LSHV promotes two staff members to leadership roles

WHITE PLAINS, NY – Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV), the only provider of comprehensive civil legal services to those that cannot afford an attorney in the seven counties of the lower and mid-Hudson Valley, is proud to announce the promotion of two staff members to leadership roles within the organization. Christopher Oldi has assumed the role of Pro Bono Director, where he oversees the implementation and development of pro bono programs to engage pro bono volunteers in the agency. Shary Enid Sanchez was named the first Attorney-in-Charge of LSHV’s Peekskill Office, which serves Northern Westchester and Putnam County.

Christopher Oldi was previously a Supervising Attorney in LSHV’s Yonkers office, supervising staff attorneys and support staff. Christopher also spearheaded and served as the staff attorney of LSHV’s LGBTQ Legal Project from 2015-2016, where he represented low-income LGBTQ individuals in the Hudson Valley in areas such as discrimination, name changes, landlord/tenant matters, disability advocacy, and other civil legal services. Prior to joining LSHV in 2014, Christopher was an associate with the law firm of Wormser, Kiely, Galef & Jacobs LLP, where he specialized in municipal law.

Christopher attended Vassar College where he received a BA, with honors, in Psychology and Italian and then went on to earn his Juris Doctorate at CUNY School of Law at Queens College. Christopher is the chair of the Westchester County LGBTQ Advisory Board. Christopher is also on the Family and Matrimonial Committee of The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, as well as a member of the New York State Bar Association. Because of his community work throughout the County, the Westchester County Legislature have named two “Christopher Oldi” days in his honor – June 22, 2016 and September 28, 2017. Christopher is a resident of White Plains.

Shary Enid Sanchez joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in 2012 as a general practice Staff Attorney in White Plains, where she provided legal assistance in eviction prevention, family law, public benefits, disability, and future planning matters. In 2015, Shary became the Supervising Attorney of the White Plains office, overseeing Housing, Public Benefits, the Disability Advocacy Project, the HIV Unit, and the LGBTQ Legal Project. From 2009 to 2012, Shary worked at the HIV Law Project in New York City where she provided civil legal assistance to individuals infected and affected with HIV/AIDS.

Shary attended NYC public schools and graduated from Binghamton University where she majored in Sociology & Africana Studies and minored in Latin American & Caribbean Area Studies. Upon graduating from college, Shary attended and graduated from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. She currently serves on the board of directors for The LOFT LGBT Community Center; is a member of the Diversity Commission of the New York State Bar Association; and is a mentor with the Hispanic National Bar Association Law School Sin Limites Program. Shary is a resident of White Plains.

LSHV is the only provider of free, comprehensive civil (non-criminal) legal services to low-income and disadvantaged individuals and families who cannot afford an attorney when their basic human needs are at stake. This includes urgent legal needs such as: domestic violence (orders of protection, child custody, etc.), housing emergencies (eviction and foreclosure prevention), healthcare, children's law and advocacy, disability and benefits, elder law, consumer fraud and more. Founded more than 50 years ago, LSHV serves the seven counties of the lower and mid-Hudson Valley (Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan), maintaining a staff of 135 individuals -- including 80 attorneys and 27 paralegals -- working across nine offices throughout its service area. Last year alone the organization handled 15,000 cases impacting more than 34,000 household members.

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

(Pictures attached): Christopher Oldi and Shary Enid Sanchez