Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago

Management Staff

Management Staff

BIOS

Diana C. White - Executive Director
Diana clerked for Hon. Walter J. Cummings, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 1981-82. After her clerkship, she went into private practice, working in several Chicago firms. She became a partner at Jenner & Block in 1991. There, she did class action litigation, appellate work, and pro bono litigation, including prisoner civil rights cases, guardianships for people with disabilities, special education work, and employment discrimination (for deaf clients). Diana came to LAF as Deputy Director for Special Projects and Teams (1997 to present) and was the recipient of a 2000 Equal Justice Award for her extraordinary legal work in support of LAF’s complex litigation and cases on appeal.

Jack L. Block - Deputy Director for Special Projects
Jack L. Block joined LAF as the Deputy Director for Special Projects in September 2007. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1972 and later joined Sachnoff & Weaver, where he practiced for 31 years. While a Partner there, Jack participated in several public interest cases which have had a tremendous impact on the poor in this country. Among the more noteworthy cases, he represented the working poor in class actions against pay-day lenders and he handled several hate-crime cases which resulted in substantial damage awards for the victims. Jack has served as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern Law School, where he taught Trial Practice, and Loyola School of Law where he currently teaches Mediation Advocacy. He has been honored for his many contributions to civil liberties and social justice by the ACLU (the Edwin A. Rothschild Award in 2004) and Loyola (its Public Interest Award in 2007).

Alan A. Alop - Deputy Director for Intake Offices
Since 1997, Alan Alop has been the Deputy Director for LAF’s Intake Offices. He started at LAF as supervisor of the 18th Street Office in Pilsen, (1977-1985). From 1985 to 1995 Alan was supervisor of the Consumer Law Project; in 1995 he became Acting Deputy Director. Alan has concentrated on consumer litigation, focusing on consumer fraud, debt collection abuse, hospital billing abuses, and payday loan and title loan matters. He is one of the leading experts in consumer law in the country and has argued a consumer case involving the Truth in Lending Act in the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1999, Alan was the recipient of the National Consumer Law Center’s Ninth Annual Vern Countryman Consumer Law Award, an award given to one consumer advocate each year. In 2002, Alop was given The Vision Award from the Egan Campaign to Reform Payday Loans for his work against high interest payday loan companies. In 2005 he authored "Defending Hospital Collection Cases."

Alicia L. Aiken - Co-supervisory Attorney of Northwest Office
Alicia L. Aiken is co-supervisory attorney of LAF’s Northwest Office. She received her J.D. in 1995 and her Bachelor's Degree in 1992, both from the University of Michigan. She started at LAF as a staff attorney in 1996 and became a supervisory attorney in September 2003. Since 2002, Alicia has been an Adjunct Professor at the DePaul University College of Law.

Frank Avellone - Co-supervisory Attorney of South Side Office
Frank Avellone earned in bachelor’s degree in 1977 and his law degree in 1981. He was admitted to the bar in the state of Ohio in 1982 and in Illinois in 2004. Frank worked in the Ohio legal services system (as a staff attorney, associate director, and executive director) from 1982 through 2003, and became a co-supervisory attorney at LAF’s South Side office in January, 2004.

Vincent H. Beckman - Supervisory Attorney of the Migrant Project
Vince helped organize community development projects as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru (1966-68); worked with the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) in Puerto Rico from 1969-70 as a VISTA Volunteer; did earthquake relief in Peru with the Peace Corps (1970); taught ESL classes at Chicago City Colleges (1971); and taught sociology at YMCA Community College (1971-73). While in law school he worked at the Northwestern Legal Clinic (1971-74). He joined the firm of Zeitlin & Schwab (1974-75), and then came to LAF as a staff attorney in the Migrant Project (1975-77). In 1977 Vince accepted a position as Executive Director of Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Project, where he remained for seven years. He returned to LAF in 1984 as a staff attorney at the 18th Street Office and then the Migrant Project before being selected as Supervisory Attorney of the Migrant Project (1985 to present). He has very substantial experience in the area of federal litigation.

James D. Biggs - Co-supervisory Attorney of South Side Office
After being in private practice for approximately three years, Jim was hired at LAF as a staff attorney at the East Garfield and Englewood offices. Jim has served as Supervisory Attorney of the Englewood Office (1975-86); the PI/PD Project (1986-87); the Uptown Office (1988); and the Mid-South/South Side Office (1988 to present). A significant portion of Jim’s work at LAF has been in the consumer area, and he is recognized agency-wide as an expert in state court procedure.

Mary Billington - Administrator

Kristy Boyer - Management Information Systems Director

Devereux L. Bowly - Supervisory Attorney of the Crime Victims Project
Dev has spent his entire legal career at LAF’s Lawndale/West Side Office, beginning as a Law Intern (1968-69) and staff attorney (1969-71) before becoming a supervisory attorney in 1972. In 1972 he wrote a book for Southern Illinois University Press on the history of subsidized housing in Chicago. Dev has been Supervisory Attorney of LAF’s Crime Victims Project from the time LAF received its first grant from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office (1991 to present).

Richard T. Cozzola - Supervisory Attorney of the Children's Law Project
Rich joined LAF as the Supervisory Attorney of the Children’s Law Project in 1997 after serving as the Program Director of the Civitas Child Law Center at Loyola University Chicago from 1993 to 1997. His experience in the legal issues of children and adolescents also includes his serving as the Director of Training and Deputy Public Guardian of the Cook County Public Guardian’s Juvenile Division (1990 – 1993) and six years as the Supervising Attorney of the Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic (1984 – 1990). He has also worked as a staff attorney at Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (1980-83); an associate at Lawrence A. Kerns & Assoc (1983-84); and Adjunct Professor in the Litigation Skills and Legal Writing Programs at DePaul College of Law (1984-93). In 2000 Rich received an Equal Justice Award for the landmark legal victory in In Re Adoption of E.L.

Eugene C. Edwards - Supervisory Attorney of the South Suburban Office
Gene began his legal career as an associate at Davison Greene Holloway & Walker in Akron (1980-81). He was a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow at Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation (CCLAF) (1981-83); was hired by CCLAF as a staff attorney (1983-85); promoted to a managing attorney (1985-1999), and became Acting Director of Litigation (1999). Gene has extensive trial court experience, has argued cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and has wide-ranging experience in poverty law. When CCLAF closed, Gene was hired by LAF as supervisor of the South Suburban Office (2000 to present).

Gloria L. Friedman - Director of Development
Gloria Friedman joined LAF in 1997 after a successful career in New York. She was Vice President and Director of Marketing for Columbia Artists Management, Inc., the largest classical music agency in the world. In that position she supervised the marketing and public relations of over 500 musicians and groups including the Bolshoi Ballet, Chinese Acrobats, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Vladimir Horowitz, and the touring production of Broadway shows. She then decided to switch to the non-profit sector and became Managing Director of Marketing and Individual Giving at WNYC, New York Public Radio and Television and later Vice President of American Jewish World Service, an organization dedicated to helping people in the Developing World. She is the winner of numerous marketing and fundraising awards including one from PBS for the outstanding fundraising event of the year. She has served on numerous non-profit Boards and committees and is currently President of the Board of TimeLine Theatre Company. She has degrees from Boston University and New York University.

Michelle J. Gilbert - Supervisory Attorney of the HIV/AIDS Project
Michelle was an associate at Jenner & Block (1986-88) and Rivkin, Radler, Bayh, Hart & Kremer (1988-90) before coming to LAF. She began as a staff attorney in the Governmental Relations Project (1990-94), was promoted to Senior Attorney in the Central Intake Office (1994-00), and became Supervisory Attorney of the HIV/AIDS Project (2000 to present). During her six years as a lobbyist and four years at Central Intake, Michelle gained a wealth of experience both on case law and social policy issues. Her current responsibilities include serving as Equal Opportunity Officer.

Richard J. Hess - Supervisor of Private Attorney Involvement Project and Labor Relations
Dick was hired as a staff attorney at the Woodlawn office (1971-75), and was promoted to Supervisory Attorney in 1974. He was Supervisory Attorney of the Mid-South office (1975-80)before moving to the Central Office as Director of Labor Relations and Training (1980 to present). During Dick’s long career at LAF, he has gained substantive experience in all phases of civil litigation, and he received an Equal Justice Award in 1992. He was selected Supervisor of LAF’s Private Attorney Involvement program (1998 to present).

Vivian R. Hessel - Co-supervisory Attorney of Central Intake Office
Vivian began working at LAF as a law clerk (1987-89) and was hired as a staff attorney in 1989. She first worked at the Uptown Office (1989-93) and then at the Central Intake Office (1993-present). In 1993, she received LAF’s Equal Justice Award for outstanding representation of clients. She was promoted to Senior Attorney (1994-96) and then to Supervisory Attorney (1996-present). Vivian taught legal writing at John Marshall Law School in Chicago from 1991 through 1994, and she served as a moot court instructor at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law from 1991 through 1998. She currently works as a legal editor for Illinois Legal Aid Online. Her practice encompasses all areas of poverty law, including consumer, family, domestic violence, housing and employment.

Timothy J. Hufman - Co-supervisory Attorney of West Side Office
Tim was hired as a LAF staff attorney working part-time in the Housing Project at G.O.; he also volunteered at LAF’s 18th Street office. He was hired as a staff attorney at the Englewood office (1985-89) and was promoted to Senior Attorney in 1989. Tim was selected as Supervisory Attorney at the Englewood office (1990-93) before transferring to the West Side office (1993 to present). Tim has honed his skills in all LAF specialty areas, and he received an Equal Justice Award in 1991 for outstanding representation of Lonzy Jeffries.

Timothy Huizenga - Supervisory Attorney of the Employment Project
After graduation from law school, Tim worked as a law clerk to Justice Glenn K. Seidenfeld, Illinois Appellate Court, Second District (1979-81). He was hired as a staff attorney at the Mid-South office (1981-85) and was promoted to Supervisory Attorney (1985-88). He took a one-year leave of absence, during which he was a clinical teacher at the University of Chicago Law School, where he started a project on the rights of public housing residents. Upon his return to LAF he became a co-supervisor of the West Side Office (1989-96); and also served as co-supervisor of the South Side office (2000-2003). He was selected as Supervisory Attorney of the Employment Project (1996-00), and again in the fall of 2003. Tim is recognized for his outstanding expertise in all fields related to employment law including unemployment insurance, and he shared the Equal Justice Award to the Horner team in 1996. In April, 2002, Tim was a recipient of the third annual Excellence in Pro Bono and Public Interest Award from the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Federal Bar Association for his work representing clients on employment cases in federal court.

Betty J. King - Supervisory Paralegal of the SSI Advocacy Project
Betty began working in legal services in October 1966 as a District Office Administrator for the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) in a program funded by the federal Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). She later served as Executive Secretary to Arthur Young, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Bureau. When LAF was incorporated in 1972, she was hired as a paralegal in the Mid-South office. In April 1988 LAF received funding for a new project to represent public aid recipients applying for SSI, and Betty became the Project’s Supervisory Paralegal. She received the LAF Equal Justice Award in 1985 and was honored as LAF Paralegal of the Year in 1991. Betty currently is a volunteer with Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM).

William A. Kolen - Supervisory Attorney of the North Suburban Office
Bill was hired as a LAF staff attorney at the Uptown office (1982-88) and later transferred to the General Office as a welfare-to-work attorney(1988). He then accepted a position at CCLAF as Managing Attorney of the Oak Park office (1988-91) and the Evanston office (1991-99). When LSC discontinued funding to CCLAF, Bill returned to LAF as Supervisory Attorney of the North Suburban office (1999 to present). Bill has expertise in a variety of poverty law areas, including Social Security, welfare, and family law. He also cochairs LAF’s computer committee.

Daniel P. Lindsey - Supervisory Attorney of the Home Ownership Preservation Project
Following graduation from law school, Dan clerked for The Honorable James T. Giles of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1990-92). He was hired by LAF and worked as a staff attorney in the Mid-South office (1992-95). Dan then accepted a position with the consumer law firm of Edelman Combs Latturner & Goodwin (1995-96) before beginning work at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law as a housing law specialist (1996-2001). Based on his work at the Center, Dan wrote an article which won an Honorable Mention Award for the 2000 Brennan Center for Justice Legal Services Writing Competition. Dan returned to LAF in the summer of 2001 as the Supervisory Attorney of the Home Ownership Preservation Project.

Kevin Morrissey - Controller

Lisa Palumbo - Supervisory Attorney of the Immigration Project
Lisa worked as a staff attorney at Travelers and Immigrants Aid (1988-89). In 1989, she worked as a Legal Consultant with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Hong Kong, working with Vietnamese asylum seekers in detention there. She returned to the States in 1990, as an attorney at Casa de Proyecto Libertad in Harlington, Texas, where she represented detained Central American asylum seekers in the Rio Grande Valley. Lisa came to LAFMC with extensive immigration experience in 1992. She was promoted to Supervisory Attorney of the Project in 1997. Lisa received LAF’s Equal Justice Award in 1999 for her effective representation of immigrants, the Lawyers Trust Fund Award in 2000 for her advocacy and efforts on behalf of immigrants in Illinois, and the Beacon of Light Award from the Chicago Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association in 2001. Lisa and the Center have a national reputation for their work in the area of detained immigrants, federal litigation, and the immigration consequences of criminal convictions.

Jennifer J. Payne - Co-supervisory Attorney of West Side Office
While in law school at Indiana University, Jennifer Payne founded a legal clinic designed to represent victims of domestic violence. Upon graduating from law school in 1990, Jennifer came to work at LAF and has devoted her entire legal career to this agency and the westside neighborhood office. She handles a large number of cases in all areas of law covered by the neighborhood priorities guidelines, and has considerable experience in family law. Jennifer held the positions of staff attorney and senior attorney (1990-1997), and was promoted to Supervisory Attorney of the West Side Office (1997 - present). Jennifer has handled several appellate court cases, co-counseled one federal class action, co-counseled one federal jury trial and several state court jury trials. She was the recipient of the LAF Equal Justice Award in 1995 for outstanding representation of clients.

Gloria E. Pruzan - Supervisory Attorney of SSI Advocacy Project
Gloria began her legal career at Prairie State Legal Services in 1978. She was hired by LAF as a staff attorney at the Garfield-Austin office (1979-81) before transferring to the West Side office (1982-84). She transferred to the General Office as PAI staff attorney and PAI Coordinator (1984-90). In addition to substantial neighborhood office experience, she is deeply involved in public benefits and SSI issues. Gloria worked in the PAI Homeless Project as a staff attorney (1990-98) before her promotion to Supervisory Attorney of the SSI Advocacy Project (1998 to present).

Cynthia Sadkin - Co-supervisory Attorney of Central Intake Office
Cynthia was a volunteer law student in LAF’s Children Project during law school. Upon graduation she accepted a staff attorney position at LAF’s Northwest office (1992). A year later she transferred to the Central Intake Office (1993-97). Cynthia was promoted to Senior Attorney (1997-98) and to Supervisory Attorney (1998 to present). She has a broad range of expertise in a number of substantive areas of law. In 2002, Cynthia was awarded LAF’s Equal Justice Award for her extraordinary supervisory skills and her successful litigation before the Illinois Appellate Court. In addition to her supervisory and litigation responsibilities, Cynthia has been the chairperson of LAF’s hiring committee since 2003, and served as a member of that committee for several years before becoming chairperson.

Nelson Soltman - Supervisory Attorney of the Health Law Project
Nelson began his legal career as a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow with Community Legal Counsel (1969-71); he later accepted a staff attorney position at the Legal Services Organization of Indianapolis. He started his LAF experience as a staff attorney at the East Garfield office (1973-75) and later was a staff attorney in the Food Action and Community Training (FACT) Project (1975-78). Nelson was promoted to Supervisory Attorney of the Health Law Project (1979 to present), and he dispenses his health law expertise throughout the agency.

Kathleen M. Swanson - Supervisory Attorney of the Suburban Seniors and Ombudsman Projects
Kathy worked as a staff attorney with Prairie State Legal Services from 1979 to 1980 where she concentrated in government benefits, housing, and domestic violence. From 1980 through 1999 she worked for the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation in the Evanston office where she held several positions: Senior Citizens Legal Services staff attorney (1980-85); Managing Attorney (1985-92); Director of the Seniors Citizens Legal Services (1992-96); Director of Special Projects (1996-99); and Executive Director (1999). Kathy transitioned to the Legal Assistance Foundation when the Legal Services Corporation discontinued CCLAF funding. She is the Supervisory Attorney of the Suburban and Chicago Seniors Projects and the Long Term Care Ombudsman Projects for suburban Cook and Lake Counties. Kathy works closely with the aging network in suburban Cook County and the City of Chicago.

JoAnn Villasenor - Supervisory Attorney of the Family Law Project and Project SAFE
JoAnn was hired at LAF as a law student in 1985 and assigned to the Englewood Office (63rd and Halsted). While there, she represented clients seeking civil orders of protection, unemployment benefits, and Social Security disability benefits. Shortly after taking the Illinois bar exam in February 1987, she was offered a staff attorney position at the West Side office. After a maternity leave in 1990, she came back to work at LAF’s 18th Street office, located in the Pilsen neighborhood. While at 18th Street she represented clients in the areas of family law, juvenile, forcible entry and detainer, and consumer defense. When the 18th Street office closed in 1993 she returned to the West Side office. In 1997, she transferred to the Family Law Project as a staff attorney. While at Family Law her caseload consisted primarily of complex divorce cases, involving property, jurisdictional, and custody issues. In October 2003, she was promoted to supervisor. She is currently the supervising attorney of the Family Law Project, which consists of several grant funded staff attorneys representing clients in divorce and domestic violence issues.

Richard M. Wheelock - Supervisory Attorney of the Housing Law Project
After law school graduation, Rich worked with Hyatt Legal Services in Waukesha, Wisconsin, as a general practice attorney in a neighborhood legal clinic. He accepted LAF’s offer of employment as a staff attorney in 1984 and worked at both the Northwest (1984-88) and Uptown (1988-90) offices. He was promoted to Senior Attorney in 1988 and transferred in 1991 to the General Office to work in the Housing Law Project where he developed a broad base of legal expertise and experience in housing matters. Rich was promoted to Supervisory Attorney of the Housing Law Project in 1996, and has received awards from tenants and legal organizations for outstanding advocacy in housing, including the 2000 Tenant Champion Award from the Metropolitan Tenants Organization, the 2001 Grau Outstanding Housing Advocate Award from the Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, and the 2006 Jerold S. Solovy Equal Justice Award from LAF. Since 2000 Rich has been a lecturer in law at the University of Chicago Law School teaching a seminar on poverty and housing law.

Wallace C. Winter - Supervisory Attorney of the Disability Law Project and the Veterans Project
Wally was a Peace Corps Volunteer in northeastern Brazil where he worked as a consultant, organizer, and fundraiser for an agricultural cooperative. He accepted LAF’s offer of employment as a staff attorney at the Northwest Office (1970-71) and was promoted to Supervisory Attorney (1971-77). Since his transfer to the General Office (1977 to present), Wally has held a variety of supervisory positions and responsibilities, including Private Attorney Involvement Project and the Disability Law Project, as well as a two-year term as Affirmative Action Officer. He was the co-recipient of the 1993 Equal Justice Award for his outstanding achievements in the Bogard in which 3,000 developmentally disabled adults who were misplaced in nursing homes, were allowed to move into small, community-based group homes. In 2004 he won the Public Interest law Initiative’s Distinguished Public Service Award. From 1995 to the present he has specialized in representing wards of DCFS whose special education needs are not being met by the public schools, or who are facing expulsion proceedings for alleged misconduct at school.

Lawrence D. Wood - Co-supervisory Attorney of the Northwest Office
Lawrence began his legal career as a staff attorney in LAF’s West Side Office (1990-97). He then moved to the Housing Law Project, where he worked as a senior attorney and developed an expertise in federally subsidized housing (1997-2000). As a housing specialist he wrote a chapter on trial advocacy for the Illinois Institute on Continuing Legal Education’s practice handbook entitled "Representing Residential Tenants," and drafted an eviction practice manual that the Circuit Court of Cook County adopted as an official court document. Lawrence is currently a Supervisory Attorney in LAF’s Northwest Office. He received LAF’s 2001 Equal Justice Award for his advocacy on behalf of tenants, and together with Richard Wheelock he teaches a seminar on housing and poverty law at the University of Chicago Law School (2000 -present).

David S. Yen - Supervisory Attorney of the Bankruptcy Project
Mr. Yen is a 1975 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. After clerking for the County Court for Cape May County, New Jersey, he has worked for legal services programs representing low-income clients in New York, Alabama and Illinois. He has been a Supervisory Attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago since 1987. He has written articles on bankruptcy and consumer topics for the Clearinghouse Review and Illinois Welfare News, is a contributing author for the Collier Bankruptcy Guide, and has been a lecturer or panelist in those areas for organizations ranging from the Alabama Judicial College to the National Association of Consumer Advocates. He is a member of the Illinois bar, the bankruptcy section of the Chicago Bar Association, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the American Bankruptcy Institute.

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