She is admitted to the bars of Alabama, New Jersey, U.S. District Court of the State of New Jersey and has passed the New York State Bar, with admission pending application. Mechelle did her undergraduate studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she graduated magna cm laude with a degree in Psychology. From there she studied at Seton Hall Law School and received a Master of Science in Jur
isprudence in health law and intellectual property. She then attended Touro Law School where she was awarded her Juris Doctorate. Unlike many lawyers, Mechelle has a broad working background in a non attorney capacity. Because of this she brings real world experience to the representation of clients. She worked for over 3 years as a teacher in the Woodbridge Township School District teaching psychology and other courses. She has 20 years of experience in the health club industry as well. She also worked as a paralegal with Pressler & Pressler, a Cedar Knolls, N.J. law firm, where she learned the basics of law firm practice and litigation. Mechelle got her start in legal advocacy working at the New Orleans Legal Advocacy Center where she assisted people over the phone and in person with their legal needs. From there Mechelle went to Common Ground in New Orleans, LA, a non-for profit group that assisted indigent persons with legal defense, where she worked as a legal intern assisting indigent persons with legal defense. From there she went to the Orleans Public Defender’s Office, where she again worked as a paralegal and intern assisting in representation of persons charged with both misdemeanors and felonies. Locally, Mechelle has worked for the Law Office of Paul N. Mirabelli, Mayor of Mountainside, N.J., and the Honorable John F. Malone in Elizabeth, NJ, as an intern, clerk, and court mediator. Her last place of employment before she opened her own practice was for Phelan, Hallinan & Schmieg, LLP in Newark, NJ where she worked mostly on civil matters. In 2014, Mechelle became a court-appointed attorney in Union County Superior Court for Guardianship matters. She received the highest award of SuperLawyers in her category as a 2015 Rising Star and has continued to do so every year up to this current year.
