JOHNSON LAW GROUP Staff

Legal and International Development Services Worldwide

CORE HEADQUARTERS STAFF

Bradford P. Johnson – Principal

Mr. Johnson heads the Johnson Law Group and engages in the general practice of law and international development consulting. The firm represents clients in civil rights, commercial, probate and criminal matters. Mr. Johnson provides technical assistance in legal reform, anti-corruption, governance and related issues in many countries worldwide. He advises international development firms on FAR compliance, human resource development, business development and other operational and transactional issues.

Mr. Johnson is an experienced attorney with expertise in handling international projects in law and economic and political development, with emphasis on the use of new communication technology in development activities in countries as diverse as Cyprus, Georgia, Nigeria and Angola. He has extensive international experience in conducting needs assessments and feasibility studies on issues related to democracy and governance, court administration, the practice and development of law, electronic commerce, legal database development, and related issues. In recent years, Mr. Johnson has conducted or participated in democracy and governance-related assistance efforts in Morocco, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Albania, Jordan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. He is an experienced training professional, having conducted numerous high-level and grassroots conflict resolution and rule of law training sessions for the United Nations, USAID, the Organization for African Unity, the Organization of American States, the former U.S. Information Agency, the National Defense University and other organizations. He is a member of the D.C. and Vermont bar associations, speaks Russian and some Spanish.

Elena Sotnikova – Associate Attorney

Elena Sotnikova is an associate attorney at Johnson Law Group. She works on democracy and governance and rule of law initiatives and represents clients in civil matters. Ms. Sotnikova has a background in international development and a strong commitment to public interest and human rights work. She has experience representing vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, at-risk youth, children with special needs, indigent victims, marginalized women and detained immigrants. She has provided legal services to the Center for Justice and International Law, the Capital Area Immigrants� Rights Coalition, Center for Constitutional Rights, UDC Housing and Special Education Clinics.

Prior to embarking on a law career, Ms. Sotnikova has worked on development and humanitarian projects for a DC-based development consultancy. She has lived and worked in Latin America, Eastern and Western Europe and is fluent in Russian and Spanish languages. Ms. Sotnikova holds a JD from David A. Clarke School of Law, a public interest law school in Washington, DC, and a Master's in Linguistics from Pyatigorsk Linguistic University in Russia.

Jackie Parker – Paralegal

Jackie Parker has provided paralegal support for the Petties et al. v. District of Columbia et al. for nearly a decade. Previously, Ms Parker worked for over 25 years in the United States Senate, 18 of which were with U.S. Senator David Pryor (D-AR). She is also a former Clinton administration political appointee to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she served as executive assistant to the Administrator of the Rural Utilities Services. She retired from the federal government in 2000 with 32 years of service. In addition to her duties with the Johnson Law Group, Ms. Parker is the finance director for a governmental affairs lobbying firm.

Sara Fathi-Nejad – Associate Attorney

Sara Fathi-Nejad is an associate attorney at Johnson Law Group International. She holds a business degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, with a specialization in international business and marketing, and is a graduate of the David A. Clarke School of Law in Washington, DC. Her legal experience includes work with the Neighborhood Legal Services Program, where she focused on housing laws, foreclosure cases, and representing clients in landlord and tenant court. In addition, Ms. Fathi-Nejad has experience in the areas of probate and tax law. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and has clerked at the Center for Immigration Law and Practice, primarily working on asylum cases. Ms. Fathi-Nejad has five years of business and marketing experience prior to law school, representing companies in several international exhibitions and working on a variety of international marketing campaigns. She is an experienced interpreter, fluent in English and Farsi, and conversant in French.

Nathaniel Goodman-Johnson – Research Associate

Nathaniel Goodman-Johnson is a Research Associate at the Johnson Law Group International, where he also serves as a Notary Public. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis, with a specific focus on the biological and evolutionary basis for human behavior. He is a native of Washington, D.C. and is thinking of applying to law school in the near future. Mr. Goodman-Johnson also recently completed a summer internship in Macedonia working on local government issues for a development assistance project sponsored by USAID and implemented by Tetratech ARD.