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)
Divisional Supervising Attorney Alex Dutton is a Divisional Supervising Attorney in the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services. Alex defends parents who are at risk of losing their children to foster care due to allegations of abuse or neglect and to preserve their parental rights when the state seeks to forever sever them. Before…
Social Work Supervisor Ron Ayler is a Social Work Supervisor in the Family Advocacy Unit (FAU) at Community Legal Services (CLS), where he works with attorneys, paralegals, and peer parent advocates as part of legal team advocating for parents involved with the child welfare system. He supervises two FAU social workers as well as graduate…
Director of Social Work Maggie Potter (she/her) is the Director of Social Work in the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services, where she has worked since 2012. Her role includes client casework, supervising FAU Social Workers and MSW student interns, community outreach, policy advocacy, training and onboarding all CLS social workers, and working across…
Divisional Supervising Attorney Caroline Buck is a divisional supervising attorney in the Family Advocacy Unit. She started as a legal fellow with a project focusing on improving family preservation efforts for families with teenaged children at risk of entering out-of-home placement in the child welfare system. Caroline was previously a legal intern in the Family…
Senior Attorney Wesley Allen is a senior attorney in the Family Advocate Unit at Community Legal Services. Mr. Allen works with a team of lawyers, paralegals, and social workers who, for more than 25 years, have been helping parents involved with the child welfare system maintain custody of or reunite with their children. Mr. Allen…
