Patrice Paldino is the Executive Director of Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida. Prior to joining Coast to Coast, Ms. Paldino worked for Legal Aid Service of Broward County for 10 years as Director of Housing Rights Programs, where she handled projects targeted at preventing homelessness for high risk groups such as persons living with HIV/AIDS, Veterans, and families in the foster care system. Ms. Paldino has been an active speaker at national conventions such as the North American Housing and HIV/AIDS Research Summit, The American Bar Association HIV Law and Practice Conference, and National Conference on Social Work and AIDS. Her experience with HIV programs has introduced Ms. Paldino as a national expert in the Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) model for the delivery of legal services. Ms. Paldino received a Master of Science in Education and Community and Social Change from the University of Miami (2013); graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctorate degree from New England Law (1996); and graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University (1992).
Marta Esteve has practiced family law with CCLA since 2005. She is a frequent presenter on the topic of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking at continuing legal education (CLE) seminars. She also conducts community outreach programs addressing the issues of intimate partner violence within underserved communities. In addition, she is a member of the Broward Domestic Violence Council and the Broward Victim’s Rights Coalition. Ms. Estevez received a J.D. from Nova Southeastern University School of Law in 2004 and graduated with a B.S. degree from the University of Florida in 2000. She has been recognized with the 2014 Community Leader Award, presented by the Broward Domestic Violence Council and the 2017 Volunteer of the Year Award recipient, presented by the Broward Victim’s Rights Coalition.
Alisha D. Hurwood is the Chief Operations Officer at Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida. Her primary responsibilities include programmatic oversight to ensure compliance with funding requirements, supervising staff, representing clients on various civil legal issues, and organizing trainings and outreach for staff and the community. She has been appointed to and serves on several local and national advisory boards and is frequently invited to speak at national conferences and webinars. Ms. Hurwood has devoted her career to the area of public interest law and social justice, including work as the supervising attorney for a Housing Rights Project in Broward County representing low-income tenants, Veterans and Persons Living with HIV, worked for a non-profit advocating for the rights of children in dependency, and represented inmates in capital post-conviction cases. Ms. Hurwood earned a Juris Doctorate degree from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2006; earned a Master’s of Science in Sociology from Mississippi State University in 2002; and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Mississippi State University in 1999.