Margot Mendelson – Executive Director

Margot joined the Prison Law Office in 2016 and became Executive Director in 2023.  She works on a wide range of issues related to conditions of confinement, access to health care, disability rights, use of force, and staff misconduct in California prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers.  Margot’s work involves trial, appellate, and post-judgment enforcement work, as well as policy advocacy. Before joining the PLO, Margot worked at Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld, where she practiced complex civil litigation in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate level, with a focus on civil rights matters.  Margot was an Arthur Liman Public Interest Fellow, where she represented immigrants detained in Southern Arizona.  She clerked for Judge Diana G. Motz of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Judge Catherine Blake of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.  Margot received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 2009 and her B.A. from Harvard College.  Margot is on the board of Immigrant Legal Defense, based in Oakland, California.

 

Daesha Jordan – Director of Human Resources & Operations

Daesha joined Prison Law Office in 2024. Her area of focus is to maintain and establish comprehensive human resources/ operations functions and policies, aligned with industry best practices and organizational values. She began her career passionate about justice, equity, and supporting underrepresented and underserved communities. These passions led her to work in the nonprofit field directly out of college, primarily focusing on family development, housing access, equity, and justice. As her career progressed, so did her passion for service. In previous positions, she has worked in finance, operations, administration, fiscal sponsorship, and HR. She values creating and maintaining strategic practices that center service, support, and value alignment. She was born and raised in California! Daesha has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from San Francisco State University; and a Master’s in Human Resource Management and Services from USC.

 

Staff Attorneys

 

Rana Anabtawi – Senior Staff Attorney

Rana started at the Prison Law Office in 2009 as a Legal Fellow and became a Staff Attorney in 2010.  She primarily works on improving disability accommodations in California state prisons under the Clark v. California and Armstrong II litigation.  Rana also monitors the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s provision of medical care under the Plata v. Newsom class action.  She graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 2005 and received her J.D. from Berkeley Law in 2009.  Rana was admitted to the California State Bar in 2009.

 

Patrick Booth – Supervising Staff Attorney

Patrick joined the Prison Law Office as a Jane Kahn Legal Fellow in September 2019, and was promoted to Staff Attorney in September 2021. He works on Armstrong v. Newsom, a statewide class action brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act on behalf of people with disabilities in California prisons. Patrick also works on Clark v. California, a case brought on behalf of incarcerated people with developmental disabilities. He received his B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in Integrative Biology in 2013 and his J.D. from Berkeley Law in 2019. At Berkeley, Patrick helped with the representation of death row clients while working in Berkeley’s Death Penalty Clinic, and he provided free legal assistance to low income and unemployed residents of the Bay Area in the law school’s Workers’ Rights Clinic. Patrick also served a summer clerk at the Oregon Innocence Project and the PLO.  Patrick was admitted to the California Bar in November 2019.

 

Tess Borden – Supervising Staff Attorney

Tess joined the Prison Law Office as a staff attorney in 2022. She works on issues related to disability accommodations in California state prisons and conditions of confinement in county jails. Before PLO, Tess was a staff attorney at the ACLU of New Jersey, where she litigated conditions of confinement and criminal legal system reform in federal and state courts and testified before the legislature on solitary confinement, prison oversight, and officer-perpetrated abuse. She was appointed by Governor Phil Murphy to serve on the Advisory Board to the New Jersey Office of Corrections Ombudsperson, an independent oversight entity, and on the Inter-Agency Working Group on Body Worn Cameras. Tess has also worked for the ACLU National Office, Human Rights Watch in New York and Dakar, Senegal, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands, as well as spending time before law school as an immigration paralegal. Throughout law school, she served as researcher to the late Christof Heyns, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. Tess received her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2014 and her B.A. from Yale College and clerked for the Honorable George A. O’Toole, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She is admitted to the New York Bar and is registered by the State Bar of California as a Registered Legal Aid Attorney.

 

Steven Fama – Senior Staff Attorney

Steve joined the Prison Law Office in 1985.  Steve works primarily on Plata v. Newsom, a class action lawsuit concerning the provision of medical care in California prisons, and on the Coleman case regarding mental health care in CDCR. Steve worked on Madrid v. Gomez, which challenged the conditions of confinement in the supermax Pelican Bay State Prison. He first met, learned from, and tried to help people in prison in 1976 as an undergraduate at U.C. Berkeley, with a program that worked with San Quentin’s “American Indian Cultural Group.”  As a law student (J.D. 1981, U.C. Davis King Hall), he worked at the Prisoners Legal Assistance Clinic.  He was admitted to the California State Bar in December 1981, and from 1982 to 1984 was a “Prisoner Writ Clerk” for the federal judges in the Eastern District of California (Sacramento). 

 

Daniel Greenfield – Senior Staff Attorney

Daniel joined PLO in 2024 as a Senior Staff Attorney. Prior to joining PLO, Daniel was Supreme Court and Appellate Counsel at the MacArthur Justice Center, where he litigated jail and prison conditions cases, with a focus on solitary confinement and other inhumane practices. Before joining the MacArthur Justice Center, Daniel was both pro bono counsel and a litigation associate at Sidley Austin, completed a fellowship at the Center on Wrongful Convictions, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Diane E. Murphy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Daniel also teaches at UCLA School of Law, where he helps to run the Prisoners’ Rights Clinic, and previously co-taught the MacArthur Justice Center’s appellate litigation clinic at Northwestern University School of Law. He received a J.D. cum laude from Northwestern in 2008. He also has an M.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and a B.S. from Northwestern. Daniel is admitted to the bars of Washington, D.C. and Illinois and is registered by the State Bar of California as a Registered Legal Aid Attorney.

 

Mackenzie Halter – Jane Kahn Legal Fellow

Mackenzie joined the Prison Law Office as a Jane Kahn legal fellow in 2023. She works primarily on Plata v. Newsom, a class action lawsuit concerning the provision of medical care in California prisons, and Clark v. California, a case brought on behalf of incarcerated people with developmental disabilities. Before joining the PLO, Mackenzie represented incarcerated people who were denied access to gender affirming care and government employees who faced discrimination because of their race. She also worked on a campaign to abolish bail bond debt across California with the Debt Collective. Mackenzie received her J.D. from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. During law school, she represented undocumented minors in immigration proceedings as a clinical law student. Mackenzie also interned with several civil rights organizations, including the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area and the ACLU of Arizona. Before law school, Mackenzie graduated with honors from Arizona State University, where she received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.S. in Public Service and Public Policy. Mackenzie was admitted to the California Bar in January 2021.

 

Alison Hardy – Supervising Staff Attorney

Alison joined the Prison Law Office in 1988 with a one-year grant to advocate for incarcerated people with HIV/AIDS.  After a brief stint in Oregon where she set up a prisoner’s rights project, Alison returned to PLO, focusing primarily on healthcare issues in California prisons and Fresno County Jail. She works on Plata v. Newsom and Hall v. County of Fresno.  She has tried cases challenging conditions for people with serious medical and mental illnesses and developmental disabilities, and people living on death row.  She earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and her J.D. at UCLA in 1988.  She was admitted to the California State Bar in December 1988.

 

 

Lily Harvey – Senior Staff Attorney

Lily joined the Prison Law Office in 2024 as a Senior Staff Attorney. She works on Plata v. Newsom and Jensen v. Thornell. Prior to joining PLO, she served as Assistant Deputy Director of Outreach and Education for the California Civil Rights Department. Lily also worked as a Directing Attorney at Homebase, where she founded and led the homelessness prevention nonprofit’s Criminal Legal System Initiative; and as Habeas Corpus Counsel at the Habeas Corpus Resource Center, where she represented California prisoners under sentence of death. She graduated from Berkeley Law in 2011 and was admitted to the California Bar that year.

 

 

A.D. Sean Lewis – Trans Beyond Bars, Project Manager

A.D. joined the Prison Law Office in 2022. After completing his Equal Justice Works fellowship at PLO, he founded Trans Beyond Bars, a project that supports trans, gender expansive, and intersex (TGI) people in locked facilities by providing legal information and resources to ensure their futures exist beyond bars. Prior to joining the PLO, A.D. founded the Trans Advocacy Project at Disability Rights California. During law school, A.D. interned with Disability Rights Washington’s Trans in Prison Justice Project and East Bay Community Law Center, volunteered for local organizations that support incarcerated individuals and trans people, and founded the TGI Pro Bono project. A.D. graduated from Stanford Law and is a member of the California State Bar.

 

 

Heather MacKay – Staff Attorney

Heather joined the Prison Law Office in 1992 with a grant to provide individual advocacy for people at newly-opened Pelican Bay State Prison. After 11 years as a PLO staff attorney, Heather opened her own practice representing indigent people in criminal appeals and writs, and in 2015 she received the Sixth District Appellate Program’s Gerald Z. Mayer Award for Outstanding Appellate Advocacy. Heather has continued to work part-time with PLO revising The California Prison and Parole Law Handbook and other resource materials, and sharing her expertise on the intersections between criminal law and prison law. She earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her J.D. at U.C. Berkeley. She was admitted to the California Bar in 1992.

 

 

Jerrod Thompson – Senior Staff Attorney

Jerrod received his B.A. in Legal Studies from UC Berkeley in 2004 and his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2009. Before joining PLO, Jerrod worked as an Assistant Federal Defender in California, Louisiana, and New York, representing people facing federal criminal charges. Previously, Jerrod led the Second Chances Project at the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, where he litigated early release and conditions of confinement on behalf of children incarcerated throughout the state of Louisiana. He began his legal career with the Orleans Parish Public Defender’s Office. In law school, Jerrod participated in the Juvenile Defender Clinic, representing children in delinquency proceedings, and the Parent’s Rights Clinic, representing parents in dependency proceedings.

Investigators

 

 

Skye Lovett – Investigator

Skye joined the Prison Law Office in February 2019, and they monitor conditions of confinement in prisons across the state of California and helps monitor conditions at several Arizona state prisons. They are currently the lead litigation assistant on Clark v. California. Prior to joining PLO, Skye worked as a facilitator on diversity, equity, and inclusion projects, and as an undergraduate worked on the prison divestment campaign at Stanford University. They received a B.A. in Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity from Stanford, the endowment of which continues to fund prisons and policing

 

Amber Norris – Investigator

Amber joined the Prison Law Office in 2013.  She investigates and monitors conditions of confinement in California and Arizona prisons, and in county jails. She works primarily on Armstrong v. Newsom.  Prior to joining the PLO, she worked as an investigator at the Habeas Corpus Resource Center, the Correctional Association of New York, and Human Rights Watch. She has a B.A. in Spanish from Portland State University and an M.A. in human rights law from American University, and is fluent in Spanish.

 

Gabriela Pelsinger –  Investigator

Gabriela joined the Prison Law Office in 2018, was promoted to Supervising Litigation Assistant in June 2019, and promoted to Investigator/Monitor in July 2020. She monitors conditions of confinement in prisons in California and at the Arizona state prison in Tucson.  She is part of the team investigating and litigating conditions of confinement in immigration detention centers.  Prior to joining the Prison Law Office, she lived in Santiago, Chile, and worked in publishing and translation. She formerly worked as an Advocacy and Administrative Assistant at Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB) in Oakland, supporting grassroots and legislative advocacy to reduce the amount of people incarcerated in California’s prisons and jails. She has also worked as an educator in youth detention centers in New York City. She holds a B.A. in Ethnicity & Race Studies from Columbia University, and is fluent in Spanish. 

 

Joanna Cardenas –  Special Assistant

Joanna joined the Prison Law Office in 2022. At PLO, she assists in monitoring staff misconduct investigations in California state prisons under Armstrong v. Newsom. Currently, Joanna is also a doctoral student in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at UC Berkeley. As a PhD candidate, she has conducted research related to police use of lethal force, police misconduct, surveillance, and the sociology of punishment across race, gender, and class. Her work has been supported by several fellowships and organizations, including Berkeley’s School of Law. Prior to graduate school, she received a dual B.A. in African American Studies and Legal Studies with honors from UC Berkeley in 2021.

 

Litigation Assistants

 

Dewi Zarni  – Supervising Litigation Assistant

Dewi joined the Prison Law Office in 2022. As a litigation assistant, she monitors conditions of confinement in prisons across the state of California and in several Arizona state prisons. Prior to joining PLO, Dewi worked as a research fellow for the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative, and throughout college she volunteered with the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, where she assisted with asylum applications and coordinated volunteers. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in American Studies with a concentration in the Criminalization of Race and Migration, and graduated with highest distinction.

 

Jenny Aguilar – Litigation Assistant

Jenny joined the Prison Law Office in 2024. A recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she previously tutored at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center through the Teach In Prison program and worked with organizations like the Berkeley Underground Scholars Initiative and the Incarcerated Scholars Program. Born and raised in California, Jenny is proud to serve her community through her work at the Prison Law Office.

 

Emilio Bustamante – Litigation Assistant

Emilio joined the PLO in 2023. Emilio’s education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Davis, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Policy at the McGeorge School of Law. At PLO, he monitors the conditions of confinement in prisons across California and several Arizona state facilities. Emilio also works as a recognized gang expert, where he lends his expertise to criminal cases and appeals, providing impartial analysis and insight to juries, judges, and legal teams throughout California. Emilio’s professional goals are rooted in a vision of a more equitable society. Through his advocacy, he strives to dismantle systemic barriers and create pathways to opportunity for all, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of criminal justice reform.

 

Audrey Lim – Litigation Assistant

Audrey joined the Prison Law Office in 2022 and monitors conditions of confinement in prisons across the State of California. Prior to joining PLO, Audrey worked in commercial litigation, and as an undergraduate volunteered with a student legal clinic, specializing in providing free tax return preparation services. She graduated with High Distinction from University of California, Berkeley, receiving a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Conservation & Resources studies. Audrey is an avid reader and is originally from Orange County, California.

 

Joshua Marin – Litigation Assistant

Joshua joined the Prison Law Office in 2023. Prior to joining PLO, Joshua volunteered with the ACLU of Northern California to process civil liberties violation intakes as well as interned with Legal Services for Prisoners with Children to provide legal assistance and information to people impacted by the criminal legal system. Joshua obtained a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Criminal Justice at San Francisco State University. There, he interned with Project Rebound, assisting formerly incarcerated people in applying to the university and accessing campus resources.

 

Jess Shen – Litigation Assistant

Jess joined the Prison Law Office in 2024. Before joining the PLO, Jess worked on the National Lawyers Guild Santa Rita Jail Hotline, where they helped monitor conditions of confinement during the onset of COVID-19. Jess has also interned with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners and the Contra Costa Public Defender’s Office, and throughout college, they volunteered with the Petey Greene Program, where they tutored incarcerated women in Massachusetts. Jess earned their B.A. cum laude in English and Creative Writing from Wellesley College and is from San Diego, California.

 

 Administrative Staff

 

Ashley Kirby – Office Manager

Ashley started working with the Prison Law Office in 2000 as a part-time mail room assistant and now manages the day to day functionality of the office and staff, and manages the case dockets for the office litigation.   Ashley also is the human guardian of Scout, the Golden Retriever who greets all visitors to our office.