Straight out of law school as an attorney for Brooklyn Legal Services in Williamsburg, I represented low-income tenants residing in private and New York City Housing Authority buildings in individual and systemic housing discrimination cases; in my next role, as an attorney at the non-profit housing advocacy organization, the Open Housing Center, I prosecuted cases under Title VIII for New Yorkers who faced discrimination in applying for rental apartments or co-op purchases. During my tenure at the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at Columbia University, I drafted harassment and discrimination policies, provided training to staff and faculty, and conducted internal investigations of discrimination complaints.

Since 2010, I have assisted employees who are experiencing a hostile work environment, have not been hired, denied a promotion, wrongfully terminated, retaliated against, or refused an accommodation because of their identity. In these situations, employees have experienced a devastating loss of opportunity and profound offense to their dignity and core sense of self. My training in trauma-informed counseling and navigating cross-cultural challenges is critical in order to prevent compounding the harm and to make legible the discrimination for fact-finders in legal settings.  

 Typically, I will exhaust all options at private resolution through informal negotiation with an employer before filing in court or with a government agency that will investigate the complaint as a potential violation under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the New York State and New York City anti-discrimination laws, the New York Labor Law, the Equal Pay Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the New York Whistleblower Law and the False Claims Act.