Our Team

Justice at Work’s attorneys, paralegals, trainers, and support staff work out of our Boston office. Our team has decades of experience in the movement for worker rights.

Pablo Carrasco

Staff Attorney

Pablo Carrasco came to Justice at Work after nearly four years as an employee rights/wage and hour attorney at MetroWest Legal Services (MWLS) in Framingham, Massachusetts. His first two years at MWLS he was the Bart-Gordon fellow, a fellowship aimed at improving legal assistance for communities whose linguistic and cultural backgrounds are barriers to the delivery of aid. After two years at MWLS, Pablo was hired as a full-time staff attorney and continued the employee rights/wage and hour project until joining Justice at Work in late 2019. Pablo graduated from The American University, Washington College of Law and is a member of the Massachusetts and Federal bars. Pablo is a native Spanish speaker having been born in Santiago, Chile. When he is not in the office he can be found fishing, playing basketball, or refurbishing vintage bicycles.

José A. Palma

Community and Legal Partnerships Coordinator

José A. Palma returned to Justice at Work in 2020 after spending a year coordinating the National Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Alliance and leading a national campaign to achieve permanent residency for people protected by TPS. Born in Usulután, El Salvador, José came to the United States in 1998 and has lived in Lynn, MA since 2002. He earned his Associate of Science Degree in Paralegal Studies at North Shore Community College in 2011, which included an internship at Greater Boston Legal Services. Before originally joining Justice at Work in 2017, José was the Political and Organizing Director for Neighbor-To-Neighbor, where he led efforts to combine issue organizing with electoral work. José has also worked with Centro Presente and the Student Immigrant Movement and is the co-founder of the Massachusetts TPS Committee.

Connie Rab

Development and Communications Coordinator

Connie Rab joined Justice at Work in 2021. She is a first generation Taiwanese immigrant. While at UMass Amherst, Connie served on the development team of the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU), pushing to inspire, educate, and empower those interested in AAPI issues. After graduation, she was the studio manager for an immigrant owned wedding photography company, managing their social media, curating content, and emphasizing the importance of diverse and culturally represented weddings. In both her professional and personal capacity, Connie seeks to be a part of social change through building collective power among communities of color. During her free time, Connie likes to make espresso drinks and expand her energy healing practice.

Thomas Smith

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Thomas Smith launched Justice at Work in 2011. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2008 and is a member of the Massachusetts and Federal bars. After law school, as part of a Skadden Fellowship project, he supported Boston-area immigrant worker centers as an attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services‘ Employment Unit and was given the Health Tech/Legal Champion of the Year award by MassCOSH. In 2014, the Brazilian Worker Center honored Tom with the 20th Anniversary Celebration Community Hero Award, and in 2017 he was named an Up & Coming Lawyer by MA Lawyers Weekly. Tom is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese thanks to extensive work and travel in Latin America and to his work with migrant communities in the United States. He has a background in teaching and coaching.

Mike Felsen

Michael Felsen joined Justice at Work as an Access to Justice Fellow in 2018, following a 39-year career as an attorney with the Solicitor’s Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, concluding his tenure there as New England Regional Solicitor from 2010-2018. At DOL, Mike was part of a leadership team that developed innovative and strategic approaches to enforcement of federal worker protection laws, including safety and health and wage and hours laws. Those approaches included collaborations with worker centers representing immigrant and other workers in low-wage and high hazard jobs, with the goal of ensuring protection of their rights. Mike attended Harvard College and Northeastern University School of Law, and clerked for Justice Paul Liacos of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Since leaving government service, Mike has done asylum applicant intake work in ICE detention centers in Eastern Massachusetts, consulted for the International Labor Organization, and served as a National Coalition on Occupational Safety and Health Advisor. He enjoys vegetable gardening, hiking, and writing newspaper opinion pieces, mostly on labor and worker protection issues.

Lourdes Alvarez

Lourdes Alvarez has provided invaluable human resources and administrative support to Justice at Work since 2020. She works full-time as the Assistant Director of Finance for the Massachusetts Area Planning Council. Prior to MAPC she worked for Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) for over 20 years as a Staff Accountant/Personnel Benefits Analyst. She graduated from Fisher College with an associate degree in Computer Science and a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.

Freddy Matute

Freddy Matute has supported Justice at Work since 2017, offering over 25 years of expertise in bookkeeping and general accounting. He works full-time as the Fiscal Director of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, where he directs all aspects of fiscal policy, financial management and planning for MLAC; oversees automated information systems for fiscal administration; coordinates human resources functions; and provides technical assistance to recipient program fiscal directors.