Our Staff
Mona Raza
Mona serves as General Counsel and Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley. Mona carries a general poverty law caseload, specializing in housing law. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Washington and Lee University School of Law. Her prior experience includes working at Southwest Virginia Legal Aid Society in Christiansburg, Virginia and ChildLaw Services in Princeton, West Virginia. Mona lives in Roanoke with her husband, two children, and her favorite labradoodle. In her free time, she enjoys all disciplines of cycling and playing guitar.
Emily Faye Jewett
Emily serves as Deputy General Counsel, and has been lucky enough to practice law at the Legal Aid Society since 2005. Emily attended Chadron State College in Nebraska for her Bachelor of Arts degree and Hamline University School of Law in Minnesota. She is a transplanted Midwesterner who has come to love the beautiful mountains of Virginia. Emily is married with three kids and loves to bake in her “spare” moments.
Elizabeth Barbour
Elizabeth is a Staff Attorney who practices primarily in family law with victims of domestic violence. She earned her J.D. at Washington and Lee University School of Law, and an M.A. in Creative Writing at Hollins University. Former volunteer positions with the Roanoke Valley Rescue Mission and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) with Children’s’ Trust Roanoke Valley helped cultivate her interest in public service. Roanoke native and proud Virginian, Elizabeth has had four careers, is a published author and amateur globe-trotter who loves being a mom and is never happier than being near water.
Zachary Brown
Zachary Brown is a staff attorney and joined the office in 2020. Originally from Houston, Texas, Zachary is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law. Zachary assists clients with a variety of case matters, including unemployment compensation, consumer issues, and eviction defense. Zachary enjoys traveling, being outdoors, and admiring foxes.
Jarryd Smith
Jarryd is a staff attorney who primarily practices in landlord-tenant law. He is from Virginia Beach and is a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law and Virginia Tech. While in law school he worked in the Advanced Administrative Litigation Clinic assisting coal miners pursuing federal black lung benefits. Since graduating, he worked for a law firm doing black lung litigation defense and more recently as an Assistant Public Defender.
Henry Woodward
Formerly Senior Staff Attorney and General Counsel at LASRV, Henry is from Bristol, Virginia, and is a graduate of Williams College, Yale Law School, and the Peace Corps. He is a recipient of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Aid Award and the Roanoke Bar Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation, and retired Professor of Practice at Washington & Lee Law School.
aaron cowart
Aaron is a staff attorney practicing primarily in landlord-tenant law and consumer litigation. Prior to joining LASRV, his practice primarily concerned creditor rights and real property transactions. A native Texan, Aaron graduated from Texas Southern University-Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2012. He most values time with family and divides the rest of his free moments between playing piano, running and swimming, and enjoying museums of all kinds.
PAUL T. ROBERTSON
Paul is a staff attorney who joined LASRV in 2024. A Virginia native, Paul grew up in Moneta, Virginia and is a graduate of the University of Richmond School of Law and Lynchburg College (now University of Lynchburg). Following law school, Paul worked several years in an in-house corporate counsel position in Richmond prior to shifting his practice to poverty law and litigation in 2018. Since that time, Paul has represented many clients on a wide range of civil legal issues and previously served as Board Vice-President for the Central Virginia Continuum of Care. In his spare time, Paul loves spending time with his family on Smith Mountain Lake, being in nature, and playing guitar.
Roy Creasy
Roy Creasy is a Lawyer Emeritus volunteering at the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech (Aerospace Engineering), University of Tennessee (MBA), and West Virginia University Law School. In 1975 he began his solo general law practice retiring in 2021. He is a member of the Virginia Law Foundation, past president of the Roanoke City Bar, and Roanoke City Law Foundation receiving the Distinguished Service Award. He is presently Chairman of the Virginia State Bar’s Conference of Local and Specialty Bars. Legal accolades include recognition by the Virginia Legal Elite, Super Lawyer, and Best Lawyer in America. He is married with three children and four grandchildren.
lauren t. wert
Lauren is a staff attorney who provides representation for survivors of domestic violence. She received her juris doctorate from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2016 and has focused her professional career on public interest. In her first year of practice, Lauren worked as the Greif Fellow in Juvenile Human Trafficking providing free legal advice and representation for survivors of trafficking. She has provided representation to unaccompanied minors and adult trauma survivors in a variety of roles including as a Senior Attorney with Kids in Need of Defense, a pro bono coordinating and staff attorney at Ayuda and as an Ohio Justice for All Fellow. Prior to attending law school, Lauren served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, Lauren worked in a public health program in elementary schools. She received her Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University in Modern Foreign Languages.
DAVID BEIDLER
David is a volunteer attorney at Legal Aid, having retired from his position as General Counsel and Executive Director of the organization. David’s career at legal aid spans more than 40 years as a dedicated poverty lawyer. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Antioch University's School of Law in Washington, D.C. David served as a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow from 1985-86 and is a 2002 recipient of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Aid Award. He is also a Fellow of both the Virginia Law Foundation and the Roanoke Law Foundation. David has been a frequent trainer on a variety of legal matters at continuing legal education seminars around Virginia. In retirement, David enjoys fishing and camping and spending more time with his family.
Jan Keister
Jan is a non-profit specialist working as an office administrator, bookkeeper and grant writer for Roanoke organizations including the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley, Kids Soar, and Old Southwest, Inc. She is a founding member of the Child Health Collaborative Partnership, recently served with the City of Roanoke to update the city’s 20-year plan and headed the Franklin Bridge Art Project.
laural friesland
Laural serves as the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Legal Aid Society of the Roanoke Valley, joining the organization in 2025. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington, earned in 2014. Laural has spent her career in the nonprofit sector, supporting a range of causes including historic preservation, environmental conservation, and social justice.
Laural recently relocated to Roanoke from Asheville, NC. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, camping, paddling, and attending live music events.
Gail Anderson Baxter
Gail has been a Legal Secretary at The Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley since 2003. Gail lived in New Jersey and New York before transplanting to Virginia. Gail received her Bachelor's degree from Clemson University. Married with three children and six grandchildren, her hobbies include quilting and cooking.
Austin Bouffard
Austin joined LASRV in 2021 as our housing and evictions paralegal and assisted hundreds of clients with the Rent Relief Program. She moved into a new role in 2023 to assist with reception in addition to other tasks. She has been a paralegal in the Roanoke Valley for over 16 years and obtained a Paralegal Certificate from James Madison University in 2018. She has an undergraduate degree in English/Creative Writing from Hollins University. Austin spends her free time hanging out with her spastic dog, Gizmo, who sometimes is her very cute assistant at the office. She enjoys being “Auntie”. Her hobbies include refinishing furniture, crafting, antiquing, and caring for an insane number of indoor plants.