Legal Clinic for the Disabled Sees New Leadership and Expanding Reach for Duffy Fellows
Tom Duffy, center, joined by LCD Executive Director Theresa Brabson (rear) congratulates Elizabeth Vandenberg and David Meinhart, the new Duffy Fellows.
(Philadelphia) Two attorneys at the Legal Clinic for the Disabled (LCD) have been named the newest Duffy Fellows, and a former Fellow is now the head of the nonprofit. All three continue to work to advance the organization’s mission to provide free legal services to low-income individuals with disabilities across Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.
Theresa Brabson, first named a Duffy Fellow in 2016 and who most recently served as LCD’s Legal Director, is now the organization’s Executive Director, a testament to her leadership, dedication, and deep understanding of the organization’s mission. Brabson leads a team of some two dozen attorneys, paralegals, and support staff who serve thousands of clients each year.
The new LCD Duffy Fellows are:
- David Meinhart, who joined LCD in October 2024, and who works with the LCD’s Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) Initiative. Working onsite at the Stephen Klein Wellness Center and Hub of Hope, Meinhart addresses the civil legal needs that directly impact patients’ health, such as housing instability, benefits access, and domestic violence.
- Elizabeth Vandenberg, a former LCD intern who joined LCD in May. She will staff the MLP role at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, continuing the legacy of onsite advocacy for vulnerable pediatric patients and their families dealing with legal barriers to health and well-being.
The Duffy Fellowship program was launched in 2012 by Tom Duffy, founder of The Duffy Firm, to fund a staff attorney role at LCD. The program later expanded to support an additional Fellow, and, eventually, other legal organizations in the City of Philadelphia.
“The work being done by Theresa, David, Elizabeth and the entire LCD team is nothing short of transformative,” said Duffy. “They are using their legal skills to lift up individuals facing tremendous hardship. Their dedication ensures that legal support is not a luxury, but a lifeline—and I’m honored to support that mission.”
To learn more about the firm, visit www.duffyfirm.com.
The Duffy Firm has been helping those who are catastrophically injured in Philadelphia and their families for 37 years. Learn more at duffyfirm.com.