Staff

Abigail Selter started at MHLAC in 2006 as an Intake Assistant. Now as Director of Operations, Abby oversees fiscal administration and development, human resources management, technology and compliance for MHLAC. She strives to help guide and support MHLAC and staff efforts to diminish the stigma attached to mental health wellness and improve the lives of our clients and their families, Abby’s interest in mental health, social justice and civil rights was sparked at a young age while volunteering and following current events. Attending Boston College where she received a B.A. in Sociology, she continued her dedication to others after college with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Southwest, as a case manager at Save the Family. Upon returning to the east coast, Abby worked at Saint Francis House, a day shelter in downtown Boston and attended Suffolk Law. Throughout her career, Abby has focused on advocating for her clients while also creating improvements in systems and processes.

Robert LeRoux Hernandez, MHLAC staff attorney, is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. He is past President of the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys and past New England Regional President of the Hispanic National Bar Association. He has served as organizer or chair of various civil rights committees in other bar organizations. A member of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, he has spent more than forty years as a civil litigator, concentrating in discrimination and civil rights. He has taught at Boston University School of Law, College of the Holy Cross (Latin American and Latino Studies Program) and Tufts University (Experimental College), including courses on Undocumented Immigration and Latin@s and the Law.  His publications include, “Becoming ‘Illegal.’” PRAXIS: The Fletcher Journal of Human Security, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, v. 29, Spring 2016. At MHLAC he concentrates on systemic litigation, focusing on education, language access and race, racism and mental health.

Ivy Moody is a staff attorney at the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee (MHLAC), the legal services program in Massachusetts that works to secure and protect the legal rights of persons involved in mental health and intellectual and developmental disabilities programs. Before joining the staff at MHLAC, she was a Deputy Public Defender with the Colorado State Public Defender's office in Colorado Springs. Attorney Moody received her J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law and received a Master of Arts from American University School of International Service, with a concentration in International Affairs / International Peace and Conflict Resolution. She earned a Bachelor's degree from Bryn Mawr College, where she studied Political Science and International Relations, with a focus on Peace, Justice and Human Rights.

Julia Villarruel (she/her/hers) joined MHLAC as a Paralegal in September 2019. She works on projects relating to language access, parole, school discipline, employment discrimination and special education. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she also happened to develop a militant advocacy that centers the interests of the most vulnerable and often forgotten populations in society. Prior to working at MHLAC, Julia worked in consumer law and debt relief at the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) and as a research assistant at the Center for Economic Policy and Research (CEPR) in Washington D.C. She is bilingual and always longing for good Latin American food and music.

Kate Nemens graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations and went on to receive her J.D from Northeastern University School of Law. Attorney Nemens is presently the Supervising Attorney for the Family Law Project of the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee. For almost twenty years she has provided direct representation to parents across the Commonwealth, and now supervises staff providing that same assistance, along with leading the Project’s legislative efforts. Before coming to the project, Attorney Nemens worked with low-income clients as a staff attorney in the family law unit of the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts (now Community Legal Aid in Worcester), primarily representing victims of domestic violence. Attorney Nemens was a 2005-2006 Boston Bar Association Public Interest Leader, and a 2008 Women’s Bar Foundation, Family Law Project for Battered Women Volunteer Attorney Award recipient. Attorney Nemens is a regular presenter and trainer of judges, attorneys, clinicians, advocates, peers and parents regarding representing parents with psychiatric disabilities and parents with disabilities involved in the family regulation system. She has participated in over 40 local, regional, national and international panels and conferences. She is a member of the Massachusetts Child Welfare Coalition, and lead organizer of the Coalition for the Rights of Families with Disabilities, a former advisory committee member for Boston Medical Center’s Project RESPECT PLUS, and former consultant to the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities at Brandeis University's Heller School.

Laís joined MHLAC as Office Manager in September 2019. She supports management in a variety of ways including daily maintenance and operations of the office, IT and inventory management, and plays a support role in intake. Before her employment with MHLAC, Laís provided similar administrative support at the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) as their Bilingual Admin. Her interest in mental health and law comes from personal and lived experience. She is currently studying to get a B.A. in Business Administration and hopes to attend law school in the future. In her personal life, Laís enjoys music, art, and gardening. She is also a proud dog parent.

Lauren Roy is a Staff Attorney with Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee and has been with the office for over 15 years. Her focus is on special education law and psychiatric rights in the community and in inpatient settings. Ms. Roy holds a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and Psychology from Curry College and graduated Cum Laude. She went on to graduate Suma Cum Laude from Suffolk University with a Masters of Science Degree in Mental Health Counseling and Criminal Justice and earned a law degree from New England School of Law. For the past 20 years, Lauren has been a zealous advocate for individuals with mental health concerns. Prior to being admitted to the Bar, Ms. Roy worked with adults and children in a group homes, hospitals and outpatient clinics. In 2015, Lauren was one of the leaders responsible for the passage of the Sixth Fundamental Right: Access to Fresh Air legislation. On her free time Lauren enjoys spending time with her family, dogs and watching her children play sports. She has been on the Board of Directors and coached youth softball in her town for several years.

Masha Zilberman (she/her) joined the Family Law Project as a Staff Attorney in December 2021. As a staff attorney for the Family Law Project, Masha provides advice, assistance, and representation to parents in their custody and parenting time cases. Prior to joining the Project, Masha worked as a Senior Staff Attorney in the Integrated Defense Practice at Brooklyn Defender Services, representing parents in both criminal and family court proceedings. Masha graduated from the University of Michigan in 2012 with a B.A. in Public Policy, and from Boston University School of Law in 2017. She interned with MHLAC during law school.

Matt joined MHLAC in September 2018, and works on a variety of mental health-related education matters including school discipline, school policing, special education, and disability-based harassment. Before that, Matt served as Education Project Director for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights in Boston and as a staff attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where he coordinated its Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline Initiative. Matt is a former public school teacher, a 2006 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, and the 2018 recipient of the Boston Bar Association’s James G. Brooks Legal Services Award. Matt has served on education and school discipline-related advisory boards for the Dignity in Schools Campaign, Council of State Governments, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children, and the Boston Bar Association.

Before coming to MHLAC in January, 2012, Phil worked for more than 30 years on behalf of the most vulnerable segments of the poor person populations of the states of Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Washington, serving in a host of capacities and specialties. He has litigated, lobbied, and negotiated key reforms for a wide variety of clients, including persons with mental health concerns, e.g. Haverty v. Commissioner of Corrections, 437 Mass. 737 (2002), which established a right to due process under the Massachusetts constitution prior to the imposition on prisoners of indefinite solitary confinement. Phil is also an accomplished singer with numerous cabaret shows and recordings to his credit.