PC, and participated in various immigration advocacy clinics and organizations.  Edisel received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and her B.A. in Political Science from Manhattanville College.

Sara Kamouni is a Skadden Fellow in the Immigration Unit at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Sara’s work focuses on pro se resources and assistance for community members seeking humanitarian immigration relief. Sara obtained her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She also holds an M.A. in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies from the University of London School of Advanced Study and a B.A. in International Politics from King’s College London.

Clare McLeod is an Attorney in the Education Unit at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Her practicee involves advising and representing students and their families in school-related cases, including school discipline and special education matters. Clare received her B.S. in Psychology and Sociology from Fordham University and her J.D. from Boston College Law School.

Elizabeth Mullins (Liz) is an Attorney with the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Her experience involves direct representation, community education, and impact advocacy. She received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and her B.A. in Neuroscience from Oberlin College.

Danielle Pocock is an Attorney at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Her work focuses on humanitarian relief, specializing in relief for unaccompanied minors and survivors of trafficking. Danielle received her JD from the University of Chicago Law School, where she volunteered at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). Prior to working in immigration, Danielle served as an Assistant District Attorney for Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties in Bangor, Maine, and interned at the Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office in Santa Cruz, CA and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office in Lowell, MA. Danielle received her B.S. in Finance from Rutgers University Business School.

Caitlyn Seed is an Attorney at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts in September. Her experience involves advising and representing clients on housing and public benefits cases. Caitlyn received her J.D. as well as a Master’s in Social Work from Boston College. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Annika Skansberg is a Staff Attorney at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Annika works on the Medical Legal Partnership with Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, which provides patients with streamlined referral services in multiple practice areas as well as consultations for medical providers on legal issues and trainings for health center staff. Previously, she worked as a Staff Attorney in the Fall River law office of SCCLS. Annika received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, and has a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Courtney Snegroff is an Attorney at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts.  Her work focuses on all types of humanitarian relief including asylum, special immigrant juvenile petitions, and relief for survivors of violence and trafficking. Courtney has dedicated her work over the past twenty years to community organizing for immigrant justice. Having worked previously for the janitor’s union, 32BJ SEIU, she is particularly interested the intersection between worker organizing and immigrant rights. Courtney has also worked in city government for the Boston Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement as well as in the nonprofit sector. She received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and her B.A. from Wesleyan University. She is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese.

Eric Wellers is an Attorney at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts, where he focuses on tenant’s rights and community engagement. His work involves advocating for housing justice and fostering community partnerships to address legal issues affecting tenants. Eric earned his J.D. from Boston University School of Law and his B.A. from Tufts University.

Kimberly Yox (Kim) is a Senior Attorney practicing family law at Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. She represents survivors of intimate partner abuse in complex domestic relations matters, such as divorce, custody, support, and abuse prevention matters. As part of the Family Law Task Force, she works with other advocates and legal services attorneys on impact and legislative advocacy to advance the interests of domestic violence survivors. Kim received her B.A. from Douglass College/Rutgers University and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law.

Sofia Zocca is an Attorney in the Education Unit at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Her work includes advising and representing students and families in education-related cases, including special education and school discipline matters. Sofia received her B.A. in English and Sociology at Boston University and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law.

Frandy Boyer is an immigration paralegal at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts, where he advocates for and supports immigrant communities through legal services and outreach. Previously, he worked with the COVID Eviction Legal Help Project (CELHP) at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), providing critical legal assistance in eviction cases during the pandemic. In response to the ongoing migrant crisis in Massachusetts, Frandy has been on the front lines, assisting newly arrived immigrants living in Emergency Assistance (EA) hotel and motel shelters. Frandy is driven by a strong commitment to social justice and remains an essential part of the legal services community. Through his work, he strives to ensure that underserved and vulnerable populations have equitable access to the legal resources and support they need.

As a paralegal on the immigration team, Emily Brunelle assists advocates with direct representation cases, coordinates intakes and consultations, and organizes legal clinics. She also works closely with local organizations to bolster community engagement and outreach, advocate for immigrants’ rights, and provide services like clinics and educational workshops.

Sharifa Derby is the current Program Coordinator for the AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts (ALA-MA). 2021-2026 Sharifa worked to serve clients as a paralegal in the South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS) housing and benefits unit. She earned a paralegal associates degree and certificate from Bristol Community College and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UMass Dartmouth. Pairing the knowledge she obtained from her education and working in the legal field as a non attorney advocate , Sharifa is very passionate about recruiting and supporting individuals to join our program in our fight for equal rights for our communities indigent population.

Jasselle Garcia is an Education Paralegal at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts.

Mythri Galpotthawela is a Paralegal on the Medical Legal Partnership and Elder Law Unit at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts.

Loida Minchez joined the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts in May 2025 where she provides legal support to attorneys as an Immigration Paralegal, coordinates consultations and organizes legal clinics. Loida has over a decade of experience working in immigration legal services, including direct support to attorneys, client advocacy, and multilingual community outreach. Most recently, she served as a paralegal with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), where she worked directly with unaccompanied children and their sponsors, supporting attorneys with a variety of immigration cases. Prior to that, she spent several years at Catholic Social Services of Fall River, MA, where she coordinated intakes and supported diverse immigration cases. Her background also includes time as the Immigration Consular Assistant with the Guatemalan Consulate of New England, where she regularly visited ICE detention centers and assisted with intakes, reunifications, and consular legal matters. Loida is a Guatemalan Lawyer with a Master’s Degree in Constitutional Law, fluent in English with basic conversational level in Portuguese. She has consistently and meaningfully served as a bridge between immigrant community and legal advocates.

Dineira Paulino is an Immigration Paralegal at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts.

Odete Johnson is the Office Administrator Secretary at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts.

Emma Killham is the Administrative Secretary at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts.