Zoom Meeting with Marisa Halm: “The Privileges and Positives of Working as a Public Interest Lawyer”
When: Thursday, April 20, 7:00 p.m.
RSVP: To register and receive the Zoom meeting invitation, email cedorais@comcast.net by Tuesday, April 18.
Marisa Mascolo Halm ’94 has been the Director of the Youth Justice Project at the Center for Children’s Advocacy for the last 10 years. She represents youth and young adults who are involved with the justice system or at risk of involvement, and works to ensure that they receive the education they are entitled to, whether in the public schools, in alternative or therapeutic programs, in juvenile justice facilities or adult correctional facilities.
Marisa is a passionate advocate for her clients and a staunch opponent of the school-to-prison pipeline, strenuously opposing unfair disciplinary practices and policies that facilitate pushing youth out of school. She identifies systemic barriers and inequities that impact her clients’ education and successful re-entry into the community, and develops strategies to eradicate those barriers and inequities. Her advocacy includes legislative initiatives, administrative advocacy and facilitating policy change, as well as filing complaints against school systems that violate students’ basic educational rights.
The Connecticut Law Tribune named Marisa one of the recipients of the 2022 “Game Changer” award, given annually to attorneys who have been “a positive force for change.”
Prior to working at the Center for Children’s Advocacy, Marisa was in private practice with the firm of Klebanoff & Alfano, where she represented children with disabilities and their parents against school districts.
Marisa earned her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2006 and graduated with honors from Mount Holyoke. She was admitted to the practice of law in 2006 and is a current member of the Connecticut Bar Foundation Education Section.