Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS), the largest provider of pro bono legal services, today announced the election of seven (7) new board members – attorneys Tyree Ayers, Shereefat Balogun, Brian Gordon, La’Tika Howard, Robin Leone, Marc Shach, and Dr. Ann Irvine. MVLS’ Board of Directors is responsible for governance and directing the organization’s strategic plan to deliver life changing pro bono legal services to Marylanders. In addition, board members serve as MVLS volunteers and are generous supporters of its mission.
Tyree Ayers is vice president and associate general counsel at Erickson Living Management, LLC. Tyree draws upon her legal expertise to offer creative, ethical, and effective guidance to corporate and community clients. She is the Co-Chair of the Community Outreach Pillar of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Council. Tyree earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
Shereefat Balogun is chief legal and compliance counsel at State Employees Credit Union (SECU). She manages all legal and compliance aspects of federally insured stated-charted credit union with over $3 billion in assets. Shereefat is current Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Lawyers Association. Shereefat earned her J.D. at the University at Buffalo Law School.
Brian Gordan is associate counsel and compliance officer at Brown Advisory Inc. He provides legal advice on institutional and private client related matters and service provider contracts. Gordan is currently a Board Member of Child First Authority, Inc. He earned his J.D. at the University at Maryland, Francis King School of Law.
La’Tika Howard is an associate, focusing on corporate and securities law, at Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLC. She represents large and small corporations and limited liability companies to assist with general corporate matters. La’Tika has experience being both a volunteer mentor and scholar mentor for programs such as Garland Hayward Youth Center and The Fannie Angelo’s Program for Academic Excellence. She earned her J.D. at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Anne Irvine is a data scientist and machine learning expert at a cyber insurance startup, Resilience. Anne currently serves on the Loyola Data Science Industrial Advisory Board. She is excited to bring a new technological lens to MVLS in the realm of community engagement. Anne received her Ph.D. in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University where her research focused on machine learning and natural language processing.
Robin Leone is a litigator who helps clients with complex commercial business disputes as counsel at Saul, Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP. Robin represents the interest of a diverse client base. She also serves as the chair of the firm-wide Pro Bono Committee. She currently serves as vice president of the Board of Directors of the Chesapeake Women’s Ice Hockey Club. Robin received her J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center.
Marc E. Shach is an attorney practicing bankruptcy, business law and transactions, and commercial litigation at Coon & Cole Law. Marc has served the legal field as an educator, editor, author, and speaker. He has taken many pro bono cases with MVLS and formerly served as a member of the Board of Directors at the Maryland Pro Bono Resource Center. Marc received his J.D. at University of Baltimore School of Law.
To learn more about MVLS’ services or to become a volunteer attorney, please visit www.mvlslaw.org. If you are interested in being considered as an MVLS board candidate, contact Susan Francis, Executive Director, at sfrancis@mvlslaw.org.
About Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS)
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) removes barriers to justice through free civil legal help, community engagement, and advocacy for equitable laws. The organization matches clients with volunteer lawyers, tax professionals and staff attorneys who represent them in a wide range of consumer finance, family and housing situations, including foreclosure, bankruptcy, divorce/custody, deed changes, as well as income tax disputes, estate planning, and criminal record relief. MVLS advocates for racial equity in Maryland’s legal system and works in concert with community partners to move toward a fair legal system that is free of injustice and equitably serves underrepresented Marylanders. For more information about MVLS, please visit www.mvlslaw.org.
