Jeffrey A. Been is an attorney and Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society. Jeff previously served as Project Director for the HIV/AIDS Legal Project. Prior to his work with Legal Aid, Jeff served as a prosecutor, judicial law clerk, staff attorney for the US Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, and on the faculty at the Indiana School of Law. He was also Director of the AIDS Legal Project for Indiana Legal Services. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member for the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. Jeff is an author of several articles on constitutional rights. He is a member of the Indiana and Kentucky Bar Associations and has served as a board member on various civic and professional organizations, including the Louisville Bar Association and the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission.

Jeff is the recipient of several awards for his professional service, including the Brandeis School of Law’s Dean Service Award and the Louisville Bar Association’s Justice Martin E. Johnstone Special Recognition Award.

Email: jbeen@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3100
Fax: 502-614-3700

Laura Brent is a staff attorney with the Housing Unit of the Legal Aid Society. Prior to joining Legal Aid in July 2008, Laura practiced law at Mapother & Mapother and Korn Law Firm.  Laura is admitted to practice in Kentucky and South Carolina. 

Email: lbrent@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3101
Fax: 502-614-3701

Jeff Brown is a staff attorney with the Rural Unit of the Legal Aid Society. He focuses his practice on civil litigation. Jeff is admitted to practice in Kentucky, New Mexico, and Alaska. Prior to joining Legal Aid in 2005, Jeff, a Jeffersonville, Indiana native, worked for DNA People’s Legal Services in New Mexico and Alaska Legal Services. He is also a former U.S. Navy submarine officer.

Email: jbrown@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3104
Fax: 502-614-3704

Sarah Caragianis is an attorney with the Rural Unit of the Legal Aid Society. She focuses her practice on family law. Sarah is admitted to practice in Kentucky. Before joining Legal Aid in March 2008, Sarah, a Lebanon, Kentucky native, worked as a staff attorney at Jefferson County Family Court.

Email: scaragianis@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3141
Fax: 502-614-3741

Ben Carter is an attorney with the Housing Unit of the Legal Aid Society.  He focuses his practice on providing home-buyers representation at the closing table.  Ben is admitted to practice in Kentucky and Palau.  Prior to joining Legal Aid in September 2008, Ben worked in the Public Defender's Office in Palau and with the Franklin County (KY) Circuit Court.  Ben was also a Fellow at The Watson Foundation.

Email: bcarter@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3134
Fax: 502-614-3734

Leslie Clemons is the Managing Attorney of the Volunteer Lawyer Program at the Legal Aid Society. She practices in the areas of family law, property and contract law, bankruptcy law, and Social Security/SSI. Leslie is admitted to practice in Kentucky and Maine. Prior to joining Legal Aid in 2006, Leslie, a Bath County, Kentucky native, practiced civil law in Bath County and served as an Assistant County Attorney there. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General in Maine's Office of the Attorney General and as a Law Clerk for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. In her spare time, Leslie serves as a volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America.

Email: lclemons@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3137
Fax: 502-614-3737

Aaron R. Esmailzadeh is an attorney with Legal Aid's Rural Unit and focuses his practice on civil litigation.  Prior to joining Legal Aid, Aaron was a Field Organizer for the Democratic National Committee and MoveOn.org.  He has also practiced law as an associate at Dinsmore & Shohl.  Aaron is admitted to practice in Kentucky.

Email: aesmailzadeh@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3176
Fax: 502-584--8014

Lori Goodwin is an attorney and Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs Fellow at the Legal Aid Society. She focuses her practice on family law.  Lori is admitted to practice in Kentucky and Wisconsin. Prior to joining Legal Aid in March 2008, Lori, a Louisville native, was a teacher at a small, private middle school. In addition to her work at the Legal Aid Society, Lori is a member of the Louisville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Email: lgoodwin@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3140
Fax: 502-614-3740

Lea D. Hardwick is a staff attorney with the Consumer Unit of the Legal Aid Society. Lea focuses her practice on bankruptcy and consumer law. She is admitted to practice in Arkansas and Kentucky. Before joining Legal Aid in 2001, Lea worked as a Public Defender in Jefferson County. In addition to her work at Legal Aid, she serves on the Board of Directors at Winter Help.

Email: lhardwick@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3112
Fax: 502-614-3712

Gwendolyn Horton is a senior attorney with the Housing Law Unit of the Legal Aid Society. Gwyn concentrates her practice in landlord-tenant law. She is admitted to practice in Kentucky. Prior to joining the Legal Aid Society in 2005, Gwyn was a staff attorney at the Louisville Metro Public Defender's Office, where she twice received the Ace Award for excellence in advocacy.

Email: ghorton@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3113
Fax: 502-614-3713

Virginia Jordan joined Legal Aid as a staff attorney in April of 2009.  She concentrates her practice on government benefits.  An alumna of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, Virginia is admitted to practice in North Carolina and Kentucky.

Email: vjordan@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3130
Fax: 502-614-3730

Lisa Kilkelly is a staff attorney with the Community Development Unit of the Legal Aid Society. Lisa focuses her practice on non-profit organization law, including corporate, tax, and administrative matters. She is admitted to practice in Kentucky. Previously, Lisa served Legal Aid as staff attorney for the Housing and Rural Units.  Lisa, a native of Louisville, joined the Legal Aid Society in 1988.

Email: lkilkelly@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3116
Fax: 502-614-3716

Ronald Marstin is the Managing Attorney of the Urban Division at the Legal Aid Society. Ron concentrates his practice on domestic relations, government benefits, and general civil legal matters. He is admitted to practice in Kentucky. Before joining Legal Aid in 1991, Ron, a native of Australia, was a journalist in Eastern Kentucky.

Email: rmarstin@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3117
Fax: 502-614-3717

Eileen L. Ordover is a staff attorney in Legal Aid's Community Development Unit, where she represents nonprofit organizations in a variety of matters.  She previously served as Project Director for the HIV/AIDS Legal Project.  Prior to joining Legal Aid in 2004, Eileen, a native of New York, worked as an attorney at the Center for Law and Education in Boston, where she represented low-income students, parents, and community groups. She is the author of Education Rights of Children With Disabilities: A Primer for Advocates and is a Founding Director of the Center for Accessible Living.

Email: eordover@laslou.org
Phone: 502-574-8199
Fax: 502-574-5244

Neva-Marie Polley is a staff attorney with the Family Law Unit of the Legal Aid Society. Neva currently serves as the program coordinator for the Domestic Violence Advocacy Program, which matches volunteer attorneys with victims of domestic violence to provide representation at initial protection order proceedings. Prior to joining the Legal Aid Society in 2005, Neva worked as Deputy Division Chief in the Juvenile Division at the Louisville Metro Public Defender's Office, where she twice received the Excellence in Advocacy award. Neva is a 2008 graduate of the Louisville Bar Association’s Leadership Academy.

Email: npolley@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3121
Fax: 502-614-3721

S. Stewart Pope is an attorney and Advocacy Director at the Legal Aid Society. He focuses his practice on housing and consumer law. Stewart is admitted to practice in Kentucky. Prior to joining Legal Aid in 2000, Stewart worked as an attorney at Thomas & Dodson. He also ran his own private practice. Stewart, a native of Louisville, has served on several foreclosure prevention task forces, and he teaches paralegal courses at Daymar College.

Email: spope@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3122
Fax: 502-614-3722

Soha Saiyed is a staff attorney with the Housing Unit at the Legal Aid Society. Soha is admitted to practice in Kentucky.  Prior to joining Legal Aid in July 2008, Soha served as a Compliance Officer at Expungement Assistance Services.

Email: ssaiyed@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3119
Fax: 502-614-3719

Jeffrey Staton is a staff attorney for the HIV/AIDS Legal Project. Jeff joined Legal Aid in December 2008. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Jeff worked for the State of Minnesota Public Defender representing indigent clients charged with serious criminal felonies. Jeff also has experience representing clients in a wide variety of criminal and civil cases, and he has worked as an advocate for the mentally and physically disabled.

Email: jstaton@laslou.org
Phone: 502-574-8195
Fax: 502-574-5244

Barbara Sullivan is a senior attorney with the Family Law Unit of the Legal Aid Society.  She is admitted to practice in Kentucky. Before joining Legal Aid in 1997, Barbara, a native of the Boston, Massachusetts-area, worked for the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund.  Barbara is a member of the Board of Trustees at Ohio Dominican University and is the recipient of the 2009 Judge Richard A. Revell Family Law Practitioner of the Year Award given by the Louisville Bar Association.

Email: bsullivan@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3128
Fax: 502-614-3728

Marc Theriault is the Law and Technology Projects Manager at the Legal Aid Society. Marc's areas of expertise include law and technology and issues affecting self-represented litigation. Before joining Legal Aid in 2007, Marc was a Fellow at the Leon Panetta Institute for Public Policy. In his spare time, Marc volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.

Email: mtheriault@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3165
Fax: 502-614-3765

Rita Ward is a staff attorney with the TeamChild Project at the Legal Aid Society. Rita focuses her practice on juvenile law, disability law, and Medicaid. She is admitted to practice in Kentucky. Before joining Legal Aid in 2000, Rita was a school teacher and a Jefferson County Public Defender. She also worked 11 years for Kentucky Protection and Advocacy. Rita, a native of Southern Indiana, is the author of several legal articles and has conducted numerous trainings to community and professional groups about the rights of disabled children.

Email: rward@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3131
Fax: 502-614-3731

Stephanie Willis is a staff attorney with the Rural Unit of the Legal Aid Society. She concentrates her practice on civil litigation. Stephanie is admitted to practice in Kentucky. Prior to joining Legal Aid in 2004, Stephanie, a Louisville native, worked as a staff attorney at the Louisville Metro Public Defender's Office.

Email: swillis@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3135
Fax: 502-614-3735

John Young is a staff attorney with the Consumer Unit of the Legal Aid Society. He concentrates his practice on consumer law, family law, tax law, and general civil legal matters. John is admitted to practice in Kentucky. Prior to joining Legal Aid in 2001, John , a native of Ohio, worked for the Rural Legal Aid Society in Xenia, Ohio, and the Department of Public Advocacy in Somerset, Kentucky.  In addition to his work at Legal Aid, John participates in the Louisville Bar Association’s Latino Legal Clinic.

Email: jyoung@laslou.org
Phone: 502-614-3136
Fax: 502-614-3736