LACLJ Staff at our Celebrating Survivors Gala
Leadership Team
Executive Director
Carmen McDonald, Esq
Carmen has twenty years of experience serving low-income individuals in family and immigration law and has worked at LACLJ over ten years. In March 2023, the Board appointed her as Executive Director.
Director of Legal Services
Jimena Vasquez, Esq.
Jimena Vasquez oversees all aspects of the delivery of legal services to clients at LACLJ. Jimena has been practicing family law for the past 16 years.
Director of Development
Marissa Marasigan, MSW
Marissa Marasigan is the Director of Development at the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ). With over 10 years of experience in fundraising, Marissa leads LACLJ’s individual, corporate and private foundation giving, as well as its fundraising events and communications.
Director of Finance
Jane Byun
Jane Byun is the Director of Finance at the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ) and oversees the financial operations of the agency.
Directing Attorney
Michelle Carey, Esq.
Michelle has represented low-income survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual violence and human trafficking in their immigration matters for nearly 20 years, leading LACLJ’s immigration work since 2013.
Directing Manager of Trauma-Informed Services & Education
Sylvia M. Gribbell, LCSW
Sylvia received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2001, and a Masters in Social Work with a concentration in children and families with a sub-concentration in public child welfare from the University of Southern California in 2005.
Pro Bono Manager
Amanda Jancu, Esq.
Amanda Jancu is the Pro Bono Manager for the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice. She has provided legal services to low-income survivors of domestic violence for over ten years.
Supervising Family Law Attorney
Phallen Gaskin, Esq.
With over 10 years of experience, Phallen represents survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in high conflict family law cases.