Meet Our Board of Directors

Shelley is a Los Angeles native. She graduated from UCLA in 1975 with a degree in economics and political science from UC Hastings, the law school now known as UC Law San Francisco, in 1978.

Currently, Shelley serves as a Senior Attorney at Cholakian & Associates taking on the defense of individual and small businesses. Her cases have involved homeowner, home seller, and landlord liability; car, truck, bicycle and pedestrian accidents, construction accidents and disputes, products liability, and employment. Shelley’s experience includes over 30 jury trials throughout California, and multiple appeals.

Dorothy is a retired Chief Deputy County Counsel for the County of Marin.

Abram serves as General Counsel at GRAIL, a prominent healthcare company focused on developing groundbreaking technology for early cancer detection. He has global responsibility for GRAIL’s legal matters and strategy, and also serves as GRAIL’s Privacy Officer. Previously, Abram was an attorney at Ropes & Gray LLP, where he advised life sciences and healthcare clients. Prior to that, he served as an associate chief counsel at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Abram is a member of the bar associations for California, the District of Columbia, and Massachusetts. He received a BA in Philosophy from the University of Virginia, and a JD and MPH from Boston University, where he was a Health Law, Bioethics, and Human Rights fellow.

Michelle is an associate at Keegin Harrison LLP in San Rafael, where she practices business and trademark law. In her business practice, Michelle advises emerging and established businesses on a wide variety of matters, including entity choice and formation, corporate governance and drafting custom contracts. In her trademark practice, she counsels clients from brick and mortar businesses to technology companies and non-profits on trademarks and brand-protection strategy. While she is originally from New Orleans, Michelle obtained her bachelor’s degree from Scripps College in Claremont, CA before graduating from UC Hastings College of the Law.

Mari-Ann has been a practicing attorney for 40 years after earning her JD from the University of San Francisco in 1984. She has served as Superior Court Research Attorney in both Sonoma and Marin Counties, Deputy County Counsel for the County of Marin, and performed litigation and appeals in State/Federal trial courts, appeals courts, and administrative bodies. Currently, she serves as a Consumer Protection Lawyer in Petaluma, CA.

 Mary McLain is a founder at McLain Mediation where she has served as an Attorney Mediator for the last 25 years. She has a strong background in commercial litigation where she has successfully mediated hundreds of cases in a wide-range of areas including commercial/business, personal injury, insurance, employment, real estate, probate, partnerships, and family law.

 She also serves on ADR panels for the United States District Court, Northern District of California; San Francisco, Marin, Los Angeles County Superior Courts and the California Mediation Program and acts as Judge Pro-Tem in numerous matters.