Paralegal Shelley Bastos is a paralegal in the CLS Family Advocacy Unit.
Social Worker Claire Lynch (she/her) is a Social Worker in the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services. Prior to joining CLS, Claire was a HIV Medical Case Manager at Action Wellness. Claire received her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 and her BSW from Florida State University in 2018.
Staff AttorneyShe/Her Gillian Schaps is a Supervising Attorney in the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services. She first worked with the FAU as a legal intern, and then was an Equal Justice Works Fellow and later Staff Attorney at the Support Center for Child Advocates before to returning to CLS in 2022. While in…
Paralegal Belle Tilson is a paralegal in the CLS Family Advocacy Unit.
Staff Attorney Yalonda Houston is a staff attorney in Community Legal Services’ Family Advocacy Unit. Before joining CLS, she clerked for the Honorable Lisette Sheridan-Harris, and worked as a solo practitioner with offices in Philadelphia, Chester County, and Delaware court, specializing in family law which included custody, divorce, and dependency. She is licensed to practice law…
Director of Client Voice April Lee is CLS’ first Director of Client Voice. In this role, April ensures the inclusion of CLS clients’ lived experiences in internal and external work and advocacy at all levels. April joined CLS as Peer Parent Advocate in the Family Advocacy Unit, the first person in a role of this…
Social Worker Bridget Biddle is a Social Worker for the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services, where she has worked since 2019. Her role includes supporting clients and their families as they navigate the family regulation system as well as collaborating with internal and external partners on community education and policy advocacy. Before joining…
Paralegal Lili Smack is a paralegal in the CLS Family Advocacy Unit (FAU). In the FAU, Lili assists parents who have children in DHS dependency cases. Previous to joining CLS in 2003, Lili worked as a Mental Health Tech at Misericordia Hospital, a Job Coach/Special Service Advisor at Educational Data Systems, and a Case Manager…
Divisional Supervising Attorney Elizabeth Larin (she/her) is a Divisional Supervising Attorney in the Family Advocacy Unit, which represents parents in all stages of dependency proceedings, including adjudication, permanency reviews, termination of parental rights trials and appeals. She joined CLS as a staff attorney in 2013. Prior to joining CLS, Elizabeth served for eight years as…
Technical Assistant Deborah Holden is the Technical Assistant in the CLS Family Advocacy Unit. Honors & Awards Equal Justice Award, Community Legal Services (2012)
