Laura joined the Florida Justice Institute in 2018. Prior to working for FJI, Laura was an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, LLP and then a Staff Attorney at the Bronx Defenders’ Family Defense Practice. While at Bronx Defenders, Laura litigated cases on behalf of parents in Family Court and advocated for their fundamental rights when the State sought to interfere and separate families. She also practiced holistic defense, assisting clients more broadly with the collateral consequences of having cases in Family Court and the devastating systemic effects of having their children removed from their care, and collaborated on cohesive case strategies when her clients had concurrent criminal, housing, and immigration cases pending.
Laura received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, graduating cum laude and serving as a Managing Editor of the Review of Law and Social Change. During law school, Laura participated in the Reproductive Justice and Women’s Equality Clinic where she worked with organizations such as the Center for Reproductive Rights and the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project on litigation aimed at preserving women’s fundamental reproductive health choices and access to care. She also worked with Covenant House New York, where she advocated on behalf of homeless youth and helped develop a screening tool to ensure that their legal needs were identified. In addition, Laura interned at Her Justice, The Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia Law School, and National Advocates for Pregnant Women.
Laura is a member of the Florida Bar and the New York Bar.