LAIC COHORT 2026
Samire Elhouty
SKE Law
Samire K. Elhouty is an attorney licensed in California and Texas with experience in civil rights enforcement, estate planning, and business law.
He has over a decade of experience with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, where he handled complex investigations involving disability rights and access to education.
In his solo practice, in addition to his government work, Samire assists individuals and families with estate planning matters, including revocable living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives. He also advises clients on probate and business formation matters.
Samire takes a practical, client-focused approach to helping individuals and families plan for the future and navigate legal issues with clarity.
He earned his J.D. from Cornell Law School and his B.A. from UCLA.
He can be reached at 661-342-7761 or selhouty@gmail.com
Arin Janjik
Janjik Law
Before launching Janjik Law, Arin Janjik worked for more than a decade on the defense side of workers’ compensation law. During those years, he took over 500 depositions, and mastered complex regulations and court procedures that govern the workers’ compensation system, as well as the intersection of medical and legal issues faced by workers who are seeking treatment and monetary benefits.
Arin decided to go solo so he could use those experiences and his natural talents to provide strong legal representation to injured workers, and to help others facing complex legal problems.
Arin is truly a “people person,” with the energy and intellect to achieve favorable outcomes for his clients.
Arin earned a J.D. from West Los Angeles Law School and his bachelor’s degree from Cal State Northridge.
He can be reached at 818-930-0021; aj@janjiklaw.com; https://janjiklaw.com/. He is fluent in Armenian.
Abel Maury-Diaz
Attorney at Law
Abel Maury-Diaz brings a unique combination of legal training, practical experience, and personal understanding to his solo practice, which is aimed at serving entrepreneurs, small businesses and creatives with startup, business planning and ongoing contract needs.
Before pursuing his legal education at Southwestern Law School, he spent more than six years as a corporate paralegal at private and publicly traded companies, where he managed SEC filings, administered equity compensation programs, drafted and reviewed commercial contracts, maintained corporate governance for portfolios of 30+ entities, and built compliance systems from the ground up.
Abel holds certificates from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Trademark Association (INTA) in intellectual property and trademark administration.
Abel is committed to providing services at affordable rates. He is exploring alternative fee arrangements such as flat-fee packages, sliding-scale arrangements, and unbundled services that make quality legal help attainable for entrepreneurs and families who would otherwise go without.
Abel is fluent in Spanish and French and can be reached at 626-239-8133 or info@maury.esq.
Peter Kovalsky
Law Explainer
At Law Explainer, Peter Kovalsky focuses helps small and medium businesses navigate their day-to-day operations. Most of that work involves reviewing, drafting, and negotiating all manner of contracts for his clients, as well as making sure their copyrights and trademarks are secure and protected.
Peter aims to interpret "legalese” for those starting up and running businesses into plain language that makes common sense to non-lawyers – and to break up the legal work intosmaller, and more affordable, pieces.
Outside of his legal work life, he is nerdy about tech, languages, philosophy, music, games, and other systems. He’s an Extremely Online kind of person and an avid, lifelong gamer.
Peter came to the United States as a refugee and remains dedicated to social justice, inclusion, and diversity. He goes out of his way to be a safe and welcoming space for people who may need or want that.
Peter earned his law degree from UC Irvine School of law and his B.A. from UC Santa Cruz in philosophy.
Peter speaks Russian. He can be reached at 562-888-3839; peter@lawexplainer.com, or at lawexplainer.com.
Gissela Moya
Attorney at Law
Gissela provides legal support for nonprofit organizations, philanthropists and entrepreneurs in the areas of technology, legal compliance, IP and strategy.
Prior to law school, Gissela served as an intern at the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program, and worked on issues related Central Americans, undocumented students and access to higher education for people of color.
Gissela was also the Manny Garcia Technology Fellow at the Greenlining Institute, where she co-authored the report, “On the Wrong Side of The Digital Divide.”
Gissela cares deeply for her community, and seeks to be of service by using her legal education and background to empower immigrants and others who are at risk of victimization and civil and human rights violations.
Gissela earned her law degree at Boston University School of Law. She earned her undergraduate degree in political science from UC Berkeley.
Gissela is a fluent Spanish speaker. She can be reached at 909-294-1139 or gisselaisabelmoya@gmail.com.
Chiemela Okwandu
Sierra Claims Law
As a member of Sierra Clalims Law, a two-attorney firm, Chiemela represents businesses and individuals through all phases of litigation – from pre-lawsuit negotiations through trial.
Her experience spans national law firms, in-house secondment work, and leadership roles where she managed high-volume, high-risk matters across jurisdictions. She has argued dispositive motions, prepared cases for trial, defended multi-million-dollar claims, and consistently helped clients resolve disputes early and strategically.
Community service is a priority; she is dedicated to being a resource and advocate for foster youth, low-income families and minority-owned businesses that are often underserved in the legal system.
Chiemela's pro bono work has included helping clients navigate legal emergencies and educating community members through workshops and direct services. Her long-term goal is to create a sustainable, mission-driven practice that uses law as a tool for empowerment.
Chiemela earned her law degree from Pepperdine and bachelor’s degree from UCLA, in political science.
She can be reached at 909-568-1293 or cokwandu@sierraclaimslaw.com.
Christian Olano
Sierra Claims Law
Christian represents businesses and individuals through all phases of litigation.
Before launching Sierra Claims Law, Christian worked for several law firms, as an associate and as a partner. He represented clients in matters including business formation and corporate transactions, real estate disputes, business litigation, and insurance recovery.
Separate from his attorney work, Christian is also a small business owner. So, he knows firsthand how complicating and daunting it can.
At Sierra Claims Law, Christian is combining his years of transactional and litigation experience with his hands-on business experience to make quality legal representation more accessible to people and businesses who often cannot afford it but need it most – especially smaller business owners.
Christian earned his law degree from UCLA School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Northridge in biology.
Christian is fluent in Spanish and can be reached at 818-310-5070 or colano@sierraclaimslaw.com.
Anita Pattillo
Attorney at Law
Anita entered the legal profession as an established and successful real estate broker. Starting years before law school, she guided her brokerage clients through transactions that ranged from the simplest first-time home purchase to complex commercial real estate sales.
Anita's real estate background gives her law practice a distinct advantage, allowing her to approach legal matters with practical, real-world experience. As an attorney, she focuses on areas that intersect with real property, contracts, and business.
Whether representing buyers, sellers, or clients in legal matters, she brings her keen sense of strategy and a client-centered philosophy to every engagement.
In addition to her professional work, Anita is actively engaged in her community, often serving as a resource for individuals seeking guidance in real estate and legal matters. She also enjoys pro bono work and looks forward to continuing to serve the Los Angeles community.
Anita earned her J.D. from Trinity Law School. She can be reached at 310-345-5616 or anita.smartbusiness@gmail.com.
Cesar Rueda
Housing Justice Now
Cesar’s interest in housing advocacy began when he was a child: a real estate developer threatened to evict residents and tear down the apartments on his block to create more expensive housing. After an extensive battle, the community members won. The developers made some improvements to the neighborhood, some of the rents went up, but no building was torn down.
Cesar later became a real estate broker to help immigrants like himself and first-time buyers acquire their homes, so they could have more stability and be less vulnerable to eviction.
But after volunteering at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles self-help center at the Santa Monica courthouse, he rediscovered his passion for housing advocacy – and especially for empowering tenants.
Since then, Cesar founded Housing Justice Now, a nonprofit organization dedicated for representing tenants against unlawful evictions. The organization provides full legal representation on a sliding scale, depending on need and economic standing.
Ceasar earned his law degree from Southwestern Law School and his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in philosophy.
Cesar is fluent in Spanish and can be reached at 818-310-3765 or cesar@housingjusticenow.org. Website: https://www.housingjusticenow.org/
Patricia Tangorra
Attorney at Law
Patti is building an estate planning practice to help clients plan for the future to protect their families.
She also has a passion for civil rights and liberties, and for helping those wrongfully incarcerated.
Before becoming a lawyer, Patti Tangorra was enjoying a successful career in procurement and strategic business operations, working with large organizations to negotiate complex supplier agreements and manage risk.
Patti’s legal education gave her insight into a very different area of the law: civil rights and liberties. During law school, she worked as an extern with ACLU SoCal, where she assisted with litigation and strategy. She then interned for a year with Loyola Project for the Innocent, fighting for the freedom of clients who were wrongfully convicted.
As a solo, Patti intends to focus primarily on her estate planning practice, while staying actively involved with wrongful conviction and post-conviction advocacy in California.
Patti earned her law degree from Loyola Law School; her B.A. in English from Illinois State University, and a Master’s degree in written communication from National Louis University.
She can be reached at 630-824-8117 or ptangorra@gmail.com.