Staff

Jon Barlam is a Staff Attorney in the Fall River office, where he practices housing and disability/benefits law.  He is a graduate of UMass Lowell and Northeastern University School of Law.  While in law school Jon interned with the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, The MA Attorney General’s Office in their Health Care Division, and the Disability Law Center.  After law school he volunteered with the Disability Law Center working on legislation related to benefits for foster care youth, as well as Northeast Legal Aid doing housing advocacy.

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.

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.

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 debt collection, bankruptcy, and credit reporting. 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.

Megan Burns is an attorney at SCCLS’ Fall River office. Her practice focuses on housing and benefits. Prior to joining SCCLS, Megan worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Bronx, New York for three years. She is a graduate of Christopher Newport University and Boston College Law School.

Ina is a JD at the Fall River office with a commitment to help those that need it the most. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Florida International University and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Massachusetts School of Law. During her last year at University of Massachusetts, Ina was a 3:03 Student Attorney as part of their Human Rights at Home Clinic and was able to help many clients with birth certificate errors as well as no fault divorces. Additionally, Ina is Bilingual in Spanish/English. Furthermore, Ina interned at the Fall River office prior to joining as full staff in September 2023. Her focus will be housing and benefits.

Court Diercks is an Attorney in the Fall River office. They received their J.D. from Boston University School of Law and their B.S. in Criminology and Philosophy from Florida State University.

Emily Flaherty is an Attorney at the Fall River Office. Emily is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School and has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Vermont. While in law school, Emily interned at the Women’s Bar Foundation, where she developed her love of legal aid work and family law. She also served as a Judicial Intern at the Barnstable Superior Court. Additionally, Emily was a S.J.C. Rule 3:03 Student Attorney and member of the Suffolk Defenders Program in her final year of law school, where she was able to represent clients in criminal matters before the Boston Municipal Court. Emily joined SCCLS in August 2022, and her primary practice area is in family law.

Aileen Konanez is an attorney at SCCLS’ Fall River Office. Her practice focuses on housing and benefits matters. Prior to joining SCCLS, Aileen was an attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center where she represented survivors of sexual violence and stalking in employment, housing, privacy, and safety matters.  She is a graduate of York College and Roger Williams University School of Law.

Jeannine Schoos is a Staff Attorney in the Fall River office. In her practice, Jeannine represents survivors of crimes and other harms, specializing in domestic violence and sexual assault. She practices a variety of civil legal matters including housing, safety, privacy, and education. Prior to joining SCCLS, Jeannine was a Staff Attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC) and worked exclusively with survivors of sexual assault. Before joining the VRLC, Jeannine served as an AmeriCorps Attorney at SCCLS in the housing unit. Jeannine is a member of the Greater Fall River Domestic Violence Coalition. 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 for the District of Massachusetts.

Annika Skansberg (she/her) is a staff attorney at SCCL’s Fall River Office. Her practice involves advising and representing individuals on disability and unemployment benefits and representing older persons in a variety of civil legal matters including housing, public benefits, health care, and consumer issues. Annika received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, and has a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Lauren Vandemortel is an attorney at SCCLS’ Consumer Unit .  She graduated from Boston University School of Law, where she represented low-income clients in debt collection actions and unemployment appeals.  During law school, Lauren interned with New York Legal Assistance Group’s Consumer Protection Unit and the Center for Public Representation.  Prior to law school, she was a paralegal at civil rights litigation firms in San Francisco and New York City.  She attended Oberlin College.

Jessica Weldon is a staff attorney working in SCCLS’ Fall River office.

Ann Carmody is a JD who provides assistance to residents facing housing instability or eviction. She works from SCCLS’ Fall River office. Previously, Ann has worked in the Criminal Defense Division of The Legal Aid Society of NYC based both on Rikers Island and in Manhattan County. During law school, Ann also worked as an intern for The Southern Poverty Law Center based in Ocilla, Georgia, three hours southwest of Atlanta. Ann received her JD from Roger Williams University School of Law in Providence, Rhode Island. A Bronx native, Ann earned her BA in Art History (minor, German Studies) from Fordham University in NYC.

Emery Acosta is a Paralegal in the Fall River office focused on ensuring eligible applicants are connected with appropriate services.

Theresa joined South Coastal Counties Legal Services in the Fall River office as a temporary Paralegal through the COVID Eviction Legal Help Project. She is a graduate of Fisher Junior College where she graduated with Highest Honors with an Associates in Science-Legal Studies Degree. Prior to joining SCCLS, she was a foreclosure Paralegal for eight years. Her prior experience involves several other areas of law, such as criminal, evictions, domestic, personal injury, workers’ compensation and social security disability.

Paola is a Paralegal at SCCLS. She is a resident of Brockton and a graduate of Brockton High School. She received her Bachelor of Science from University of MA Amherst in May of 2022 and is working toward an advanced degree in Public Administration. In 2021, Paola had an opportunity to intern with former state Representative Clare Cronin’s office engaging in legislative research and constituent services. More recently, she worked as an Administrative Assistant in the Law Department at Brockton City Hall.

 Paola has a great deal of experience that will serve her well as she takes on the new challenge of assisting under resourced callers in need of assistance with a critical legal problem. Paola also is fluent in Haitian Creole.

Yanitza Garcia is a Paralegal with a primary focus on our CLAVC program (The Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime). Yanitza performs intakes and assess eligibility of clients for the program helping victims of crime throughout our service area with their related civil legal problems — including . Previously Yanitza has worked as an advocate Specialist in the Social Services field providing information assistance and support to individuals with disabilitiesfamily law, housing, immigration, disability rights, child welfare, education, consumer, identity theft, employment rights and public benefits. Yanitza also assisted individuals with disabilities in providing information on five core services which are advocacy, information and referral, peer counseling, transition and prevention (focusing on transitioning people out of nursing homes/institutions into the community. Additionally Yanitza assisted in the community youth program with transition into adulthood such as, work readiness training, internship opportunities, and life skills training). Yanitza attended the Sacred Heart University in San Juan Puerto Rico, with a mayor focus in Business Administration.  Yanitza works from the SCCLS Fall River Office

Lulu Kodreanu is a Paralegal in the Fall River office focused on ensuring eligible applicants are connected with appropriate services.

Dineira Paulino is a Paralegal in the Fall River office focused on ensuring eligible applicants are connected with appropriate services.

Wyntter Silva is a Paralegal in the Fall River Law  office focused on ensuring eligible applicants are connected with appropriate services.

Patricia Valente is a Paralegal in the Fall River office focused on ensuring eligible applicants are connected with appropriate services.

Lolly Pinto is an Administrative Secretary in the Fall River Office. Hired as legal secretary in the New Bedford Law Office in 1983. Lolly speaks Portuguese and was born in Portugal. She enjoys her status as the longest running employee in the program.