Who We Are
We are a team of advocates, attorneys, and parents with lived experience, working together to keep families safely together.
Each of us shares one goal: to reduce trauma, build trust, and prevent unnecessary family separation.
At the FIRST Legal Clinic, we believe families thrive when they’re met with dignity, compassion, and understanding—not punishment or judgment.
Our multidisciplinary team brings together legal expertise, peer support, and community partnership to help parents and newborns through some of the hardest moments of their lives.
Keeping families together from the start
The FIRST (Family Intervention Response to Stop Trauma) Legal Clinic was founded in 2019 to address a critical gap in Washington’s child welfare system. Families at risk of separation were getting help too late, if at all. We needed to change that.
By offering early legal advocacy and parent ally support before a court case is ever filed, our team steps in as soon as families need us—even before a baby is born. Our attorneys and parent allies make sure parents understand their rights and never face CPS alone. Through early intervention and evidence-based advocacy, FIRST works to prevent the trauma and costs associated with family separation for vulnerable families.
Since launching, FIRST has served hundreds of families across Washington State and has become a model for programs in more than 37 states. Our approach is rooted in dignity, collaboration, and lived experience. We’re proving that when families are met with compassion, advocacy, and real support, separation isn’t the solution—connection is.
Our Mission
Our mission is to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of family separation by providing pregnant people and parents of newborns with legal advocacy and support that is multidisciplinary, culturally responsive, and centered in dignity.
We envision a future where...
- Families are supported, not separated.
- Compassionate, community-based care replaces systems that punish people for experiencing poverty, substance use, or mental health challenges.
- Every parent is met with dignity, and every baby is welcomed with support.
- Meaningful change is led by those with lived experience.
Our People & Partners
Our Team
Taila AyAy
Executive Director
Taila began her career as a parents’ representation attorney in 2009, first with the Law Office of Okrent and Wogsland, before co-founding the ABC Law Group in 2011 with colleagues Adam Ballout and Sarah Crane. Throughout her career, she has been known for her compassionate, client-centered advocacy, often going above and beyond to support her clients.
As the Executive Director of the FIRST Legal Clinic, Taila leads a multidisciplinary team in a medical-legal partnership that provides 24/7 legal counsel and holistic support to at-risk parents of newborns. Taila is passionate about social justice and works tirelessly to ensure equitable access to resources for her clients and their families.
Taila’s innovative work and dedication have earned her significant recognition in the legal community. Some of her notable accomplishments include:
- Snohomish County “Attorney of the Year” (2022): Awarded by the Snohomish County Bar Association for her tireless advocacy and innovative, client-focused representation as FIRST Clinic Executive Director. Taila was the first woman of color to receive this honor reflecting the impact of her leadership in family defense.
- Walt Zabriskie Award (2022): Presented by Amara (a child welfare organization) to the FIRST Legal Clinic under Taila’s leadership, recognizing individuals and organizations that make a difference for children and families in the child welfare system.
- Under Taila’s direction, the FIRST Legal Clinic has also been part of other honors, such as a Children’s Bureau Champion Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2021
Gina Wassemiller
Parent Ally & Co-Founder
Gina Wassemiller is the founding Parent Ally for the FIRST Legal Clinic. She contracts with the Washington State Office of Public Defense, Parents Representation Program, as a Social Service Worker and facilitates the Life During & After CPS parent support group.
Gina has many years of experience working directly with families involved in the child welfare system to overcome obstacles and reach a positive outcome. Gina has a history of contributing to meaningful work that positively impacts families on a larger scale as a former member of Snohomish County’s Table of Ten and Snohomish Parent Ally Committee, as well as launching and leading her local Parents for Parents program. She is an active alumnus of the Washington State Parent Ally Committee. Gina brings true passion and hope to the work she does with families because she has firsthand experience.
She is a survivor of domestic violence and a recovering addict. Her first child welfare case ended in relinquishment of her parental rights, followed by a subsequent voluntary case that ended in family preservation. Gina embraces her belief that a positive outcome is one a parent can live with forever. She meets parents where they are and instills hope into each parent she works with. Gina is living proof that People Change and Families Reunite.
Jennifer Justice
Parent Ally
Jennifer Justice is a dedicated parent with previous involvement in the child welfare system. She initially entered the system in 2015 due to struggles with substance use disorder and unaddressed mental health issues. Her journey through the dependency system ultimately concluded with the termination of her parental rights. Nevertheless, Jennifer has maintained a strong and nurturing connection with her children, as they found placement with caring relatives.
In 2020, Jennifer faced a family voluntary case, but thanks in part to the exceptional support of the F.I.R.S.T Legal Clinic Team, she promptly addressed her parenting style. Remarkably, her family voluntary case was resolved and dismissed within a mere six months.
Jennifer’s profound personal experiences within the child welfare system have ignited a passionate commitment to preventing new mothers from encountering similar challenges. In 2021, she joined the WSPAC (Washington State Parent Advisory Committee) and took her dedication a step further by obtaining her Associate of Applied Arts Degree in Legal Administrative Assisting in 2022.
August 2022 marked a significant milestone in Jennifer’s journey as she embarked on her career as a Parent Ally with the F.I.R.S.T Legal Clinic, continuing her impactful work within the realm of child welfare.
Teshara Villaluz
Parent Ally
Coming soon!
Carra Wetzel Chubb
lived experience/doula
Carra Wetzel Chubb is a seasoned harm-reduction doula, educator, and advocate whose work bridges perinatal care, substance-use disorder support, and community health systems. She is the founder of the Harm Reduction Doula Collective, through which she advances non‐judgmental, trauma-informed doula services and training for families impacted by substance use, particularly during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Board of Directors
Adam Ballout
President & Co-founder
Adam Ballout has been a career public defender for over 18 years. In 2011, alongside Taila AyAy, Adam co-founded ABC Law Group LLP an Everett-based firm dedicated to parents’ representation in child welfare and juvenile cases.
Frustrated with the amount of children removed from their parents each month, in 2019, Adam alongside Neil Weiss helped launch the nonprofit F.I.R.S.T. (Family Intervention Response to Stop Trauma) Legal Clinic a medical-legal partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics and local allies to prevent the trauma of unnecessary family separations at birth.
Since it’s launch, the FIRST Clinic has become an international model for innovative approaches to keeping families together inspiring other models across the country.
Beyond the courtroom –Adam has served as board chair of the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and of Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County
Neil Weiss
Treasurer & Co-founder
Neil Weiss is the Presiding Judge of Edmonds Municipal Court. Before his appointment to the bench in 2024, he practiced law with ABC Law Group and co-founded the Family Intervention Response to Stop Trauma (FIRST) Legal Clinic with Adam Ballout. His legal experience includes juvenile dependency, civil litigation, administrative law, criminal defense, and family law.
Judge Weiss earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Seattle University School of Law and holds a B.A. in Accounting from Washington State University.
Sara Beth Hernadez Hewitt
Vice President
Sarah Beth is an attorney who represents youth in dependency cases in Thurston and Lewis Counties through the Office of Civil Legal Aid. She has a wide background in criminal defense, dependency, civil litigation, estate and probate, real estate, and business law.
A graduate of the University of Washington and Seattle University School of Law, she began her career as a public defender in Washington and later practiced in New Hampshire as a criminal prosecutor and general practitioner before returning to Washington to focus on youth representation.
In 2019 she founded Huot Law PLLC, dedicated to ensuring young people have their own legal voice in dependency cases. She also mentors youth attorneys statewide and remains active in community service.
Sarah Beth serves on the board of the FIRST Clinic and is a longtime member and board member of the Olympia Kiwanis Club.
David Cedarblade
Secretary
David Cedarblade works as an Industrial Appeals Judge with the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. Prior to joining the Board, his practice was mainly as appointed counsel in misdemeanor criminal defense cases.
David helped launch the city of Auburn’s Community Court in 2021 and believes firmly in the power of therapeutic services to help individuals and communities make positive changes.
Retired Justice Bobbe Bridge
Neil Weiss is the Presiding Judge of Edmonds Municipal Court. Before his appointment to the bench in 2024, he practiced law with ABC Law Group and co-founded the Family Intervention Response to Stop Trauma (FIRST) Legal Clinic with Adam Ballout. His legal experience includes juvenile dependency, civil litigation, administrative law, criminal defense, and family law.
Judge Weiss earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Seattle University School of Law and holds a B.A. in Accounting from Washington State University.
Pam Daniels
Pam Daniels is a respected civic leader and ardent supporter of families and community well-being in Washington State. As a longtime resident of Snohomish County, she brings decades of experience in public service, court system administration, and community advocacy to her role on the FIRST Legal Clinic Board of Directors.
Pam served as the elected County Clerk for Snohomish County for 12 years, during which she led major improvements in access, transparency, and service delivery in the court system. Under her leadership, the clerk’s office introduced public computer terminals for records review, expanded the self-help center for individuals representing themselves.
Beyond administrative reforms, Pam worked regionally and at the state level to advance legislative and system changes in the courts. She played a key role in drafting or supporting more than 50 bills to improve court processes, enhance data systems, and hold people accountable while also focusing on fairness. She also co-championed a county-wide Youth Meth Summit in partnership with the sheriff’s office to engage youth in drug-prevention work, demonstrating her belief that upstream intervention makes a real difference.
Today, Pam channels that same spirit into her board role at FIRST Legal Clinic—where prevention, dignity, early advocacy, and holistic support for families are central. She is drawn to the Clinic’s mission because of her long-standing conviction that real justice means helping families stay together, helping parents find support before crisis, and building systems that serve with compassion instead of fear.
Pam is known among her colleagues for her calm leadership, her capacity to bridge legal and community sectors, and her belief in the inherent worth of every family.
Emily Gonzalez
Emily brings a lifelong passion for justice, community building, and collaboration to her role on the FIRST Legal Clinic board. She believes in the power of bringing the right people together—across disciplines, systems, and experiences—to solve problems and create meaningful change for families.
With a background in research, program development, and public policy, Emily has contributed to projects with the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts, Human Rights Watch, the Judicial Bench of Snohomish County Superior Court, the Korematsu Center for Law and Policy, and the FIRST Legal Clinic itself. Her work reflects a deep commitment to improving how systems serve people—especially those most impacted by inequity and institutional barriers.
Emily has helped design and strengthen operations and programs for several nonprofit and charitable organizations, including two that she co-founded. She is also a mentor to law students, attorneys who are parents, and youth from Latina, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities. Known for her cultural competence and open communication style, she builds trust and understanding across differences.
Outside of her professional work, Emily and her family manage an off-road race team. She and her spouse are raising two teenagers, and she credits her experience as a parent and racer with honing her ability to stay calm under pressure, adapt quickly, and lead with empathy and focus.
Heritage Filer
Heritage M. Filer was appointed by the King County Superior Court to serve as a Court Commissioner in the Family Law Department in March 2025. She currently presides over civil protection order matters, family law motions, and At Risk Youth (ARY) and Children in Need of Services (CHINS) cases.
Prior to that appointment, Filer served as a TLT Commissioner in the Ex Parte Department for approximately two years, and a Pro Tempore Commissioner in both the Family Law and Ex Parte departments in the preceding year. The first 17 years of her career were dedicated to representing family law clients in private practice.
Filer is a graduate of both Decatur High School (Federal Way) and Central Washington University. She graduated cum laude from Seattle University School of Law in 2006.
Filer has also volunteered with CASA, KCBA Neighborhood Legal Clinics, and for both high school and college level mock trial competitions. In her free time, Commissioner Filer takes advantage of all the beautiful Pacific Northwest has to offer, preferably with her family by her side
Our Partners
Our Medical Partners
More about this partner
The Washington State Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, through its Executive Committee,has endorsed working with the FIRST Clinic and ABC Law Group to establish a medical-legal partnershipfor mothers and babies when a new mother has opiate addiction. We will work together to educate hospitalists and neonatologists about the law, a mother’s rights, and legal resources in a collaborative effort to reach and support new mothers as early as possible.
More about this partner
Providence was an early supporter and committed a physical space in the lobby at Providence Women and Children’s Pavilion for FIRST to operate. Although COVID halted the FIRST Clinic’s ability to use the physical space, we are hopeful that as COVID subsideswe can begin to occupy a physical presence at the Women and Children’s Pavilion which will offer evenmore visibility and accessibility to pregnant mothers and their family. In addition, Providence Hospital provides FIRST Clinic with a large number of client referrals.
More about this partner
Swedish Hospital Ballard Campus is excited to collaborate with the FIRST Clinic to fight and changesystemic oppression. It has provided advocacy for the Clinic’s mission and sustainability through legislative testimony. It also provides client referrals and ongoing support to the FIRST Clinic.
More about this partner
Swedish Hospital Ballard Campus is excited to collaborate with the FIRST Clinic to fight and changesystemic oppression. It has provided advocacy for the Clinic’s mission and sustainability through legislative testimony. It also provides client referrals and ongoing support to the FIRST Clinic.
Become a Community Partner
Our partners play a vital role in ensuring families receive early legal advocacy, peer support, and the community resources they need to stay safely together. If your organization supports parents, newborns, or families navigating complex systems, we’d love to connect. If you’re interested in becoming a partner, please reach out.