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STEPHANIE
A. GONZALEZ FERRANDEZ |
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Education
University
of Pennsylvania School of Law, Philadelphia, PA
J.D.
1994
Swarthmore
College, Swarthmore, PA
Bachelor
of Arts with Honors in the Social Sciences, 1989
Instituto
Internacional,
Madrid, Spain
Program
of Study in Spanish Language and Culture through Hamilton College, 1988
Bar Admissions
Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania
United
States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Work Experience
Berner
& Klaw Philadelphia, PA 2007-Present
Practice
includes all aspects of family law, divorce and adoption, with expertise
representing language minorities and non-citizens in family law and ancillary
immigration issues.
Philadelphia
Legal Assistance (PLA), Philadelphia, PA, 1996-2006
Supervising
Attorney of Family Law Unit, 1997 to 2006.
Managed practice unit providing representation in family law matters to
low income individuals in Philadelphia. Administered individual legal services
to 3,000+ clients annually and conducted community education efforts.
Staff
Attorney, 1996 to 2006. Specialized practice
in family law for victims of domestic violence, language minorities, non-citizens,
child sexual abuse; interstate and international custody; and paternity
matters.
Skadden
Fellow at Community Legal Services (CLS), Philadelphia, PA, 1994-1996.
Recipient
of national two-year attorney fellowship from the Skadden Foundation. Created
project for delivering all aspects of family law services to low income
Latina survivors in Philadelphia through Community Legal Services and in
coordination with Congreso de Latinos Unidos.
Custody
and Support Assistance Clinic, Philadelphia, PA, 1992-Present
Co-founded
an independent, law student administered program in partnership with CLS
and PLA to provide child custody and support legal services to low income
litigants. Co-founder and Student Volunteer 1992 to 1994. Attorney Supervisor
of law student volunteers from 1994 to 2006. Student Mentor 2007 to present.
Community
Legal Services, Philadelphia, PA, 1989-1994
Paralegal
, Coordinator of Protection from Abuse Unit , 1992 to 1994. Disability
Paralegal, represented clients seeking Social Security Disability benefits
before Administrative Law Judges, 1989 to 1991.
Bar Association
Activities
| Member,
Pennsylvania Bar Association (current) |
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| Hispanic
Bar Association of Pennsylvania |
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| Member
(current) |
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| Member,
Board of Directors, Legal Education Fund (former) |
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| Lecturer,
Hispanic People’s Law School (former) |
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| Philadelphia
Bar Association Activities |
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| Member,
Chancellor’s Task Force on Limited English Proficiency (current) |
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| Member,
Family Law Section (current) |
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| Member,
Executive Committee Member, Public Interest Section (former) |
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| Joint
State Government Commission Advisory Committee to the Pennsylvania Legislature |
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| Domestic
Relations Advisory Committee (current, appointed 1995) |
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| Children
and Youth Services Advisory Committee (current, appointed 2000) |
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| Member,
Philadelphia Court Domestic Relations Local Rules Committee (former) |
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| Member,
Philadelphia Domestic Violence Task Force (former) |
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| Member,
Philadelphia Women’s Death Review Team (former) |
Lectures/Trainings/Consulting/Publications
(1994 - present)
Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Continuing Legal Education, : Survival Tactics for the
Untravelled in Philadelphia
Trial Court, Custody Litigation in the 90's, Public Interest Law Day, Children
and Violence in the Family, Domestic Relations Practice in Philadelphia. |
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| American Bar Association,
"Representing
Diverse Clients", Family Advocate , Fall 2004, Vol. 27, No.
2 ; and GP Solo, March 2005, Vol. 22, No. 2, ABA General Practice, Solo
& Small Firm Division, GP Solo, March 2005, Vol. 22, No. 2 and ABA
Section of Family Law , Family Advocate, Fall 2004, Vol. 27, No. 2. |
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| Philadelphia Legal Assistance,
"Obtaining
a Protection Order in Philadelphia"; "The Legal Baby’s Daddy": What Women
Need to Know"; "The Legal Baby’s Daddy: What Men Need to Know"; "Preparing
for Your Philadelphia Domestic Relations Hearing, and various other community
education fliers and brochures |
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| American Association of
Law Schools |
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| Child Psychiatry Center |
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| Congreso de Latinos Unidos |
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| Custody and Support Assistance
Clinic |
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| Father’s Day Rally Committee |
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| Ghebre Michael Inn for Men |
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| Hispanic People’s Law School |
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| Homeless Advocacy Project |
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| Hospital of University of
Pennsylvania OBGYN Clinic |
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| Legal Services Corporation |
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| Lutheran Settlement House |
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| Maternity Care Coalition |
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| Mayor’s Commission on Literacy |
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| Mayor’s Office of Community
Affairs, Fatherhood Initiative |
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| National Legal Aid and Defender
Association |
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| Nationalities Service Center |
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| North Philadelphia MOMobile |
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| Northeast Violence Prevention
Task Force |
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| People’s Emergency Center |
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| Pennsylvania Legal Services |
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| Philadelphia Public Health
Centers |
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| Philadelphia School District |
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| Philadelphia Volunteers
for the Indigent Program |
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| Philadelphia Youth Advocate
Program |
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| Sisters of Mercy |
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| Sojourner House |
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| Temple University School
of Law |
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| Transitional Work Corporation |
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| University of Pennsylvania
School of Law |
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| Villanova School of Law |
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| West Philadelphia Advocates
for Caregivers of Children |
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| Women Against Abuse |
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| Women In Transition |
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| Women’s Law Project |
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| Various appearances on television
and radio regarding family law topics in both English and Spanish, including
WEMG, LaSalle56, LaMega and Telemundo. |
Board Memberships/Community
Service
| Board Member, Custody and
Support Assistance Clinic (current) |
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| Volunteer, Philadelphia
Volunteers for the Indigent Program (current) |
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| Member/Board Member, Neighborhood
Civic Association (current) |
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| Board Member, Hispanic Bar
Association Legal Education Fund |
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| Executive Vice President,
Philadelphia Legal Services Union |
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| Member, Congreso de Latinos
Unidos Domestic Violence Program Advisory Committee |
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