ABOUT US

our mission
ILAP seeks to advocate for and to improve the status and well-being of Maine’s low-income noncitizens and their families by providing affordable legal services, and by educating and working with service providers, policy makers, and the public concerning legal issues unique to noncitizens.


 Organization History
The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, a §501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, is Maine’s only provider of immigration law information and legal assistance to low-income Maine residents who cannot afford private attorneys. Initiated in 1994 as a volunteer attorney project with extremely limited capacity, ILAP began its transformation into a staffed legal aid agency in 1999. Annually, ILAP now serves over 2200 individuals from more than 100 different countries around the world.

STAFF

Beth Stickney, Esq., Executive Director
Sue Roche, Esq., Supervising Attorney
Barbara Taylor, Esq., Staff Attorney
Jennifer Bailey, Esq., Staff Attorney
Tzeitel Waldron, Paralegal
Bree LaCasse, Development Director
Meghan Bryan, Administrative and Program Associate
Andi Summers, Legal Program Associate


Board of Directors

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project is proud to have a volunteer board of community members and legal professionals. Many of ILAP’s former and current board members bring connections to the communities ILAP serves. ILAP’s Board is actively involved in the organization’s management philosophy, fundraising and policy work.


 Current Board members

Ted Kelleher, Esq.
Drummond Woodsum
President

Janet Britton, Esq.
Hannaford Brothers, Co.
Vice President

Adam Johnson
Dawson, Smith Purvis & Bassett, P.A.
Treasurer

Diane Coit
Freelance Interpreter
Secretary, Development Committee Chair

Prof. Catherine Besteman, Ph. D.
Colby College Anthropology Dept.

Peter Darvin, Esq.
Nominating Committee Chair

Michael Dilios
Chief Operating Officer, Smart Execution, LLC

Jennifer Dimond, APR
Burgess Advertising & Assoc., Inc.

Juan Gonzalez
Owner, La Bodega Latina

Sara Stewart Hellstedt , Esq.
Drummond Woodsum

Anne Kemper
Coordinator, Lewiston Adult Education

Vaishali Mamgain
Assistant Professor of Economics, USM
Policy Committee Chair

Sam Saltonstall

Grace Valenzuela
Director, Portland Public Schools Office of Multilingual & Multicultural Programs.


 Pro bono Panel

ILAP currently has 40 lawyers active on its Pro bono Panel. The Pro bono Panel handles asylum cases, certain defensive matters such as asylum or residency applications for those in removal proceedings, as well as certain complicated family reunification cases. ILAP's pro bono attorneys currently carry about 15% of ILAP's full representation client caseload and, in 2007, donated 2000 hours of their time.

Current Pro bono Panel Members

Jennifer Archer, Esq.

Cynthia Arn, Esq.

Johanna Babb, Esq.

Anne Birgel, Esq.

Janet Britton, Esq.

Sarah Coburn, Esq.

Robert Creamer, Esq.

Doug Currier, Esq.

Christopher Dargie, Esq.

Peter Darvin, Esq.

Anthony Derosby, Esq.

Michael Duddy, Esq.

Keith Dunlap, Esq.

Neil Fishman, Esq.

Elizabeth Frankel, Esq.

Hallie Flint Gilman, Esq.

Paul Greene, Esq.

Susan Hopkins, Esq.

A.J. Hungerford, Esq.

Hope Jacobsen, Esq.

Marcus Jaynes, Esq.

Edward Kelleher, Esq.

Nikolas Kerest, Esq.

Matthew LaMourie, Esq.

Lori Londis, Esq.

Robyn March, Esq.

Travis Meek, Esq.

Jack Montgomery, Esq.

Victoria Morales, Esq.

Kathleen Nokes, Esq.

Chad Olcott, Esq.

James O’Keefe, Esq.

Joanne Pearson, Esq.

Suzannah Pogue, Esq.

Geraldine Sanchez, Esq.

Sarah Stewart Hellstedt, Esq.

James Wagner, Esq.

Anna Welch, Esq.

James Wheeler, Esq.

Rosie Williams, Esq.

Stephanie Williams, Esq.