Amy Leipziger

she/her

Project Director

"One of our most powerful weapons is knowing we can, & will, meaningfully help individuals in the face of broken systems. We must be ready to adapt, organize, and engage on all fronts as we continue the fight of our lives."

Amy Leipziger is the Project Director of the Free to Be Youth Project at the Urban Justice Center which works to interrupt the cycles of poverty and criminalization that prevent homeless and street-involved LGBTQ+ young people from living fulfilling lives free from discrimination, abuse, and oppression. She is dedicated to representing and advocating around the issues of gender, poverty, and discrimination. Amy has been published in Teen Vogue, Ms. Magazine, The Hill, Education Week, the Daily News, amNY, CityLimits, and law journals including the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender, the Brigham Young Education and Law Journal, and Margins Magazine of New York Law School. She regularly presents at conferences, and panel discussions, on topics including gender and sex-based discrimination, rights of immigrant youth, and impact of trauma in education settings. She is an adjunct professor at New York Law School. She received a J.D. from CUNY Law School, an M.A. in Gender Studies from George Washington University, and a B.A. from the University of Oregon.

Advisory Board

J. Soto

Director of Engagement & Operations

J. Soto is the Director of Engagement and Operations at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art and a New York City-based arts administrator, producer, and arts equity advocate. His writing has been featured in publications such as Original Plumbing, Apogee Journal, and Grantmakers in the Arts GIA Reader, among others. A 2017 NALAC Advocacy Leadership Institute Fellow, Soto previously served as the Manager of Programs and Inclusion at Eyebeam, where he contributed to the organization's recognition with a Sapolin Award for advancing accessible arts programming.

Hannah Holden

Associate Attorney

Hannah Holden is an associate attorney at Nixon Peabody, who represents nonprofit and for-profit developers as well as public housing authorities engaged in affordable housing development and preservation. Hannah's experience includes low-income tax credit deals as well as multiple types of HUD programs including Mixed-Finance, RAD, and Choice Neighborhoods.

Julia Casteleiro

Affordable Housing Partner

Julia Casteleiro represents private, public, and nonprofit developers of affordable housing, specializing in complex financing transactions involving LIHTC, tax-exempt bonds, and various government subsidies. Admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey, she holds a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law and a B.A. from Bucknell University. Recognized as a "Rising Star" by New York Metro Super Lawyers from 2016 to 2022, she was also selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch 2024 in Real Estate Law.

Justin R. Rassi

Counsel

Justin R. Rassi is counsel at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York, specializing in international arbitration and cross-border litigation. He maintains a robust pro bono docket advancing constitutional and civil rights through impact litigation in U.S. courts, with a particular emphasis on LGBTQ+ rights. He holds an LL.M. from NYU and an LL.B. with First Class Honors from the University of New South Wales, where he also earned a B.Com in finance.

Elizabeth Cholis

Senior Communications Professional

Elizabeth Cholis is a senior communications professional with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations and leaders anticipate reputational risk, prepare for and navigate high-stakes situations, and communicate effectively with key audiences. On the advisory board, she’ll put that experience to work helping Free to Be Youth Project tell its story and grow its community of supporters.

Daniel Jacobi

Bank Regulatory Associate

Daniel Jacobi is a bank regulatory associate at McDermott Will & Schulte in New York, where he advises financial institutions and fintech companies on anti-money laundering, sanctions, and money transmission compliance. During his first year at the firm, he served as a public interest fellow at SAGE, where he drafted long-term care and home- and community-based services bills of rights for LGBTQ+ older adults and helped secure their introduction in multiple states.

Tahesha Osinowo

Associate General Counsel, Head of General Litigation

Tahesha Osinowo is an associate general counsel, head of general litigation. at Consolidated Edison, Inc., where she leads the general litigation group in the company's in-house legal department. Previously, she served as an associate managing counsel at Travelers Indemnity Company and as a Senior Associate at a private law firm. A Fordham University graduate and a CUNY Law alumna with a focus on international women and children's human rights, Tahesha has also been an assistant corporation counsel for New York City, president of the Black Law Students Association, and a moot court team member.

Isaro Carter

Founder & Principal Attorney

Isaro Carter is the Founder & Principal Attorney of The Carter Firm. Her practice sits at the intersection of intellectual property and entertainment law, catering to diverse clientele. With a comprehensive suite of services encompassing trademarks, copyrights, music, television, and business law, she navigates the legal landscape with precision and finesse. Ms. Carter is passionate about helping small businesses, creatives, artists, innovators, influencers, and multi-venture entrepreneurs achieve their business goals. Her dedication and expertise were recently recognized with the 2024 Rising Stars Award by Super Lawyers for the NYC Metro area.

Joe Rochman

Public Defense Attorney

Joe Rochman (he/him/his) is an attorney at Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP, where he focuses on civil rights and criminal defense in state and federal courts. Prior to this, Joe clerked at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and earned magna cum laude honors from New York Law School, where he championed public interest, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and disability justice. His advocacy work, recognized with the Kathleen Grimm Award and a social justice award from the Wilf Impact Center, includes successful cases at the Bronx Defenders and involvement with organizations like the Free to be Youth Project.

Nicola Lawton

Beauty Industry Veteran

Nicola Lawton is a beauty industry veteran with nearly 10 years of experience in PR, Communications, and Affiliate Marketing. She’s consistently weaved advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community into her work, more specifically via creating a MAKE UP FOR EVER-sponsored scholarship program for up-and-coming queer makeup artists to attend a beauty school of their choosing.

Seth Goldstein

Labor & Employment Associate

Seth Goldstein is an associate in the Labor and Employment group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He graduated summa cum laude from St. John's University School of Law in 2024 as a pro bono scholar and holds a degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Before pursuing his legal career, he spent six years at Epic Systems, where he supported hospital systems across the United States and later led implementation work with public hospitals in Singapore. Originally from Long Island, he brings a deep commitment to service and advocacy to his work with the board.

Erika Simonson

Associate Attorney

Erika Simonson is an associate at Schulte Roth & Zabel's New York office, where she specializes in complex commercial disputes, shareholder activism, corporate governance, and securities litigation. As a coordinator of the firm's LGBTQ+ Affinity Group, Erika also maintains a robust pro bono practice, representing domestic abuse survivors, asylum seekers, and the last living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. In 2023, she was named an AmLaw Young Lawyer of the Year for her pro bono work. Erika holds a JD from Syracuse University College of Law and a BA from Texas Christian University.

Bijan Khaghani

Paralegal

Bijan Khaghani graduated Kenyon College in 2023 cum laude with a B.A. in sociology. On campus, he was the Vice President of Student Life, the Chairperson of the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Bijan leads the Advisory Board of the Free to Be Youth Project. He also serves on the Young Professionals Boards of Womankind (formerly NYAWC) and the Urban Justice Center, where he serves as Board Co-Chair. Through these leadership roles, he supports advocacy, fundraising, and community-based initiatives aimed at expanding access to justice throughout New York City.

Jeremy Busch

Affordable Housing Attorney

Jeremy Busch is an attorney with Nixon Peabody LLP, currently working with the affordable housing transactions team based in New York City. A fierce advocate and proponent of construction, rehabilitation and preservation of new affordable and deeply affordable housing, Jeremy works on a variety of transactions across the country involving local housing finance agencies, industrial development agencies, public housing authorities and governmental regulatory bodies. Jeremy is a graduate of Vassar College and City University of New York School of Law

Clara Le

Social Impact Coordinator

Clara Le is from San Diego, California. Clara currently works at Steve Madden as a Social Impact Coordinator and is so excited to join an organization as wonderful as the Free to be Youth Project on the advisory board.

Felicia Reyes

Litigation Associate

Felicia Reyes is an associate in the Litigation Department at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. She earned her Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2024. Before law school, Felicia worked on advocacy efforts for system-impacted youth, including reproductive health advocacy for young people exiting the foster care system.

OUR TEAM

We are a small passionate group of legal advocates and activists, working to provide direct legal support to at-risk, street-involved, and unhoused LGBTQ+ youth across all five boroughs in New York City. Our work addresses the personal dignity and life-threatening vulnerability that runaway and homeless LGBTQ+ youth experience on the streets. Founded in 1994, we temporarily closed our doors from 2021 to early 2023. Since we reopened, we have strived to create welcoming, non-judgmental spaces, where young people know that they will be respected and supported in setting the goals of their own legal advocacy.