Our Team
Keah Beeftu, Staff Attorney
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Keah is a Staff Attorney at The Second Look Project, beginning in January 2022. Before joining SLP she was an attorney in the Felony Trial Division at Still She Rises in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the nation’s first indigent defense office devoted exclusively to representing women. She graduated from University of Denver Strum College of Law with a Public Good Distinction and a certificate in Human Rights and International Law. Throughout law school she interned at the Colorado Juvenile Defender Center, the Office of the Child’s Representative, the Brighton Trial Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, and the Appellate Division of the Colorado State Public Defender.
Maggie Birkel, Deputy Director
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Maggie is the Deputy Director at the Second Look Project. She received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was a fellow in the Program in Law and Public Service. Before joining SLP, she was a George Kaiser Family Foundation Women's Justice Fellow at Still She Rises, the country's first public defender office devoted exclusively to representing women. While in law school, she worked with the Orleans Public Defenders Office, the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Office of the Public Defender, and UVA Law's Criminal Defense Clinic. Maggie was born and raised in Washington, D.C.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Cecilia (Ceci) is a Staff Attorney at The Second Look Project. She received her J.D., summa cum laude from Cornell Law School, where she worked in the Women's Decarceration Practicum, a clinic devoted to assisting incarcerated survivors of domestic violence seek freedom from prison. During law school, Ceci also worked in Cornell's Capital Trial Clinic and interned for the District Court for the District of Columbia. Before joining SLP, Ceci was an associate at the law firm Williams & Connolly.
Cecilia Bruni, Staff Attorney
Madeline Hall, Staff Attorney
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Madeline Hall is a staff attorney at the Second Look Project. Before joining SLP, Madeline served as a law clerk to the Honorable Steven M. Wellner of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and worked at a tenants’ rights firm in D.C. Madeline received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. During law school, she worked for the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Project at the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, as well as the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. She enjoys traveling and reading.
Emma Vasta-Kuby, Mitigation Specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Emma Vasta-Kuby is a Mitigation Specialist at the Second Look Project. Before joining SLP, she was an attorney in the Criminal Defense Practice at Brooklyn Defender Services. She received her J.D. from Georgetown Law, where she was a Blume Public Interest Law Scholar. While in law school, she worked at Still She Rises, The Bronx Defenders, The Public Defender Service for D.C., and the Criminal Defense and Prisoner Advocacy and Center for Applied Litigation clinics. Prior to law school, she worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center as a Community Advocate.
Bryant Woodland, Reentry Coordinator
Pronouns: he/him/his
Bryant is the Reentry Coordinator for the Second Look Project. He is an advocate for incarcerated individuals serving extreme sentences here in the District. In his role at SLP, Bryant focuses on clients’ reintegration back into the community, assisting with the development of reentry plans and facilitating the execution of those plans after clients are released. Prior to Joining SLP, Bryant was recently released after serving more than two decades in prison, when he was granted his freedom through D.C.’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act. Bryant credits this legislation and the unwavering support and advocacy from D.C. residents for giving him the knowledge and passion of what advocacy and successful reentry looks like in real time.
James Zeigler, Founder & Executive Director
Pronouns: he/him/his
James is the Founder and Executive Director of The Second Look Project. After graduating from Georgetown Law, James clerked at D.C. Superior Court and then went on to become an attorney on the Criminal Justice Act panel representing indigent people charged with crimes in the District. Prior to founding Second Look Project, James’s practice focused on the litigation of IRAA cases, and he served as the Superior Court CJA Panel liaison for IRAA and compassionate release cases. He is a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters. James lives in Northwest D.C. with his partner and two sons.