Marlena Smith joined Virginia & Ambinder, LLP as an Associate in 2024 and focuses her practice on ERISA, labor, and employment litigation. Prior to joining Virginia & Ambinder, Marlena was Senior Counsel at the New York City Law Department, where she worked in the General Litigation Division representing City agencies in diverse federal and state practice areas, including Constitutional law, civil rights, education law, FOIL, ADA, wrongful death actions, and more. During her time at the Law Department, she also worked in the Tort Division litigating personal injury and property damage matters.
Before that, Marlena was the Law Clerk to the Honorable Colleen M. Flynn in the Middlesex Superior County Court of New Jersey, where she assisted the judge with criminal trials, hearings, opinions, orders, and legal research.
Marlena graduated summa cum laude, from Hampton University with her B.A. in Public Relations. Thereafter, Marlena earned her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law as a Dean’s Scholar and was awarded the Herman J. Obert Award in Business Organizations.
Areas of Practice
- ERISA Litigation
- Labor
- Employment
Bar Admissions
- New York State
- U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, PA
- J.D.
- Civil Justice Clinic
- Hampton University, Hampton, VA
- B.A., summa cum laude
- Minor in Leadership Studies, Leadership Fellow in the William R. Harvey Leadership Institute
- Freddye T. Davy Honors College Graduate