Staff
Maria Aguila is the El Monte Landlord Tenant Counseling Project Coordinator. Maria Aguila provides El Monte residents with information about their housing rights as well as meaningful referrals to agencies and organizations that may be able to provide further assistance. The Landlord-Tenant Counseling Project is free to all residents of El Monte and serves both landlords and tenants. Maria worked on the Los Angeles Housing Department’s Rent Escrow Account Program (REAP) for the past 10 years and help developed the program at LACLJ. She now helps supervise the Outreach program. Maria has over 20 years of community outreach experience and is fluent in Spanish.
Carolina Andrade is a Family Law Attorney who represents and assists clients in matters regarding divorce, paternity, child custody, child support and restraining orders. Carolina has her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from UCLA and received her J.D. from Loyola Law School where she was a Public Interest Scholar. Prior to coming to LACLJ, Carolina worked at the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law, where she handled family law cases for low-income individuals. Carolina was born and raised in East Los Angeles and is fluent in Spanish.
Juliet Arganaraz is the LACLJ’s Director of Administration. Juliet is responsible for managing all employee records, benefits, and payroll. She prepares the reports for the majority of funding sources. She maintains LACLJ’s financial records, accounts payable and receivables, and supervises the support staff. She is fluent in Spanish.
Steve Arredondo is the Supervising Housing attorney. Steve is a graduate of UCLA and received his J.D. from Loyola Law School. Prior to joining LACLJ, he was an associate at the public interest law firm Traber & Voorhees, where he practiced class action wage and hour litigation on behalf of low wage immigrant workers. He also handled discrimination and international human rights cases. He started his legal career as a staff attorney for the Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates where he represented low wage immigrant workers in State and Federal court, and before the National Labor Relations Board. A 2001 Equal Justice Works Fellow, Steve regularly speaks on issues of workers’ rights, community lawyering, and the practice of public interest law.
Sharon Balmer-Cartagena is the Teen Advocate and a Family Law Attorney. She works primarily with clients, ages 13 to 24, representing them in court proceedings and conducting legal rights presentations on the rights of pregnant and parenting teens. Before joining LACLJ, Sharon was a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, working on government benefits and school discipline issues. Sharon was a 2007 Equal Justice Works fellow and she received a masters of social work and her law degree from Fordham University in New York. Sharon speaks Spanish.
Theresa Beaumier is a paralegal performing a year of service with the LACLJ Eastside Housing Rights Clinic as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. She graduated from St. Norbert College with a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies. While attending St. Norbert, she also studied Spanish and had the opportunity to spend a semester in Santiago, Chile. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Anabel Cardenas is a legal secretary. Anabel has been working at LACLJ for over sixyears and is fluent in Spanish.
Anna Carrillo is the Administrative Assistant at LACLJ. She received her B.A. from UC Riverside in Art History with Administrative Studies and a minor in Spanish. Before joining LACLJ, Anna interned at the Museum of Latin American Art and an architectural firm, where she garnered strong skills in marketing, sales, event planning and administration. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Brandy Davis is the Supervising Attorney for the Shriver Family Law Project at the Los Angeles Center for Law & Justice. Authorized by the landmark Sargent Shriver Civil Counsel Act, the project is a collaborative effort with the Los Angeles Superior Court to increase access to justice for low-income litigants, improve outcomes for domestic violence survivors and their children, and measure the impact of legal services and court innovations on the lives of families. Brandy was a attorney at LACLJ in 2002, representing victims of domestic violence and teen parents in family law matters. After LACLJ, Brandy advocated for youth in juvenile dependency proceedings as an attorney at the Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles. Turning her focus to teen victims of dating violence, Brandy managed legal programs as a Supervising Attorney at Break the Cycle, Los Angeles and advocated for improved teen dating violence laws and services as the Technical Assistance and Policy Manager at Break the Cycle, Washington DC. Prior to rejoining LACLJ, Brandy coordinated policy efforts for the Labor Project for Working Families, coordinating a statewide labor-community policy coalition and providing technical assistance and support to labor unions on family-friendly workplace policies. She graduated with a degree in Sociology from UC Irvine and received her law degree from the University of Southern California Law School.
Tamyko Gray is a Family Law Attorney who represents and assists clients in matters regarding divorce, paternity, child custody, child support and restraining orders. She is a graduate of Temple Law School (James E. Beasley School of Law), where she received the Beasley Scholarship. Through Temple’s clinical program she represented victims of domestic violence in custody cases and served as a mediator. She facilitated many conferences to develop custody plans for clients going through dissolution proceedings. After law school, she interned at the Children’s Law Center in Washington D.C., where she represented children in dependency hearings. Tamyko is admitted to practice law in California, Connecticut, and Washington D.C. and is fluent in Spanish.
Hellen Y. Hong serves as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice. She first joined LACLJ in 2004 as a staff attorney to represent indigent immigrants and low-income families in consumer and housing cases. She also served as a staff attorney with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County where she litigated cases dealing with civil rights violations and consumer issues, seeking broad injunctive relief and policy changes. Over the course of her public service career, Hellen served as the Associate Development Director with Asian Pacific Community Fund. Later while attending law school, Hellen served as the Assistant Director of State Government Relations at UCLA advocating on behalf of higher education and completed an externship for the Honorable Consuelo Marshall at the federal District Court of Los Angeles. Hellen served on the Board of Trustees for the Asian Pacific Women’s Center a domestic violence transitional shelter, for nearly five years. She is a former member of Liberty Hill’s Environmental Justice Funding Board and the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council. In 2011, Hellen was awarded Western Center on Law and Poverty “Rock Star” award and a Durfee Sabbatical. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a BA in Literature with an emphasis in Third World Literature and Women’s Studies. Hellen received her law degree from Loyola Law School, where she was a Faculty Academic Honors Scholar.
Carla Jacobo is a Legal Advocate for the Shriver Project. She supports LACLJ attorneys and clients in matters of high conflict divorces, paternity, custody, and restraining orders. She graduated from UCLA in 2010, receiving her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Women’s Studies. Before joining LACLJ, Carla worked with the Department of Social Services as a GAIN Social Worker assisting residents of Los Angeles County receive public benefits. She also interned with Neighborhood Legal Services where she assisted with Family Law cases. She is fluent in Spanish.
Shannon Johnson is the Immigration/Family Law Paralegal. She is responsible for providing support to clients who are Domestic Violence, sexual assault and stalking victims. She assists clients in matters regarding divorce, paternity, child custody, child support and restraining orders. Mireya also assists clients with VAWA and U Visa cases. Before joining LACLJ, she spent one year as a Jesuit Volunteer serving refugees in Phoenix, AZ. In 2009, Shannon graduated from Providence College with a dual degree in Political Science and Global Studies. As a student, she traveled to Guatemala and India to examine international development and human rights issues. She speaks Spanish and some French.
Gladys La Torre is a family law attorney at LACLJ. She was born and raised in Southeast Los Angeles and has devoted her legal career in serving the low-income communities of Los Angeles. Gladys graduated from Western State University, College of Law where she received her law degree, and received her Bachelor of Science in Business/Finance at Cal State University, Los Angeles. Gladys served as a board member of the Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC), an organization that provides supports to California legal services through advocacy, training, and state wide coordination. Gladys currently represents and assists clients in matters regarding divorce, paternity, child custody, child support and restraining orders. She has worked closely with court personnel, including Judicial Officers and Court Administrators to develop and enhance LACLJ partnership projects with the Los Angeles Superior Court, Central District. Gladys is fluent in Spanish.
Suma Mathai is the Supervising Family Law Attorney at LACLJ. She also assists South Asian survivors of domestic violence with their family law matters. Prior to her current position, Suma was a staff attorney at the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law and at Break the Cycle, focusing on advocacy and education for teens. Suma was a 2000 Equal Justice Works Fellow and has worked in the public interest field since 1993. Suma has received a Community Activism award from South Asian Network and an Advocacy award from the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council. She is currently an Advisory Board member of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, and previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Asian Pacific Women’s Center, a transitional domestic violence shelter. Suma graduated from the University of Southern California, where she completed a joint Law/Master of Social Work degree, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Arizona State University.
Guadalupe Morales is the receptionist. She has a strong background in law office administration, and assists our clients, screens calls, and supports our staff attorneys.
Laura Urias is a Family and Immigration Law Attorney who represents and assists clients in matters regarding divorce, paternity, child custody, child support and restraining orders. Laura also assists clients with VAWA and U Visa cases. Laura has her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University and received her J.D. from the University of California at Davis. Prior to coming to LACLJ, Laura worked at the United Farm Workers Foundation where she developed a Public Benefits Outreach Program and assisted clients with U Visa cases. Laura is fluent Spanish.
