Public Employee Press

New legal workers strengthen MELS staff

DC 37’s Municipal Employees Legal Service has recently hired the following talented attorneys and legal assistants to strengthen services for union members.

Hofstra Law School graduate Rashana Cain handled disciplinary cases as an attorney for the Dept. of Transportation, where she learned about DC 37. Now she is using her bankruptcy expertise on behalf of union members.

Queens native Shirley Caro graduated from Northeastern Law School and came to MELS with experience at Legal Aid and Legal Services. “Before, I was representing the poor. Now I’m representing the working poor,” she said. “There are so many issues weighing on our clients. At MELS, we can offer them a full range of services.” Caro has competed in four marathons.

Joan Foy was born in Aruba and attended the Temple University School of Law. As the only MELS attorney specializing in immigration, she has her hands full. “Our members want to be citizens. They want to vote, but private attorneys cost a lot of money,” said Foy, who works closely with the DC 37 Citizenship Committee. Outside work, she does portraits in pastels and has a son who is a high school student.

Debbora Gerressu was born in Ethiopia, grew up in Rome, attended college in Toronto, graduated from CUNY Law School and clerked for a federal judge. “It is rewarding to help our members. The work of the Housing Team helps to keep families intact,” she said. Upstate New Yorker Stephanie Miller attended the University of Buffalo Law School and interned at MELS in 2005.

“If not for this service, our clients would be left to the mercies of their landlords,” Miller said. Since her father was a member of the United Automobile Workers union at General Motors, she was familiar with the concept of pre-paid legal services plans for union members.

Jack Newton grew up in London, earned a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University, and attended law school at the University of Texas at Austin. “I really admire the spirit that everyone brings to the work we do,” he said. “The MELS Housing Team has a singular mission on the front lines of helping the working poor, and the work is rewarding.” He’s worked for the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, the Hetrick-Martin Institute and other non-profit service providers.

The new hires also include Legal Assistants Eva Acevedo and Kevin Gomez. Acevedo came from the ­Human Resources Administration and enjoys putting her experience to work at the union.

Gomez, an avid hiker and theater­goer, graduated from Brooklyn College and interned at MELS.

MELS provides eligible members with advice and representation on a wide range of covered personal legal problems, and with social work services on concerns related to the ­legal problem.

For a list of covered areas of law, see “DC 37 at your service” on page 22. Have your Social Security or PID number handy when you call 212-815-1111 for an appointment.