Staff
Jessica Berry, Director of Child Welfare Advocacy
Jessica joined the CLCM in September 2009 as recipient of a Skadden Fellowship. Jessica earned her B.A. from the University of Chicago, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, and has an M.S.W. from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Following law school, Jessica clerked for the Honorable Nathaniel M. Gorton of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and then for the Honorable Diana Gribbon Motz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. As a fellow at the CLCM, Jessica focused on representing adolescents in child welfare, education, and mental health matters. In her current role as Director of Child Welfare Advocacy, Jessica represents youth ages 0-22 in child welfare and education matters and is involved in systemic reform efforts related to the Massachusetts child welfare system. Since 2017, Jessica has also taught and supervised law students in the Juvenile Rights Advocacy Program (JRAP) clinic at Boston College Law School.
Samantha Cardwell, Staff Attorney, Medical-Legal Partnership
Samantha joined the CLCM in October 2022. Samantha holds a Master of Public Health from Tufts University School of Medicine and a Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law where she received a full-tuition scholarship as a Health Law Scholar. Before attending law school, Samantha served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, where she worked as a Community Health and Malaria Prevention Specialist before extending her service for a third year as Peace Corps Togo’s National Malaria Prevention Coordinator. During law school, Samantha interned with the Immigration Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services where she advocated for asylum seekers, with the Health Care Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office where she worked on policy and litigation matters, and with the Northeastern University Program for Human Rights and the Global Economy where she contributed to water rights research. As the Medical-Legal Partnership Attorney at CLCM, Samantha will work with the Mass General Brigham Chelsea Health Care Center to provide legal aid to children who face barriers to educational access or are at risk for school exclusion.
Jenny Chou, Director
Jenny Chou joined the CLCM as Director in October 2023. Most recently, Jenny was the Deputy Director of South Coastal Counties Legal Services. She was Senior Attorney and Racial Justice Fellow at the Center for Law and Education (CLE) where her legal work focused on ensuring a quality education for public school students in Massachusetts, particularly those who were most affected by exclusionary policies and practices of various school districts. She also represented low-income, mostly court-involved students while at the EdLaw Project. Jenny has been in private practice, has served as the consulting attorney for the education team at Medical-Legal Partnership Boston, was an associate at Stern, Shapiro, Weissberg and Garin and at the Criminal Defense Division of the New York Legal Aid Society. Her community-based legal services experiences included projects of the Harry Dow Memorial Legal Assistance Fund and based in the Asian Outreach Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services. Jenny is a graduate of Wellesley College and Boston College Law School.
Jacklyn Gurany, Staff Attorney
Jackie joined the CLCM in January 2018. She represents children in federal immigration proceedings as well as before the Asylum Office. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California (B.S. 2006) and Northeastern University School of Law (J.D. 2010). Prior to joining the Children’s Law Center, Jacklyn practiced in San Antonio, Texas, where she represented both children and adults in immigration proceedings, focusing on asylum and removal defense.
Isabel Hernandez, Staff Attorney
Isabel joined the CLCM in October 2022. Prior to joining the CLCM, Isabel served as an Assistant District Attorney at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. As an ADA, Isabel handled a felony caseload consisting of grand jury presentations and preparing cases for trial. Prior to working as an ADA, Isabel earned her law degree at New York Law School while working as a paralegal at the Brooklyn DA’s office and then as a policy analyst at the New York City Department of Investigation. As a paralegal, Isabel assisted ADAs in preparing felony child abuse and adult sex crimes cases for trial. As a policy analyst, Isabel investigated misconduct within the Administration for Children’s Services and child fatalities. At the CLCM, Isabel will serve as an immigration staff attorney focusing on special immigrant juvenile status, asylum, DACA, U-Visas, and other related relief for children who reside in Lynn, Greater Boston, and Northeast MA.
Olivia Kleyman, Office Manager
Olivia joined the CLCM in September 2023 as Office Manager. Olivia is currently a sophomore at Boston University studying Youth Development and Justice, and plans to attend law school in 2026. Olivia volunteers with Horizons for Homeless Children, Petey Greene, and is involved in legal research at BU. Prior to CLCM, Olivia worked as a loan officer and UNICEF Youth Representative.
Robyn Laukien, Staff Attorney
Robyn joined the CLCM in the fall of 1999. In addition to providing direct representation to her clients in the Lynn and Salem Juvenile Courts, she has coordinated and trained attorneys for CLCM’s pro bono program, and is involved with fundraising and event planning for CLCM. Robyn is a graduate of Wellesley College and Boston College Law School. Upon graduating from B.C. Law, she joined the Boston firm of Widett, Slater & Goldman as a corporate associate. After four years, she continued her business law practice at Bruker Corporation as in-house Corporate Counsel. While raising her two children, Robyn was an active volunteer at the New England Aquarium where she was an Overseer for 15 years. There, she engaged in outreach with children at Boston Head Start Preschools. This path led her to change her focus from corporate law to juvenile advocacy at CLCM.
Emily Paradise, Staff Attorney
Emily joined the CLCM in September 2017. Emily focuses on representing children in care and protection cases, at both the trial and appellate levels, and in delinquency cases. Before joining CLCM, she practiced on her own handling care and protection cases and criminal appeals, served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, and worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office . She is a graduate of Cornell University and The George Washington University Law School.
Frederic Paster, Paralegal
Frederic joined the CLCM in October 2023 as a Paralegal in the Civil Legal Aid to Victims of Crime (CLAVC) initiative. He supports CLCM’s casework, including in Child Welfare, Education, and Immigration matters. Frederic is an American University alumnus, graduating Cum Laude in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Justice and Law, a minor in International Studies, and specializations in Criminal Justice and Conflict Resolution. Having grown up on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Frederic is incredibly excited to assist in providing legal aid in his home communities. He plans on attending law school in the future.
Kayla Pulliam, Staff Attorney
Kayla joined CLCM in Nov. of 2023. She graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a bachelor's in special education, specializing in moderate to severe disabilities. Following graduation, she taught special education in North Carolina and worked in ABA before attending law school. She graduated from New England Law | Boston in 2022 where she focused on education law and client advocacy. Prior to joining CLCM, she was a staff attorney at Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
Alyssa Schnoor, Staff Attorney
Alyssa joined CLCM in December 2023. At CLCM, Alyssa represents child victims of crime in need of legal assistance throughout Massachusetts. Alyssa is a graduate of Tulane University and Suffolk University Law School. While in law school, Alyssa was a student attorney in the Family Advocacy Clinic, representing survivors of domestic violence in family law matters. Prior to joining CLCM, Alyssa was an Associate at the Boston law firm of Berluti McLaughlin & Kutchin LLP, practicing in the areas of business succession and estate planning.
Yong Ho (Allen) Song, Staff Attorney
Yong Ho (Allen) joined the CLCM in June 2023, shortly after completing his Master of Science degree in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (GMAP) at SUNY Binghamton. At the CLCM, Allen represents low-income immigrant children living in the Greater Boston area and beyond, focusing on special immigration juvenile status (SIJS), asylum, and other related immigration relief. Prior to joining the Children’s Law Center, Allen worked as a fellow immigration attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) where he advocated for Central American immigrants seeking asylum in the United States. A native and citizen of South Korea, Allen holds his bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania (BA 2015) and law degree from Harvard Law School (JD 2020).
Boyang Wang, Education Attorney
Boyang joined the CLCM in August 2022, shortly after graduating from Harvard Law School with an LL.M. (Master of Laws). Prior to Harvard, she earned a Bachelor of Law and a Master in International Law from the University of International Business and Economics in China. Included among her work experience before joining CLCM was an internship at the United Nations Refugee Agency, and pro bono work as the Legal Manager of Education Without Barriers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping children around the world who lack access to an education. At CLCM, Boyang will serve as the Education Advocate under the new Right to High Quality Education for All initiative, focusing primarily on systemic advocacy.