Beacon native, two others join the management team at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley

Barbara Finkelstein, CEO of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV), announced the hiring of three new staff members in recent months to join the leadership and management teams at the $16 million organization committed to providing free, comprehensive civil legal services to those that cannot afford it when basic human needs are at stake. Tom Gabriel was hired as the organization’s new Chief Development Officer, Shira Galinsky as Supervising Attorney for Intake, and Rachel Saunders, Attorney in Charge of the organization’s Poughkeepsie office.

LSHV’s CEO, Barbara Finkelstein, said of the trio, “We are delighted to welcome them to the team at Legal Services, and are excited for the impact they will have on our efforts to provide free civil legal services to all seven counties of the lower Hudson Valley.” With the gap separating those who can and cannot afford legal representation widening each day, LSHV works to engage as many allies as possible in this effort. Last year, the organization handled more than 14,000 cases impacting the lives of more than 32,600 people who had nowhere else to turn. Much of LSHV’s work centers around housing emergencies (eviction and foreclosure prevention), domestic violence, children’s law and advocacy, elder law, and disability law (physical, mental and developmental disabilities).

Beacon resident, Ms. Saunders, is the Attorney in Charge of LSHV’s Poughkeepsie office, where she oversees a staff of almost 20 attorneys, paralegals and support personnel. Prior to joining LSHV, she worked at Mental Hygiene Legal Service for five years as an Associate Attorney and Senior Attorney. Ms. Saunders has also held positions at Children’s Law Center in Brooklyn and the Bronx, Legal Aid Society in the Bronx, as well as at the Afghanistan Justice Sector Support Program and the International Legal Foundation both in Kabul, Afghanistan. She received her J.D. from Howard Law School, a BA in American Studies from Bard College, and is admitted to practice law in New York.

As Chief Development Officer, Mr. Gabriel will lead the strategic implementation of LSHV’s fundraising initiatives ranging from major gifts and annual giving campaigns to special events and corporate sponsorship opportunities. Additionally, he will manage the organization’s communications efforts. Mr. Gabriel has held leadership positions at a number of high-profile Westchester and Fairfield County-based non-profit organizations during his 25-year career. Most recently, he spent the past two years at the Westchester Land Trust. Prior to that, he was the Director of Development at the Greenwich United Way and Vice President for Development at the Visiting Nurse Association of Hudson Valley. He holds a BA and an MBA from Iona College in New Rochelle. He is a resident of South Salem.

Ms. Galinsky oversees LSHV’s central telephone intake unit, where she ensures that the unit’s dedicated attorneys and paralegals provide efficient, compassionate, and thorough services to callers seeking assistance from the organization. Prior to joining LSHV, she worked for ten years at South Brooklyn Legal Services, representing clients in housing, foreclosure, disability, and domestic violence cases. She has also served as a research associate at the Midtown Community Court in Manhattan and a program associate in the Immigration Intervention Project at Sanctuary for Families. Ms. Galinsky is admitted to practice law in New York State. She received her BA in economics from Columbia University and her JD from CUNY Law School, where she was a member of the International Women’s Human Rights clinic and served on the editorial board of the New York City Law Review. She is a resident of Dobbs Ferry.

For more information about LSHV, please visit its website www.lshv.org.

Photos (L-R): Rachel Saunders, Tom Gabriel, and Shira Galinsky.