The People Behind the Project
Meet Our Teams
Dori Streit has dedicated her legal career to building effective and sustainable legal services programs to ensure access to justice for all. In 2007, Dori began as a staff attorney practicing primarily family law at the Indian Legal Assistance Program, a small but busy nonprofit in Duluth, Minnesota, that provides civil and criminal law services to the indigent. In 2011, Dori was hired as the Executive Director of the Volunteer Attorney Program (VAP), a stand-alone pro bono program that serves 11 counties in Northeastern Minnesota. After nearly six years at VAP, Dori was hired in February of 2017 as the new Executive Director of Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota. Dori has received recognition for her leadership and commitment to public service: the Bernard P. Becker Award from the Minnesota State Bar Association, (2016); a 20 Under 40 Honoree from the Duluth News Tribune (2014), and the Arthur T. Pfefer Memorial Award from the Twin Cities Cardozo Society (2008). Dori lives in Duluth with her two children and her dog.
Catherine is a former corporate counsel and law firm executive. She now teaches and provides training and consulting services with a focus on process improvement, project management, operational and process excellence, innovation, organizational development, and strategy. A Legal Lean Sigma® Black Belt and a certified Six Sigma Green Belt, Catherine is the CEO and a Founder of the Legal Lean Sigma Institute, which offers consulting and the first and only process improvement and project management certifications, courses, and workshops designed specifically for the legal profession. Catherine created Legal Lean Sigma®. She also invented the Legal WorkOut®, a collaborative method of engaging in process improvement together that has won multiple awards, including the 2018 Process Excellence Award for Best Business Transformation Project and the ACC Value Champion Award. Catherine offers coaching, training, and strategic planning consulting services through her practice, FIRM Guidance, and is the Chief Enthusiasm Officer of Mocktails LLC, which offers experiential networking training programs for lawyers and everyone else. She is also an adjunct professor at Suffolk Law School and George Washington University (Master’s in Law Firm Management) and a frequent guest lecturer at other academic institutions and highly rated speaker at industry events.
Melissa A. Moss has spent 25 years in civil justice-related work. After serving as director of 2 legal aid programs and a statewide pro bono support program and with the Legal Services Corporation. As Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Florida Bar Foundation, she also provided research and reports for the Florida Access to Civil Justice Commission. Melissa formed CatalystZone, an ATJ strategy consulting business in late 2017. CatalystZone brings adaptive strategy, design thinking, and process improvement approach to the access to justice sector. Melissa particularly enjoys facilitating client-journey process mapping, community-led justice design (co-design), and strategic scenario planning work. Her clients have included the Self-Represented Litigation Network, the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, the DC Bar Foundation, the Legal Services Advisory Committee of the Minnesota Supreme Court, and multiple legal aid programs. She has presented at the ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference, the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary annual meeting, several National Association of Court Managers conferences, and Stanford LegalDesignLab’s Law + Design Summit. In 2019 she mentored a Brainfactory team at the international Legal Design Summit in Helsinki. Melissa received her J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law and is working towards completion of Suffolk Law School’s online Legal Innovation and Technology certificate program.
Joan Kleinberg recently retired from a 42-year career in legal aid programs in Washington State. She worked at Evergreen Legal Services as a staff attorney in rural and urban offices from 1977 to 1981. She then developed and managed a program using contract attorneys to deliver primary legal aid services in counties no longer served by a physical office. In 1995, she became one of three founders of the Northwest Justice Project, and joined its management team. As the Director of CLEAR and Private Attorney Involvement, Joan developed and managed the statewide CLEAR hotline, and oversaw NJP’s private attorney involvement activities. In 2012, Joan became the Director of Strategic Initiatives, handling a variety of projects supporting the strategic objectives of the organization including outcomes measurement, use of data, intake system flow and online intake, case management system development, private attorney involvement, grant writing, and grant compliance.
Amy Burns is the Deputy Director of Florida Rural Legal Services. She has been with FRLS since 2007. Amy served as the Toyota Partnership project leader for Florida Rural Legal Services. She obtained her JD from Widener University School of Law. After more than two decades as a public interest lawyer, where the demand for services always exceeds the resources available, Amy understands the importance of utilizing Business Process Analysis/Improvement to improve not only the quantity and quality of services provided but also the morale of your team and the culture in your organization.
Ms. Paulus works to advance SMRLS' strategic plan as well as oversee IT, Client Intake and Hotline, Volunteer Attorney Program teams, and regional leaders. Before joining SMRLS, Ms. Paulus worked in both the legal information industry and higher education. She brings deep experience in business process, project management, and data analytics, combined with a passion for serving the community’s most vulnerable members, to her role at SMRLS. Ms. Paulus resides in Cottage Grove, MN. In her free time, she enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, and spending time with her family and dogs.
Joseph Schieffer is the CEO of A2J Tech and A2J Forms. Joseph can be found collaborating with advocates to develop user-centered solutions. As both a project manager and a programmer, Joseph is able to efficiently design and implement technology projects. Joseph has presented at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association Conference, the Legal Services Corporation Innovations in Technology Conference, the ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference, and the LGBTQ Legal Aid Summit. Joseph is a co-founder of Denver Legal Hackers. Joseph has earned the Project Management Professional designation from the Project Management Institute and the Certified ScrumMaster designation from Scrum Alliance. He holds a MS in Business Administration with a Concentration in Entrepreneurship from the University of Florida and a BS from the United States Air Force Academy. Joseph enjoys exploring Colorado's outdoors and coaching his kids' youth sports teams. Follow Joseph on Twitter @josephA2J
Mauricio Duarte is the Chief Operating Officer for A2J Tech. Mauricio has a deep understanding of international arbitration and alternate dispute mechanisms, focusing on using technology to solve disputes. His previous experience led him to become a Fellow in the Kleros Fellowship of Justice in Law & Society. Mauricio is a co-founder of Guatemala Legal Hackers and Legal Hackers Podcast (In Spanish). Mauricio graduated with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a Public Notary degree from Universidad Francisco Marroquín (Guatemala). Subsequently, he graduated with an LL.M. in U.S. Law from the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota). Outside of his working life, Mauricio is a marathon runner and triathlete.
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