In the matter of
she/herAlbany, New YorkEnglish · Español
A bilingual advocate who came to the law through hospitals and benefits offices — and hasn't forgotten who it's for.
I. About perfil
Salma Juarez is a J.D. from Albany Law School, Class of 2026, working in public defense in New York's Capital Region. As a Public Defense Intern with Schenectady County, she reviews discovery, assists at arraignments, and interviews clients — in English and in Spanish.
Her route to the law was not a straight line, and that is the point. She earned a neuroscience degree at Binghamton, cared for patients on hospital floors, and spent two years determining federal disability-benefit eligibility for claimants who had nowhere else to turn. She has taken vitals, taken intake calls, and taken the 2 a.m. shift — so when a client tells her what a case is doing to their life, she already speaks the language. Both of them.
She is SOAR-certified in SSI/SSDI outreach, trained in mental-health fundamentals, and a Women's Leadership Initiative Fellow at Albany Law. Her interests sit where her experience does: public defense, disability and benefits law, and health law.
II. Legal Experience derecho
Public Defense Intern
Schenectady, N.Y.
Legal Intern — Office of Counsel; Medicaid, Contracts & Real Estate Bureau
Albany, N.Y.
III. Health & Public Service servicio
Patient Care Associate
Albany, N.Y.
Eligibility Specialist · Data Management Specialist
White Plains, N.Y. · Remote
Customer Relations Intern
Ossining, N.Y.
Additionally: Front Desk Agent, Burning Tree Country Club, Greenwich, Conn. (2022 – 2023).
IV. Education formación
Albany, N.Y.
Binghamton, N.Y.
V. Languages & Certifications idiomas
English & Spanish
Full professional fluency — client interviews, intake, and counsel in either language. Se habla español.
SOAR — SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access & Recovery
Trained to help people experiencing homelessness or disability access federal benefits.
SAMHSA · Issued May 2020Mental Health 101 Series
Foundational mental-health training for client-facing work.
CAMH · Issued Mar 2023Discovery · Intake · Drafting
Discovery review, client interviewing, legal memoranda, correspondence, and records management.
VI. Community comunidad
Vice President · Secretary · Public Relations Chair
Maternal & Child Care Volunteer
Now therefore
For opportunities in public defense, disability and benefits law, or health law — in English or Spanish — the fastest route is email.