OUR STAFF

Brooke is the Co-Founder and Directing Attorney of the ELDR Center.

Before founding the ELDR Center, Brooke provided legal services to veterans as an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow. She worked to ensure access to justice; prevent homelessness; increase employment; and more to protect the rights of our veterans. 

Brooke earned her bachelor's degree at Northeastern University and her law degree at the University of California, Irvine.

 Janie is a UCI Law Fellow with the ELDR Center.  She graduated from University of California, Irvine School of Law in June of 2020 and joined the ELDR Center in the fall of 2020.  During law school, Janie served as a Veterans' Appeals Certified Clinical Student and an Immigrants' Rights Certified Clinical Student, was a law clerk with Public Counsel and Community Legal Aid SoCal and a legal advocate at the Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center.

Prior to law school, Janie attended the University of California, Los Angeles where she studied Sociology and English.

Andrea is a volunteer attorney coordinating the Disability Justice Law and Organizing Project at the ELDR Center.   See more about her project at disabilityjusticelaw.org.

Andrea graduated from UC Irvine School of Law in 2013.  She was a Skadden Fellow with Disability Rights Legal Center from 2013-2015 and continued as a volunteer attorney until 2020.  She is also a long-time social justice organizer.  She is currently a coordinator with CAT-911 which creates alternatives to 911 in Southern California and is a founder of the Abolition and Disability Justice Collective.

Jessica is the ELDR Center's Legal Assistant.  She is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.  While at UCLA, she was involved in UCLA Law School’s Law Fellows Program, an academic outreach program committed to ensuring equity, access and excellence in legal education. Jessica was also an active member in the UCLA Academic Advancement Program- the nation’s largest university-based student diversity program. 

Jessica is applying to law school and hopes to enroll in Fall 2021.

 Amy is the Director of Operations and Human Resources at the ELDR Center.  Prior to joining the ELDR Center, she served as the Family Navigator at Families Forward, helping families experiencing homeless or at risk of homelessness find resources. 

Previously, Amy practiced law at various firms in Southern California, including Skadden Arps and Gibson Dunn.

Amy earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.

Jordana Furman has her own private law practice.  In addition, she volunteers countless hours at the ELDR Center. 

After graduating from law school, Jordana volunteered at the Legal Aid Society of Orange County and the Public Law Center. 

Jordana holds an undergraduate degree from California State University Long Beach, a MBA from  Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University and a law degree from the Fowler School of Law at Chapman University.

D’lorah Hughes is the Director of Externships at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.  Prior to joining UCI Law in July 2016, she was Director of Clinical Education at Wayne State Law School.  Prior to this role, Professor Hughes was Associate Director of Clinical Education and Director of Externships at Wayne State Law. 

Previously, she practiced law as a deputy public defender for the Orange County Public Defender’s Office in California and as a staff attorney at the AIDS Legal Assistance Project at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley and served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Janis Graham Jack of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

She holds leadership positions on the Board of Directors for the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) and the AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education, Externships Committee. 

Tran Meltzer is an attorney with the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Before joining State Compensation Insurance Fund, Tran worked in law firm administration for two global law firms and in higher education at UC Irvine School of Law. Tran started her legal career as a public interest attorney where she assisted low-income and indigent residents in Orange County. 

Tran formerly served as President of the Orange County Asian American Bar Association and Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Orange County Bar Association. She also served on the board of the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, now known as Community Legal Aid of Southern California. 

 At Crowell & Moring, Akhil Sheth helps individuals and businesses across a broad range of industries with their antitrust and general litigation needs. He’s earned a reputation as a personable attorney who clients can rely on for responsive, competent counsel, particularly for matters in federal court. 

 Before joining Crowell & Moring, Akhil served as a law clerk to the Honorable Andrew J. Guilford of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He also completed externships with the Honorable Virginia A. Phillips, now chief judge of the Central District, and the Honorable Josephine L. Staton.  

 Akhil is involved with the local federal bar community, both formally and informally, and is an active member of the local Federal Bar Association. Akhil is also very involved with UC Irvine School of Law, his alma mater.

Reza Torkzadeh is a nationally recognized plaintiff’s trial attorney at TorkLaw who has dedicated his professional career to the pursuit of justice by exclusively representing victims in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Reza has handled numerous high-profile cases in both state and federal courts, and has served in leadership roles in litigation at the national level. He has been featured for legal commentary by the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Francisco Daily Journal, New York Daily News, Metro News, Christian Science Monitor, KUSI TV, and many other news outlets and publications.

Reza is a frequently invited guest speaker and has lectured across the country on the practice of law and the civil justice system. He is a proud Honorary Board Member of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charity, an active member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, and President’s Club Member of the Consumer Attorneys of California.

Reza is the co-author of the book, Accidents Happen: A Consumer’s Guide to the Personal Injury and Wrongful Death System, which is now it its second edition and continues to receive wide acclaim and endorsement from the legal community.