Pro Bono Project Board of Directors

James Bratton has been a volunteer with the Pro Bono Project since its founding in 1986, and has served on our Board of Directors since 1988.  Jim is an attorney who practices family and criminal law. He is an alumnus of San Jose State University and Lincoln Law School.  Jim is a long-time member of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and has served as a member of its Board of Trustees. He is also a Judge Pro Tem for family, traffic, civil and criminal courts.

Stephen Penn has been a certified Family Law Specialist since 1998.  He devotes ninety five percent of his practice to family law and related areas.  He graduated from Glendale College of Law in 1987.  He also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, a Masters of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University and a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.  Mr. Penn is also a registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern and presently serves as a group facilitator at the Center for Healthy Development where he facilitates groups in the Kids Connection, Parents in Conflict and Safe Families programs.  He is also an adjunct faculty member at John F. Kennedy University, Campbell Campus teaching in the area of law and ethics.

Diane Cerra, from Comerica Bank's Personal Banking Division, is a community volunteer who was born and raised in San Jose and knows the community well. Diane is enthusiastic about serving in a leadership capacity with the Pro Bono Project. For fun, Diane enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, and she loves going to concerts and recreational reading.

Georgia Bacil is the Directing attorney of Senior Adults Legal Assistance. She graduated from the UC Santa Cruz and the Santa Clara University School of Law.

Lois Kittle is a retired Santa Clara County Family Law Commissioner.  She graduated from Lincoln Law School and practiced family law in Santa Clara County.

Gregory Mc Donald is a long term volunteer with the Pro Bono Project.  He practices consumer and general business law. Greg graduated from Iowa State University and California Western School of Law.

Pro Bono Project Staff

John Hedges
Executive Director

John Hedges has been with the Pro Bono Project since 1986, when, as a consultant, he was asked to help found the Project.  John has been involved in the delivery of legal services to low income people since 1973.  He worked first as a staff attorney for the Correctional Association of New York and then as Executive Director of the South East Missouri Legal Services.  Just prior to helping found the Pro Bono Project in 1986, he served as the Regional Director of Legal Services Corporation.  He has considerable experience as a consultant to Legal Services programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving as interim director for five different programs. John is a graduate of Simpson College and the University of Iowa College of Law.

Kenneth S. A. Grant
Attorney

Kenneth completed a B.A. at the University of Denver, a J.D. at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, and an M.St. at the University of Oxford, Wadham College.  Kenneth is fluent in Russian and proficient in German.  He has been an employee of the Pro Bono Project since December 2001.  Kenneth started with the Project as a volunteer with the paternity program, and is currently the staff attorney for paternity cases.

Jennie N. Winter

Attorney/Director of Client Services

She oversees volunteers who help clients with family law matters, including certified law students and attorneys.  Jennie holds a JD from Santa Clara University School of Law, a BA in Human Development and a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University, Hayward.  Before going to law school she practiced for 23 years as a Holistic Health Educator and Bodywork Therapist.  She brings this background as a healer into her practice of law and her approach to helping clients solve their legal problems.  Before coming to Pro Bono Project, Jennie was in private practice as a family law attorney in Santa Clara, San Mateo and Alameda counties.  She serves on the Santa Clara County Bar Association Family Law Executive Committee, and the Family Law Education and Minor’s Representation subcommittees.  She is a member of Collaborative Practice Silicon Valley; sits on the Northern California Public Education Committee for Collaborative Practice California; is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the International Alliance of Holistic Lawyers, and a founding member of the Renaissance Lawyer Society.

Sharon Bashan
Director of DVLSR

Sharon coordinates the Domestic Violence Limited Scope Representation (DVLSR) project.  Sharon came to Pro Bono Project in October 2005 with several years of public interest experience.  Sharon holds a BA in Sociology and Environmental Policy (with honors) from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She completed her J.D. at Santa Clara University School of Law, where she was a Public Interest Scholar and B.T. Collins Scholar. During law school, Sharon served as an Articles and Comments Editor for the Journal of International Law, and studied Comparative Civil Rights at Oxford University.  While in law school, Sharon concentrated on family law and juvenile law, focusing on issues that impact families and children.  She served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Judge Leonard Edwards, worked at Bay Area Legal Aid in the areas of Domestic Violence and Family Law, and clerked at the Judicial Council of California – Center for Families, Children and the Courts.

Carmen Velasco
Office Manager

Carmen came to the Project in 2000 with over ten years experience as an office manager. She is responsible for the office management and provides Spanish language client intake, translation, and interpretation.

Elizabeth Esparza
Administrative Assistant/Receptionist

Elizabeth joined the Pro Bono Project in December 2004. She has attended San Jose City College. Elizabeth has done what no one has successfully done before. She has organized the reception position to meet all the demands of clients, staff, and volunteers. Elizabeth is fluent in Spanish and English.

Xuan Luu

Bookkeepeer/ Accountant

Xuan Joined the Project in 2008.  She graduated from San Jose State with a degree in accounting.  Xuan has extensive expereince in bookkeeping. 

Eleanor M. Donohue
Attorney Emeritus

Eleanor is a graduate of Mount Saint Vincent in New York City, and received her J.D. and an M.A. in counseling from Santa Clara University. She is fluent in Spanish, having lived in Madrid in during the 1960's. Eleanor first came to the Project as a volunteer in 2001.  Prior to that, she had a private practice, specializing in family and juvenile law, taught at De Anza College, and taught math and Spanish at the junior high school level.  Eleanor provides legal supervision and some direct representation in family law matters.