Seattle Team

Kelsey is a Staff Attorney at KIND’s Seattle office where she provides direct representation to detained youth in Washington. Kelsey received her J.D. from University of Washington School of Law. During law school, she interned with the Northwest Justice Project Farmworker Justice program, participated in the International Human Rights Clinic, and worked for a private immigration attorney. Prior to law school, Kelsey worked as a Caseworker with the International Rescue Committee where she provided direct services to newly resettled refugees and later as a Senior Caseworker with the Resettlement Support Center in Kenya where she conducted interviews and processed cases for refugees referred to the U.S. refugee admissions program.

Elizabeth Baldwin is an Interim Staff Attorney working with the detained program in the Seattle Office. Prior to joining KIND in January of 2020, Ms. Baldwin was Associate Director of the MJ Program and a full-time Lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law. At UW Law, Ms. Baldwin taught a variety of legal research and writing courses across the graduate and JD programs, including American Legal Systems and Method, Legal Research Methods, and Intensive Legal Writing Workshop, among other courses. She also taught various tutorials in Legal English and served as a Writing Advisor for the UW Legal Education Support Program-Afghanistan (LESPA) and the Ph.D. program. Before Ms. Baldwin entered law school, she spent several years teaching ESL and earned an M.A. in Applied Linguistics. Later in law school, Ms. Baldwin served as Research and Technical Editor on the editorial board of the law review and worked as a Legal Advocate at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. She also externed at the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington. Upon graduation, Ms. Baldwin served as a judicial law clerk at the Washington State Court of Appeals. Later, she coordinated the Children's Legal Rights Program at Volunteer Advocates for Immigrant Justice, where she supported pro bono attorneys serving UACs in detention. She is excited to return to working with children.

Bio coming soon.

Taylor Faranda is a Staff Attorney in KIND's Seattle office working with the City of Seattle and King County's Expanded Legal Defense Network. She graduated with her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2018 and received her B.A. in Cross-Cultural Studies and Spanish from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington in 2012. During law school, Taylor participated in various organizations providing legal aid to immigrants and refugees and she was a clinical student in her law school's Asylum and Human Rights Clinic and DACA and Immigration Detention Clinic. After graduating from law school, Taylor completed a clerkship with the Honorable Steven D. Ecker on the Connecticut Supreme Court. She is licensed to practice law in Washington.

Elizabeth joined Kids in Need of Defense as the Program Coordinator for the Seattle office in October of 2017. At KIND, Elizabeth works with detained youth in federal government custody by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, where she conducts “Know Your Rights” presentations and provides legal screenings and attorney support to unaccompanied children in shelters across Washington State. Prior to working for KIND, Elizabeth worked as a Legal Assistant and Spanish interpreter for Open Door Legal Services, a legal clinic and department of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, where she assisted primarily homeless and low-income individuals in meeting their various legal needs. Elizabeth developed her interest in immigration justice in the summer of 2015, after working as a Paralegal for a firm in Oregon, representing adults in family, criminal and immigration matters, including family petitions, bonds, and removal defense. Elizabeth graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2015, where she received bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Theology. Elizabeth identifies as indigenous Mixteco and originates from Oaxaca, Mexico. The daughter of two immigrant parents, Elizabeth holds immigration advocacy very close to her heart, because she knows firsthand how much it meant for her and her family to have legal support when she was growing up, and how much it continues to make a difference in their lives.

Jenna joined the Seattle KIND office as a Social Services Coordinator in 2020. Prior, Jenna worked as a Bilingual Community Advocate in King County, providing intensive case management to Spanish-speaking youth and young adult survivors of human trafficking. In 2014, Jenna graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistic Sciences. She then moved to Colombia where she taught English to low-income young adults pursuing technical careers. In the Seattle area, Jenna has worked as an Instructor's Assistant in English language learner classrooms, and volunteered extensively in legal and citizenship clinics for immigrant communities.

Hillary graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Geography. Shortly thereafter, she pursued her law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. During law school she interned with the Harris County Public Defender’s Office, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, and the Northwest Justice Project. Hillary began her immigration legal career representing adults in family petitions, bonds, and removal defense. She was later hired by Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston to represent unaccompanied immigrant children in removal proceedings. Hillary worked with children who feared return to their country due to violence, children that had suffered trauma, and child trafficking victims. She has experience representing clients before the immigration court, USCIS, consular officials, and law enforcement agencies. Hillary is licensed to practice law in Texas and is fluent in Spanish.

Claire Looney joined KIND in October of 2019. While attending Macalester College, she spent much of her time volunteering with Latinx-led or focused organizations such as CLUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio), the National Asylum Help Line and Casa de Esperanza. She also spent time volunteering in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, and studied abroad for a semester in Chile. After graduation in 2017, Claire began working for a private immigration firm in Minneapolis. Before coming to KIND, she served as Project Director for a youth leadership program based in Costa Rica with the non-profit Amigos de Las Americas.

Giselle is a Staff Attorney in KIND’s Seattle office working with the City of Seattle and King County’s Expanded Legal Defense Network. She graduated with her J.D. from Vermont Law School and received her B.A. from Norwich University. During law school, she interned with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, the Vermont Defender General’s Office, and participated in her school’s immigration clinic. Prior to working at KIND, Giselle worked in private practice as a family law attorney who focused on juvenile cases.

Holly joined Kids in Need of Defense in January of 2017. Previously Holly served as case manager and paralegal for various immigration legal service providers in Texas and Kentucky. Holly studied social work and Spanish at the University of Kentucky.

Javiera Wood is an Equal Justice Works Fellow in KIND's Seattle office. She graduated with her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law in 2020 and received her B.A. in International Studies and Chinese from the University of Oregon. During law school, Javiera interned for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and worked as a judicial extern for Washington State Supreme Court Justice González. As an EJW Fellow, Javiera will advocate on behalf of unaccompanied immigrant children in Eastern Washington to improve their access to legal services, by building a network of legal services providers who will provide direct representation, education, and community outreach.

Melody joined KIND in January of 2016 and served as the Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney for KIND’s Seattle office. In October 2019, she was promoted to Senior Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney for KIND’s Seattle office and supervises the pro bono mentorship program and staff attorney(s). She continues to connect released and detained unaccompanied minors with pro bono attorneys for legal representation. She also provides mentorship to pro bono attorneys in their legal cases with KIND. Melody graduated from the University of Washington School of Law with a J.D. and an LL.M. in Sustainable International Development. She was awarded the Jack McDonald Merit Award at the UW School of Law, recognizing her commitment to public service. During law school, Melody co-founded the Immigrant Application Assistance Project (“App Help”) with Erin Apte in partnership with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. The student-led pro bono project connected pro se detainees with volunteer legal assistance. She continues her work in immigrant advocacy with unaccompanied minors and assists them in accessing justice and navigating cross-systems.

Alexandra joined KIND June of 2021 as a Paralegal for KIND’s Seattle office. She graduated from Western Washington University in Law, Diversity and Justice from Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies. Her studies emphasized Latin American Studies, Human Services and Policy. Alex graduated as the Outstanding Graduate in Law, Diversity and Justice for the 2020-2021 academic year. Her academic work has largely revolved around due process violations within the United States immigration system. Alex is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Bio coming soon.