Administration and Staff Directory

Office Manager/Paralegal, Law School Clinical Program

B.S., Empire State College
M.S., Hofstra University

Email
(516) 463-4734

Biography

Yvonne Atkinson has worked as the Office Manager/Paralegal for the Law School Clinical Program at Hofstra Law School since 1990. In this capacity, she has had the opportunity to work for a wide variety of clinical programs, serving a range of constituencies including criminal defense, housing rights and child advocacy. In addition to handling all administrative aspects of the programs, including overseeing the budget and staff, she also trains the law students in office operations and file management, and coordinates the work of faculty and students. In 1989, Ms. Atkinson received a Paralegal Certification from Long Island University.

Director, Administrative Services

Email
(516) 463-4306

Biography

Laura Lanzillotta joined Hofstra Law School in September 1995. During her past 22 years at Hofstra Law School, she held a position as Senior Support Specialist to the Dean and Vice Deans of the Law School. Previously she held a position as Executive Secretary to the Legal Writing Department and to the Assistant Dean for Multicultural Affairs. She now serves as Executive Assistant to the Dean, a member of the administration, providing support to the Dean of the Law School.

Executive Director, Paralegal Studies Certificate Program, Administrative Director of Foundational Lawyering Skills and Visiting Assistant Professor of Law

B.A., SUNY Buffalo
J.D., Hofstra University

Email
(516) 463-5872

Biography

Celia first joined the law school in February 2019 as Director of Career and Professional Development, and in May 2021 left the Office of Career Services to become the Executive Director of the law school's Paralegal Studies Certificate Program. In addition to her role in the Paralegal Program Celia is an adjunct professor, teaching Criminal Procedure and Foundational Lawyering Skills, as well as an instructor in the NITA program. Celia holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from SUNY College at Buffalo and a J.D. from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Prior to returning to Hofstra Law, Celia was a partner at a prominent New York City criminal defense firm, Gottlieb & Gordon, LLC, where she handled all aspects of criminal cases from inception to post-verdict motions. In her 18 years at the firm, she represented individuals charged in complex white-collar crimes involving securities fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, grand larceny, Medicaid fraud, criminal antitrust, tax fraud and RICO, in addition to those charged with serious felonies such as homicide, rape, kidnapping, arson and drug offenses. Celia has served as a legal commentator for FOX News and a guest lecturer at several law schools. An active alumna, Celia was the Orientation speaker for Hofstra Law in 2013, and has served on the Dean’s Advisory Board.

Senior Director of Hofstra Law Wellness Program

B.S., University of Maryland
J.D., Pace School of Law

Email
(516) 463-6079

Biography

The Maurice A. Deane School of Law is committed to making well-being, including mental health/substance use, a higher priority at Hofstra Law. To this end, we have launched a pilot program entitled the “Hofstra Law Wellness Program” to be led by Wendy Chaite.

In addition to holding a master’s degree in mental health counseling (School of Health Professions and Human Services at Hofstra University) and advanced certificate in management (Zarb Graduate School of Business at Hofstra University), Wendy Chaite earned her juris doctor degree from Pace School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from University of Maryland. Wendy served as a federal judicial law clerk in the Southern District of New York; commercial litigation associate at Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander and Ferdon; legal research and writing and civil litigation simulation clinic adjunct law professor at Pace School of Law; founder/executive director for a national not-for-profit, Lymphatic Research Foundation; and professional and career development counselor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. 

Wendy currently serves on the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Attorney Well-Being Committee and Strategic Planning Sub-Committee; Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Balance in Legal Education; American Bar Association (ABA) Law Practice Division Attorney Well-Being Committee; New York City Bar Association (NYCBA) Mental Health, Lawyers Assistance Program, and Mindfulness & Well-Being in Law Committees; and NYC Area Law Schools Wellness Consortium. Previously, she served on various government advisory councils and national boards, including National Institutes of Health (NIH) Council of Public Representatives (COPR); COPR Liaison to the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director; NIH National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Advisory Council; NIH Office for Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) Study Section (Ad Hoc); NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Special Emphasis Panel (Ad Hoc); Trans-NIH Coordinating Committee for Lymphatic Research (CCLR); Drug Information Association (DIA) Patient Engagement Fellow and Co-Chair, Community Legal Barriers Committee; Executive Board Emeritus, Research!America (RA); and Executive Board Emeritus, Lymphatic Research Foundation.

Wendy has been recognized for her advocacy and leadership, including the Lymphatic Education and Research Network, National Leadership Award renamed Wendy Chaite Leadership Award; Research!America, Exceptional Contributions as a Volunteer Advocate (renamed Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award); University of Maryland Alumni Association, Humanitarian of the Year; Association for Fundraising Professional (AFP) – Long Island, Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year; Newsday Everyday Hero and Women of Distinction; Junior League of Long Island Women of Achievement; Friedberg Jewish Community Center Hall of Fame; Long Island Business News, Long Island’s Top 50 Women and Healthcare Heroes; and Long Island Press Fortune 52 Women of Achievement.