Staff

Richard Bourke—Director

Richard Bourke is the director of the LCAC. He graduated from the Melbourne University School of Law in Australia where he also gained a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology and Criminology. Richard came to New Orleans to volunteer and then worked at the LCAC after pursuing a successful career as a criminal barrister in Australia. In 2007, Richard was awarded the Sam Dalton Capital Defense Award by the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Before his legal career, Richard worked as a youth counselor and social worker with adolescent victims of physical and sexual abuse. Richard is licensed in Louisiana, Texas, federal court, and the United States Supreme Court and is certified as lead capital trial, appellate, and post-conviction counsel.

Elliott Brown—Senior Capital Attorney

Elliott Brown is a senior capital attorney at the LCAC. He is a graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Law, and previously earned a B.A. in history and print journalism from LSU. While in law school, he served as an intern for Innocence Project of New Orleans, the Capital Appeals Project, and the Baton Rouge Capital Conflict Office. Elliott was a full-time public defender in Lafayette, Louisiana from 2011-2016, where he represented capital and felony clients. He has also served as a contract public defender in Ascension Parish. Elliott is licensed in Louisiana and is certified as lead capital trial counsel.

Linda Cortéz—Director of Litigation Support

Linda Cortéz is the Director of Litigation Support at the LCAC. Linda works on a variety of case related projects, oversees all litigation support services in the office, and coordinates LCAC’s intern and volunteer program. Prior to coming to the LCAC, Linda worked as a social worker in child abuse and neglect cases. After obtaining a law degree from West Virginia University, she worked as an attorney in Maryland in the areas of administrative law and employment law. Linda has also held numerous academic positions including a faculty position at Johns Hopkins University for many years where she developed and taught law-related courses. 

Tatum Coutee—Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Tatum Coutee is a legal assistant/paralegal with the LCAC where she provides a variety of Litigation Support services. Tatum graduated from LSU with a B.A. in English. She previously worked in Florida as a paralegal and office manager for a family law firm and as a paralegal at the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.    

Abigail Faust—Attorney Fellow

Abigail Faust is a legal fellow at the LCAC. She graduated from Washington University School of Law after completing her B.A. in Political Science at Saint Louis University. During law school, Abigail participated in the Post-Conviction Clinical Practicum, assisting in the representation of people on death row, and did an externship with the ACLU of Missouri, contributing to their strategic litigation efforts. She interned with a local post-conviction office, the Mwalimu Center for Justice, as well as the Sixth Amendment Center, where she researched the quality of indigent defense services nationwide. Abigail is licensed to practice in the State of Missouri. 

Aaron Horn—Litigation Support Assistant

Aaron Horn is a member of the Litigation Support Service team with the LCAC. Before joining the LCAC, he worked in the hospitality and tourism industry in various cities including New Orleans, LA.    

Sultan Kulakhmetov—Staff Attorney

Sultan Kulakhmetov is a staff attorney at the LCAC. He graduated from The University of Texas School of Law, where he also earned a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science. During law school, Sultan participated in the Capital Punishment Clinic, for which he also worked as a research assistant, and Criminal Defense Clinic, and interned with the Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas. Prior to law school, Sultan worked as a tutor and volunteered with nonprofits advocating for labor rights in Texas. Sultan is licensed in Louisiana.

Gaia Santoro Lecchini—Mitigation Specialist

Gaia Santoro Lecchini is a Mitigation Specialist with the LCAC. Gaia graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University with a B.A. in Anthropology. At Tufts, she led non-partisan political discussion groups and organized school-wide debates through Cooperation and Innovation in Citizenship (CIVIC). Before joining the LCAC, Gaia worked for Preble Street, a non-profit social work organization striving to provide barrier-free services to people experiencing homelessness.

Christine Lehmann—Senior Capital Attorney

Christine Lehmann is a senior capital attorney at the LCAC. Christine graduated from Yale Law School after previously completing a Masters in Theology at Harvard. She clerked in the Federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals before beginning work as a staff attorney at the LCAC in 2002. In October 2006, Christine left the office temporarily to help reform the Orleans indigent defender program, serving as Director of Special Litigation at the Orleans Public Defenders. In April 2007, Christine became the District Defender for Orleans and remained at that position through August 2008, during which time she oversaw tremendous structural reform. Christine returned to the LCAC in September 2008. Christine has a particular expertise in working with clients with mental illness and intellectual disabilities. Christine is licensed to practice in Louisiana and in federal court and is certified as lead capital trial counsel.

Steve Merlan—Mitigation Specialist

Steve Merlan is a mitigation specialist with the LCAC. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from Tulane University. He is also involved in Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners, the annual Nola to Angola Bicycle solidarity ride, and plays in a country folk band called The Tintypes. Steve is a graduate of Grinnell College with a degree in Spanish. Before coming to the LCAC full time, he worked on studies of Latino migrant health in the New Orleans area, began the process of helping to restore a house in the 7th ward, and volunteered as a mitigation support intern at the LCAC.

Milan Ray—Mitigation Specialist

Milan Ray is a mitigation specialist at the LCAC. He graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a B.A. in Political Science, minoring in Criminal Justice. Milan is active in local community-based initiatives and has previously facilitated classes as an instructor at Samuel J. Green Charter School and Kipp Central City. As a community organizer he has worked with groups such as The Isaiah Institute, Icons for Peace, and Justice and Beyond in event planning and program development. He worked as a legal assistant for LCAC Litigation Support for two years before becoming a mitigation specialist.

Kate Robinson—Mitigation Specialist

Kate Robinson is a mitigation specialist with the LCAC. She was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 2007 after graduating from the University of Manchester with an LLB. Kate came to New Orleans in 2009 to complete an extended internship at a post-conviction office, during which she assisted with conducting mitigation investigation and drafting the relevant legal claims for post-conviction capital cases. Upon returning to New Orleans from the U.K., Kate worked as a mitigation specialist at NOLA Investigates on a number of capital cases, including post-conviction and state and federal trial-level cases for various state capital defense agencies, Federal Public Defenders, and private attorneys. She recently earned an LLM in U.S. Law from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.

Annie Stallman—Mitigation Records Specialist

Annie Stallman is a mitigation records specialist with the LCAC. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a double major Philosophy and International Studies. Annie moved to New Orleans in 2014 and taught high school mathematics for six years.

Paul Vernon—Capital Attorney

Paul Vernon is a capital staff attorney at the LCAC. He is a graduate of New York University School of Law, and previously he earned a B.A. from Columbia University. After law school, he clerked for the Federal District Court for the District of Connecticut and he also worked as a public defender in Seattle, Washington. Prior to joining LCAC, Paul worked at the Bronx Defenders in New York as a staff attorney specializing in forensic DNA. Paul is licensed in New York State and Washington State.  He is also licensed to practice in Louisiana and is certified as associate capital trial counsel.

Kim Watts—Office Manager, Personnel Director, and Financial Manager

Kim Watts is the LCAC's Office Manager, Personnel Director, and Financial Manager. Kim manages an array of duties ranging from managing the daily affairs of the office to financial planning. Kim also deals with staff needs such as health plans, leave, work environment, and equipment. Kim earned a degree in Political Science from Xavier University while working her way through school. She has worked to organize a student forum on racism and campaigned for several political candidates. While at Xavier, Kim undertook an internship with the Loyola Death Penalty Resource Center and was later employed by it as a research assistant. Prior to her arrival at the LCAC, Kim was a legal secretary/paralegal for Loyola's Post-Conviction Defender Organization.

Carol Zikmund—Receptionist

Carol Zikmund is a legal assistant with the LCAC, where she provides a variety of Litigation Support services and serves as receptionist. She graduated from the University of New Orleans with a B.A. and before joining the LCAC, served as a legal secretary, legal assistant, and office manager in a number of law offices for over a decade.