Our Team
Peter Gilbert, Program Director
Peter Gilbert is the Director and Supervising Attorney for the Durham Eviction Diversion Program. Peter has worked with Legal Aid of North Carolina since 2014. Prior to joining Legal Aid, he was the Community Inclusion Fellow and the Equal Justice Works Fellow at the UNC Center for Civil Rights. Peter graduated from Yale University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Sarah D'Amato, Supervising Attorney
Sarah D'Amato is a Supervising Attorney with the program. She graduated from North Carolina Central University School of Law (2008). Prior to Legal Aid, she practiced family law, representing clients in custody, domestic violence, and other related matters. Fluent in Spanish, she has served on the NC Courts Language Access Stakeholders Committee which aims to develop and implement guidelines for the use of interpreters in the courts. Sarah's areas of legal interest include public housing conditions and preservation of Section 8 vouchers.
Gary Chavis, Staff Attorney
Gary Chavis is a graduate of North Carolina Central University School of Law. His roots in indigent defense trace back to his collegiate advocacy for civil rights restoration and against interminable state supervision. Through his legal career, Gary strives to promote the idea that tenant rights are the moral fundament of a community--the spirit that permits growth and evolution without abandoning its most closely held values.
Chelsea Cook, Staff Attorney
Chelsea Cook is a Staff Attorney with the program. She previously practiced on the Criminal Justice team of a local non-profit, where she challenged poor prison conditions, police brutality, and over-criminalization in both civil and criminal court. Chelsea graduated with Pro Bono Distinction from Stanford University Law School; she received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Public Policy and Women's Studies.
Lillian Hornes, Staff Attorney
Lillian Hornes is a Staff Attorney for the Durham Eviction Diversion Program. Lillian graduated from the North Carolina Central University School of Law. She serves on the executive board of Kyles Temple AMEZ Church and is active in community outreach for the underprivileged in Durham.
Tiarra Keesee, Staff Attorney
Tiarra Keesee is a Staff Attorney with the Durham Eviction Diversion Program. She obtained her law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law after attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for her B.A. political science and criminal justice degree. Tiarra enjoys interacting with her clients and being a voice for them, in often, stressful situations.
Kathryn Henry, Paralegal
Kathryn Henry is a Paralegal with nearly 25 years of experience in the fields of employment and family law. She recently joined the Durham Eviction Diversion Team, and enjoys the challenges of learning a new area of the law and working to help Legal Aid clients.
Alexis Nelson, Paralegal
Alexis Nelson graduated from Duke Law School (2020) with a J.D. and Certificate in Public Interest and Public Service Law. Alexis has worked with the Duke Wrongful Convictions and Civil Justice Clinics; she has also interned with the ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice and the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem where she represented residents facing eviction. Alexis plans to dedicate her legal career to fighting for housing justice in her home state of North Carolina.