Nolo Staff

The Nolo Editorial Team

Janet Portman Executive Editor (Attorney · Santa Clara University School of Law)

Janet Portman joined Nolo in 1994 and is the Executive Editor. She has a Bachelor's degree (Honors Humanities, Phi Beta Kappa) and Master's degree (Religious Studies) from Stanford University, and a law degree from Santa Clara University of Law. Her first job was with the California State Public Defender, where she handled criminal appeals for indigent clients and spent six months trying cases for the Alameda County Public Defender. She successfully argued a case before the California Supreme Court. (People v. Woodard, 23 Cal.3d 329 (1979).) Janet is an active member of the California State Bar.

Work at Nolo After taking some time away from the law to raise her family, Janet joined Nolo as part of the team writing the company's first national landlord-tenant book, Every Landlord's Legal Guide. She has authored or coauthored many books since then: Every Landlord's Guide to Finding Great Tenants, Every Tenant's Legal Guide, Renters' Rights, Negotiate the Best Lease for Your Business, Leases & Rental Agreements, The California Landlord's Law Book: Rights and Responsibilities, and California Tenants' Rights. Drawing on her days as a "PD," Janet also contributes to the criminal law sections of Nolo's websites.

Janet has contributed commentary to major media outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, Kiplinger's, and The New York Times. For many years she was a nationally-syndicated columnist, writing "Rent It Right" every week.

Why Nolo? Joining Nolo was a natural next step after the public defender's office. Janet went from helping indigent criminal defendants to educating people about everyday civil law—how to understand it, apply it, and stay away from entanglements in the court system. She takes pride in writing books for both landlords and tenants, without bias. The best compliment she ever received came from a landlord who, having read Every Tenant's Legal Guide, said, "I wish all my tenants would read this—I'd have way fewer problems!"

Micah Schwartzbach Digital Editorial Director (Attorney · UC Law San Francisco)

Micah Schwartzbach is Nolo's Digital Editorial Director, overseeing digital editorial content and other aspects of the company's publishing operation. He considers himself fortunate to work with the talented and experienced team of Nolo Editors.

Education. Micah earned his B.A. from UC Davis, where he graduated with highest honors, and his J.D. from UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), where he graduated cum laude. He received several academic awards from both institutions, among them a distinction for excellence in the study of evidence law.

Law practice. Before coming to Nolo, Micah practiced criminal defense law. In his early career, he represented clients throughout Northern California in various stages of criminal cases as part of a small law practice. In his next opportunity, his work centered on writing, editing, and research. One of his most rewarding moments was overcoming a government argument against financial compensation for an innocent man who spent nearly nine years in prison.

Nolo. Micah's relationship with Nolo began in 2012, when he started to contribute articles to the renowned publishing company as a freelance writer. He joined the staff the next year as a Legal Editor, creating articles and editing books across areas of law. Beyond the websites in the Nolo family, Micah's analysis has appeared on HowStuffWorks and in the Daily Journal, a periodical for attorneys.

Like other team members, Micah finds tremendous meaning in spreading understanding of and access to the legal system.

Stacy Barrett Legal Editor (Attorney · UC Law San Francisco)

Stacy Barrett started writing articles for Nolo as a freelancer in 2019. She became a full-time Legal Editor in 2021. Her articles appear on sites including Nolo.com, CriminalDefenseLawyer.com, Lawyers.com, AllLaw.com, and Avvo.com.

Education. Stacy has a B.A. from Northern Arizona University, where she graduated with highest honors, and a J.D. from the UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). She earned several academic awards from both institutions, including scholarships for academic achievement.

Legal career. Stacy began working as criminal defense attorney in 2006. Her first job was with the Napa County Public Defender. She represented clients accused of misdemeanors and felonies. She also represented parents in civil contempt proceedings and patients facing involuntary civil commitments in state hospitals. In 2016, Stacy continued her work as a trial attorney at a private law firm. A few of Stacy's victories in trial court received national and international media coverage.

Other pursuits. Prior to her legal career, Stacy wrote feature articles for a small-town newspaper and copy pages for a national magazine in New York City. During law school she taught Street Law to middle school students receiving residential treatment in San Francisco. In 2019, she co-founded a program to support formerly incarcerated students in community college.

Why Nolo? Stacy's work as a deputy public defender, commitment to equity in education, and writing background led her to Nolo in 2019. She believes in Nolo's mission to provide all people, regardless of income level, the information they need to make important legal decisions.

Ilona Bray Legal Editor (J.D. · University of Washington School of Law)

Ilona Bray, J.D. is an award-winning author and Legal Editor at Nolo, specializing in real estate, immigration law and nonprofit fundraising.

Educational background. Ilona received her law degree and a Master's degree in East Asian (Chinese) Studies from the University of Washington. She is a member of the Washington State Bar. Her undergraduate degree is from Bryn Mawr College, where she majored in philosophy. She actually viewed law school as an extension of her philosophy studies, with its focus on ethics, fundamental rights, and how people can get along in society—of particular concern to her as the daughter of a WWII refugee.

Working background. Ilona has practiced law in corporate and nonprofit settings as well as in solo practice, where she represented immigrant clients seeking asylum, family-based visas, and more. She has also volunteered extensively, including a six-month fellowship at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle and a six-month internship at Amnesty International in London. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers' Association (AILA), the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE), and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

Working at Nolo. Ilona started at Nolo in 2000 as a Legal Editor. Since then, she has not only continued to edit other writers' books and online articles, but also has taken an active role in planning and authoring new Nolo books. Many of these have become consistent Nolo bestsellers and award-winners, among them Effective Fundraising for Nonprofits, Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home, and Selling Your House. Ilona particularly enjoys interviewing people and weaving their stories into her books. She also won the 2012 "Best Blog" award from the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE).

She has been quoted in numerous publications, such as Kiplinger's, the San Jose Mercury News, and The Wall Street Journal.

Spare time. (What spare time?) Ilona enjoys swimming, gardening (though she's still looking for a vegetable the squirrels won't eat every last morsel of), cooking gluten- and sugar-free meals, and writing children's books.

Jeff Burtka Legal Editor (Attorney · George Mason University (Scalia) Law School)

Jeff Burtka joined the Nolo staff as a Legal Editor in 2023 and focuses on DUI and estate planning law.

Legal career. Jeff is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. He began his legal career as a law clerk to the judges of the Arlington County Circuit Court in Virginia. He then served as a prosecutor for six years before working in health care law and estate planning. Immediately before joining Nolo, Jeff was a staff attorney at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Michigan, where he wrote and edited legal education resources for Michigan attorneys.

Education. Jeff has a bachelor's degree in English and history from the University of Michigan and a law degree from George Mason University.

Other pursuits. Jeff also has worked as a freelance writer with a focus on articles about sports, the outdoors, and the environment. His articles, such as How a majority Black school in Detroit shook up the world of lacrosse, have appeared in The Guardian, Outside, Crain's Detroit Business, Civil Eats, and more. He enjoys running, coaching youth sports, and spending time outdoors.

Diana Chaikin Legal Editor (Attorney · Seattle University School of Law)

Diana Chaikin is a legal editor specializing in disability law at Nolo. She started writing articles as a freelancer in 2021 and joined the staff in 2022. Diana has worked as a solo practitioner based out of Seattle representing claimants before administrative law judges in Social Security disability hearings.

Education. Diana received a B.A. in Political Science from New York University and a J.D. from Seattle University School of Law, where she served as article editor on the Seattle Journal for Social Justice. During law school, Diana interned at the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska and Corbis Corporation. She also wrote an article on the Visual Artists Rights Act and how it pertains to outsider artists.

Disability experience. Fresh out of law school, Diana worked as Attorney Advisor for the Social Security Administration Office of Hearings Operations (formerly Office of Disability Adjudication and Review). While there, she worked for several administrative appeals judges to ensure disability decisions met the administration's standard for quality. She then decided to work on the other side of the bench, successfully representing disability claimants for over 10 years before coming to Nolo.

Goals and interests. Diana finds satisfaction in making complex areas of the law seem intuitive to nonlawyers. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR), and is on the board of the Washington Lawyers for the Arts.

Julia Corlman Legal Editor (J.D. · University of Missouri School of Law)

Julia Corlman is a Legal Editor at Nolo specializing in divorce and family law. She works primarily on research and forms for uncontested divorces for readers of DivorceNet and other sites.

Education and training. Julia earned her law degree from the University of Missouri School of Law, and she is currently an active member of the Missouri Bar. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Missouri, where she majored in English with a concentration in language and linguistics. During law school, Julia participated in the Family Violence Clinic, representing indigent clients in family violence matters. She also wrote an article on domestic violence protective orders that was published in the Women's Rights Law Reporter in 2015.

Early legal career. Julia worked for a short time as a tax attorney at the H&R Block World Headquarters in Kansas City, MO. In 2017, she began working as a legislative analyst and attorney for the Missouri House of Representatives. She worked in a nonpartisan office and provided legal research and legislation drafting services to all 163 members of the House, focusing primarily on family law, health care law, banking law, and occupational licensure law. She particularly enjoyed taking complex topics and breaking them down to be understandable for all readers.

Working for Nolo. Julia started working for Nolo in 2021 as a Legal Editor. She enjoys simplifying the divorce process and hopes to make it accessible to everyone.

Other pursuits. Julia enjoys sewing and crafting, as well as gardening and playing outside. You can often find her hiking around her farm.

Charles Crain Legal Editor (Attorney · UC Berkeley Law)

Charles Crain began writing freelance articles for Nolo in 2022 and became a Legal Editor later that year.

Education. Charlie holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Chicago, an M.S. in journalism from Northwestern University, and a J.D. from Berkeley Law. He is licensed to practice law in California.

Journalism. Charlie began his career as a freelance journalist, covering the war in Iraq for publications including Time Magazine and USA Today.

Legal training. During law school, Charlie was a member of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic and an editor of the Berkeley Journal of International Law. He externed for a semester at the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and spent a summer interning for the Office of the Federal Public Defender in San Francisco.

Legal career. After law school, Charlie was a post-bar clerk in the Law and Motion Unit of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office and then a volunteer attorney in the Misdemeanor Unit of the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. From 2015 until 2018, he worked as a litigation associate in the Silicon Valley offices of two large law firms. From 2018 until 2021, Charlie was a fellow in the Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School. He co-taught a weekly seminar and managed a docket of cases focused on First Amendment and Freedom of Information Act litigation.

Jessica Gillespie Legal Editor / Research Director (M.S.L.I.S. · Long Island University)

Jessica Gillespie is a Legal Editor and Nolo's Research Director. Her articles appear on Nolo.com, CriminalDefenseLawyer.com, and Lawyers.com.

Education. Jessica received a B.A. from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Long Island University, and an M.A. in United States History from North Carolina State University. She also did doctoral work in history at the University of Tennessee, where she focused her research on Progressive Era reform movements in the Appalachian South.

Working at Nolo. Jessica joined the Nolo Editorial team in 2014. At Nolo, Jessica conducts legal research and writes and edits articles across many areas of practice, including estate planning, criminal law, and personal injury. She is also the current editor of Nolo's Legal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business and a cocreator of many of Nolo's online legal forms, including the online LLC and online corporation formation services.

Before Nolo. In addition to her background in academia, Jessica has years of experience working in law libraries. Before coming to Nolo, Jessica managed the U.S., E.U., and U.N. documents collections at New York University's Law Library and worked in the library of a large law firm in Richmond, Virginia, where she provided technical services support and research assistance to attorneys and staff.

E.A. Gjelten Legal Editor (M.F.A. · San Francisco State University)

E.A. (Liz) Gjelten has been a Special Projects Editor at Nolo since 2016. A generalist when it comes to subject matter, she enjoys using her research, analytical, and writing skills to translate complex legal issues into jargon-free language that's accessible to lay readers without compromising accuracy.

Nolo. In addition to her work on surveys about lay people's experiences with the legal process, Liz writes articles for Nolo.com, Lawyers.com, Criminaldefenselawyer.com, and Alllaw.com in several areas of the law, including workers' compensation, criminal law, civil rights, school law, and animal law.

Legal background. Before coming to Nolo, Liz worked for 12 years as a legal author for Thomson Reuters, writing about new legal developments in workers' compensation and family law for Westlaw and print publications. She also wrote an annual roundup of new California legislation for a monthly family law journal. Before that, Liz worked as an author, legal editor, and managing editor for California Family Law Report, a small legal publishing company.

Other pursuits. Liz has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. She's a produced playwright and has taught at San Francisco State University and New College of California. She's also worked as a freelance book editor, journalist, and grant writer.

David Goguen Legal Editor (J.D. · University of San Francisco School of Law)

David Goguen is a Legal Editor at Nolo, focusing on claimants' rights in personal injury cases. He is a member of the State Bar of California with almost two decades of experience in litigation and legal publishing. His work has been featured and quoted in a number of publications, including Medscape and Fodor's.

Education. David is a graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he made his first foray into publishing as a member of the USF Maritime Law Journal board of editors.

Legal career. After a few years as a practicing attorney, handling everything from car accident claims to groundwater pollution cases, David began his career as a Legal Editor. Over the years at Nolo, David's area of expertise has expanded to encompass all kinds of injury-related cases, from fender benders and medical malpractice to the latest mass tort cases making headlines—including Roundup-cancer lawsuits.

Personal injury law. Few areas of the law are more fraught with stress than personal injury. Accidents are by definition unexpected, and they can give rise to all kinds of uncertainty. In the days and weeks following an injury, more and more people go online with questions about their options and the right path forward, and David is proud to be part of a Nolo team that provides some of the best answers out there.

Amanda Hayes Legal Editor (Attorney · University of North Carolina School of Law)

Amanda Hayes is a practicing attorney serving clients in the U.S. and abroad on business and trademark matters. She also works as a freelance writer, contributing articles on small business law for Nolo.com.

Legal career. Amanda has founded two firms, located in North Carolina and Massachusetts. At her firms, she has worked on a range of cases, including in the areas of business formation, licensing, trademark and intellectual property, nonprofit, and real estate.

Credentials. Amanda is a double Tar Heel, earning her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law. She has passed the bar exams in North Carolina and Massachusetts, and currently practices in both states.

Business law. Amanda has served and collaborated with many companies, from small businesses to large enterprises, in a variety of industries. She considers the best part of writing about small business topics to be helping the people behind the company—often entrepreneurs pursuing a lifelong dream—set up a strong operating foundation so they can focus on what they love most. You can learn more about Amanda's law practice at ideasPLUS LLC.

Aaron Hotfelder Legal Editor (J.D. · University of Missouri School of Law)

Aaron Hotfelder is a Legal Editor at Nolo specializing in employment law and workers' compensation law. He has written for Nolo and Lawyers.com since 2011, covering topics ranging from workplace discrimination to unemployment benefits to employee privacy laws. He's a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA).

Books and citations. Aaron has edited a number of Nolo titles, including The Manager's Legal Handbook, Dealing With Problem Employees, and Working With Independent Contractors, and is a co-author of The Employer's Legal Handbook. Aaron's work has been cited by U.S. News & World Report, TheStreet.com, the St. Louis University Law Journal, and the Minnesota Law Review, among many other outlets.

Early legal career. Prior to joining Nolo as a Legal Editor, Aaron worked at a small law firm in Columbia, Missouri, representing clients in Social Security disability, long-term disability, and workers' compensation cases. He later spent three years serving as an employment law consultant for a human resources and benefits compliance firm.

Education. Aaron received his law degree in 2010 from the University of Missouri School of Law. He holds a B.S. in criminal justice from Truman State University, known by some as the "Harvard of Northeast Missouri."

Bethany K. Laurence Legal Editor (Attorney · UC Law San Francisco)

Bethany Laurence is a Senior Legal Editor at Nolo, where she has worked since 1997. She holds a J.D. from UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings) and is a member of the California Bar. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Boston University.

Disability law. At Nolo, Bethany is the editor for the Disability Law Center and the Social Security and Medicare Center. She edits the books Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability; Social Security, Medicare, and Government Pensions; and IRAs, 401(k)s & Other Retirement Plans. Bethany is a member of NOSSCR (National Organization of Social Security Claims Representatives).

Business law. Bethany has also combined her legal and financial expertise to edit many Nolo small business books, such as LLC or Corporation and How to Form an LLC, and is the lead editor for Nolo's online LLC and corporation services. Over the years she has co-written several business books, including Business Buyout Agreements: Plan Now for Retirement, Death, Divorce or Owner Disagreements; Save Your Small Business: 10 Crucial Strategies to Survive Hard Times or Close Down & Move On; and Bankruptcy for Small Business Owners: How to File for Chapter 7.

Other pursuits. In addition to her work at Nolo, Bethany co-founded several educational nonprofit organizations, including River Montessori Charter School and Red Barn Montessori, and served on their boards of directors. She most recently served on the board of the Magnet Program Foundation of Hillcrest Middle School. Bethany has also volunteered her time at a disability law clinic in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco.

Originally from Rhode Island, Bethany enjoys reading and hiking in the redwoods of Northern California.

Amy Loftsgordon Legal Editor (Attorney · University of Denver Sturm College of Law)

Amy Loftsgordon is a legal editor at Nolo, focusing on foreclosure, debt management, and personal finance. She writes for Nolo.com and Lawyers.com and has been quoted by news outlets that include U.S. News & World Report and Bankrate.

Amy received a B.A. from the University of Southern California and a law degree from the University of Denver. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado.

Working at Nolo. In 2012, Amy started writing for Nolo as a freelancer. Since that time she has written hundreds of articles covering foreclosure, credit issues, consumer protection matters, and more. In 2017, Amy became a full-time legal editor with Nolo. Her favorite part of the job is researching and analyzing dry, complicated materials—like state statutes, federal regulations, and court cases—and then explaining that information in a way that makes it palatable and engaging for the everyday reader.

Early legal career. Amy began her writing career while still in law school, producing case summaries for Wickstrom Legal, a small publishing company. After graduating from law school in 2001, Amy started working in foreclosure and related areas, first in her own law practice and then at a law firm where she was responsible for ensuring compliance with foreclosure and collections laws.

Foreclosure experience. Amy has drafted foreclosure-related training programs and loan servicing compliance procedures for various law firms, as well as written training manuals for collections operations in Panama. (She takes pride in the fact that she drove to and from Panama—around 7,000 miles roundtrip.) Amy also performed compliance reviews of foreclosures in multiple states as part of the national Independent Foreclosure Review.

Bank litigation support. In 2016, Amy began working for Investors Consulting Group (ICG), a firm that provides subject matter expert services in fields such as loan origination, credit underwriting, securitization, and mortgage servicing. She was instrumental in the preparation and writing of expert reports that were used in several lawsuits against banks and servicers accused of mishandling preforeclosure, loss mitigation, foreclosure, and REO processes. At ICG, Amy also conducted loan-level audits to assess servicer compliance with federal mortgage servicing laws, RESPA, TILA, SCRA, state foreclosure laws, and UDAAP/UDAP laws, as well as Making Home Affordable and FHA loss mitigation procedures.

Publications. Amy has updated several Nolo books, including The Foreclosure Survival Guide, Credit Repair, and Solve Your Money Troubles, and edited several others, like The Essential Guide to Handling Workplace Harassment & Discrimination, Working for Yourself, Starting & Building a Nonprofit, and the Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business.

John McCurley Legal Editor (Attorney · University of San Francisco School of Law)

John McCurley started writing criminal law articles for Nolo as a freelancer in 2015. He joined the Nolo staff as a Legal Editor in 2016.

Education. John has a bachelor's degree in engineering physics from the University of California, San Diego, and completed law school at the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2008.

Legal training. During law school, John became interested in the criminal justice system while interning with the Prison Law Office and the San Francisco and Contra Costa County public defender's offices. After graduating and passing the California Bar in 2008, John practiced criminal defense and juvenile dependency law, primarily doing writs and appeals.

Legal career. John is currently a member of the California State Bar and has been a certified appellate law specialist since 2017 (certification from by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization). John maintains a small private practice in San Diego (see www.mccurleylaw.com), handling mostly court-appointed juvenile dependency appeals out of various Southern California counties. He has a number published victories, including In re Juarez (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 1316, K.F. v. Superior Court (2014) 224 Cal.App.4th 1369, People v. Hill (2015) 236 Cal.App.4th 1100 (co-counsel), and In re Bianca S. (2015) 241 Cal.App.4th 1272.

Ann O'Connell Legal Editor (Attorney · UC Berkeley Law)

Ann O'Connell is a Legal Editor at Nolo specializing in landlord-tenant and real estate law. She writes for Nolo.com, Lawyers.com, and Avvo. Ann is a coauthor of Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home, which won a silver Benjamin Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association in 2020, and Nolo's Every Landlord's Legal Guide.

Legal career. Before joining Nolo as an editor, Ann was a freelance writer for Nolo as well as other publications and law firms. Ann practiced civil litigation in California and Colorado, and had her own firm in Colorado. At her firm, she focused on real estate, landlord-tenant, and small business cases.

Credentials. Ann earned her B.A. from Boston College and her J.D. from UC Berkeley Law. She has passed the bar exams in California, Nevada, and Colorado, where she is both an active attorney and a real estate broker.

Landlord-tenant law. Ann's favorite part of writing about landlord-tenant matters is the opportunity to help tenants—who often find it difficult to afford or hire a lawyer to represent them—understand and assert their rights. Ann's research and writing on coronavirus-related eviction bans and tenant rights has been cited by numerous news outlets and government agencies, including Yahoo Finance, CNET, Fannie Mae, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Cara O'Neill Legal Editor (Attorney · University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law)

Cara O'Neill is a Legal Editor at Nolo, focusing on bankruptcy and small claims. She also maintains a bankruptcy practice at the Law Office of Cara O'Neill and teaches criminal law and legal ethics as an adjunct professor. Cara has been quoted in bankruptcy, finance, small claims, and litigation articles by news outlets that include USA Today, CNBC, U.S. News & World Report, Nerd Wallet, and Yahoo Finance.

Cara received her law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where she graduated a member of the Order of the Barristers—a highly-selective honor society that gives national recognition to top law school graduates demonstrating excellent skills in trial advocacy, oral advocacy, and brief writing.

Working at Nolo. Cara started writing for Nolo as a freelancer in 2014 and became a full-time Legal Editor in 2016. She has authored a number of Nolo self-help legal books, including How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, The New Bankruptcy, Everybody's Guide to Small Claims (national version), and Everybody's Guide to Small Claims in California. She also co-authors and edits Solve Your Money Troubles and Credit Repair and has written hundreds of articles for Nolo.com, Lawyers.com, TheBankruptcySite.org, and AllLaw.com.

Early legal career. Before joining Nolo, Cara spent 20 years working as a trial attorney litigating criminal and civil cases. She also served as an administrative law judge mediating disputes between auto manufacturers and dealerships and began teaching law as an adjunct professor in 2004. She added bankruptcy to her practice after the 2008 financial downturn.

Origins of litigation and writing career. Thanks to her mother, Cara's advocacy training began early and involuntarily. In junior high school, she took second place two years running in the local Optimist Club speaking competition. She also successfully competed on her high school speech and debate team for several years, eventually serving as president of the same. During law school, she competed on a nationally ranked ABA moot court team for two years (and was recruited for a third, but declined) and served as a law journal editor.

Rebecca Pirius Legal Editor (Attorney · Mitchell Hamline School of Law)

Rebecca Pirius is a Legal Editor at Nolo with a focus on criminal law. She has worked in the area of criminal law since 2003, most recently as a senior policy specialist at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). For 12 years, Rebecca was a legislative analyst and an attorney in the Minnesota House of Representatives, providing nonpartisan legal research and drafting services to the 134 members. Right out of law school, she clerked for a judge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rebecca earned her J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in Minnesota, where she graduated magna cum laude and served as a law review member. She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar.

Nolo. In 2017, Rebecca began freelancing with Nolo and writing articles on criminal law, traffic laws, and impaired driving. She started full time at Nolo in 2019 as a Legal Editor. She writes primarily for CriminalDefenseLawyer.com and Nolo.com.

Prior career. Working at the Minnesota Legislature and NCSL, Rebecca conducted extensive research and analysis of laws and legislation on criminal law, public safety, corrections, and courts. Her roles required her to break down complex legal concepts for a broad audience, including policymakers and constituents, and allowed her to work with both sides of the political aisle. At NCSL, her policy work took her around the country to work with local and state policymakers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, former offenders, young adult offenders, crime victims, and criminal justice experts.

Dan Ray Legal Editor (Attorney · University of Missouri School of Law)

Dan joined Nolo as a Legal Editor in 2022. He writes and edits articles dealing with personal injury cases and claims. He also writes and edits articles on constitutional law topics from time-to-time.

Education. Dan graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, with a bachelor of business administration degree, majoring in Finance. Later, he received his law degree, with distinction, from the University of Missouri - Kansas City Law School. While in law school, Dan was Editor-in-Chief of the UMKC Law Review, and he earned several awards for academic achievements.

Law and teaching experience. Dan spent about 12 years practicing law in Kansas and Missouri, mostly handling plaintiff-side personal injury cases including slip and fall claims, auto cases, medical malpractice and product liability suits, and civil rights matters. Dan has tried cases in state and federal courts and handled appeals in state and federal courts in Kansas and Missouri. After leaving private practice, Dan spent more than 15 years teaching law. His area of teaching expertise is federal constitutional law. Most recently, Dan was with a legal data analytics firm, where he assisted in creating and maintaining the firm's civil rights practice area.

Other interests. When he's not busy writing and editing, Dan follows TCU Horned Frogs football. Having grown up in the Kansas City area, he's also far too invested in Kansas City Chiefs football. Outside of football season, he enjoys watching old comedy movies and TV shows.

Glen Secor Legal Editor (Attorney · Suffolk University School of Law)

Glen Secor joined Nolo as a Legal Editor in 2022, focusing on small business, small business formation, and nonprofits.

Education and teaching. Glen has a B.A. in Psychology from Stonehill College, an M.S. in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University, a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, and an LL.M from Harvard Law School. He has taught Copyright Law at University of New Hampshire School of Law and Business Law and accounting courses at Southern New Hampshire University and Franklin Pierce University.

Legal and business career. Glen began his career in his family's business, a library bookselling company, where he was CFO, and then CFO & Attorney after completing law school. After a long stint in the family business, he hung his shingle for the first time, as a solo practitioner, in Concord, NH. Through this practice, he helped his small business and nonprofit clients in a wide range of transactions, including formations and all manner of contracts. He transitioned back to in-house work in 2005 with a nonprofit education research company, managing their intellectual property and contracts. In 2018, he hung his shingle for a second time, this time in Concord, MA, with a very similar focus on small business and nonprofit clients.

Why Nolo? As an attorney for small businesses and nonprofits, Glen understood that his clients generally found the law to be complicated and intimidating. One of his primary goals in representing these companies was to demystify the law so that his clients could make informed legal and business decisions. Nolo takes this approach one step further by empowering its customers with the information and services they need to actually handle their own legal tasks and transactions.

Betsy Simmons Hannibal Legal Editor (Attorney · Golden Gate University School of Law)

Betsy Simmons Hannibal is a Nolo Senior Legal Editor specializing in Estate Planning. Her work centers around managing the editorial contributions to Quicken WillMaker & Trust.

Estate planning books. Betsy also edits many of Nolo's best-selling estate planning books, including Make Your Own Living Trust, Plan Your Estate, Estate Planning Basics, How to Probate an Estate in California: A Step-by-Step Guide, Quick & Legal Will Book, and Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To.

Press contributions. Betsy regularly speaks with journalists who want to know more about estate planning and probate. Here is some of the content to which she has contributed: End-of-Life-Planning Is a "Lifetime Gift" to Your Loved Ones (NPR's Life Kit), What Is Probate and Can You Avoid It? (HowStuffWorks), Probate Workarounds Can Save Your Heirs Time and Money (NerdWallet, syndicated by the AP), and A Brief Guide to Estate Planning, (Wirecutter, The New York Times).

Early career. Before joining Nolo, Betsy trained at two private law firms, as well as the San Francisco Superior Court and the Federal District Court of Northern California. She is a graduate of the Honors Lawyering Program at Golden Gate University School of Law, where she served as the research editor of the law review.

While she currently lives too far from her home state of California, she is enjoying the temperature variation provided by the mid-Atlantic seasons.

Guided by the motto “law for all,” Nolo's editorial team has been explaining the law in plain English since 1971. Each of our team members has a wealth of experience in writing and the law, including a juris doctor or other professional degree. All of our articles, books, and DIY products have been written or reviewed by these professionals.

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