Program Staff

Providing for the civil legal needs of low-income individuals and families throughout ten counties in northwestern Pennsylvania requires a team effort. As a law firm serving the poor, we bring together a talented and committed group of legal professionals, along with administrative and support staff, to serve our clients to the best of our abilities. Although our organization has undergone many changes since we were incorporated in 1969, we are fortunate to have a core staff of experienced legal services professionals working alongside younger attorneys and paralegals equally dedicated to our mission. The staff at NWLS includes the following:

Executive Director -- Robert A. Oakley, Esq., has served legal aid for more than a quarter century. Prior to his appointment as executive director of NWLS in 1995, he worked as executive director of Legal Services for Southeastern Wyoming, Inc., where he also chaired the Legal Aid Services Committee for the Wyoming State Bar. Oakley is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Ohio (inactive).

Administrative Support Staff -- Assisting the executive director with administrative duties are a fiscal manager, a resource developer, and an administrative assistant.

Staff Attorneys -- NWLS currently has 11 staff attorneys who provide the full range of legal representation and counsel for our clients. The majority of these attorneys have more than five years experience in the legal profession, with a core group serving in the legal services arena from 10 to 25 years. The breadth of experience this legal team brings to our client community is an important part of our success.

Paralegals -- In addition to our staff attorneys, NWLS has five paralegals who handle certain administrative law cases for our clients. Working under the supervision of staff attorneys, these paralegals act as important advocates for clients in areas of the law such as unemployment compensation and government benefits. They also bring more than 40 years of combined experience in legal services to their profession.

Support Staff -- Supporting the work of our law workers is a team composed of secretarial/clerical workers, and co-directors of technology with responsibility for both hardware and software components of our information systems. A total of 9 individuals comprise this group of support staff.

Full List of Staff

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