Nuzhat Chowdhury
Senior Counsel at New Jersey Institute for Social Justice- Claim this Profile
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Bengali Native or bilingual proficiency
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French Limited working proficiency
Topline Score
Bio
Credentials
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New York State Bar
New York State Bar AssociationNov, 2016- Nov, 2024
Experience
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New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
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United States
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Think Tanks
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1 - 100 Employee
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Senior Counsel
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Jan 2023 - Present
Senior Counsel with the Democracy & Justice Program
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Associate Counsel
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Aug 2022 - Jan 2023
Associate Counsel with the Democracy & Justice Program
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Brennan Center for Justice
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United States
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Think Tanks
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100 - 200 Employee
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Legal Consultant
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Sep 2021 - Jul 2022
Working on legal and legislative advocacy projects related to the reform of the New York Board of Elections and elections security. Project work includes legislative drafting, participating in coalition building, engaging with government and non-government stakeholders and allies, internal and external legal analysis and memorandum writing, and contributing to overall advocacy efforts. Working on legal and legislative advocacy projects related to the reform of the New York Board of Elections and elections security. Project work includes legislative drafting, participating in coalition building, engaging with government and non-government stakeholders and allies, internal and external legal analysis and memorandum writing, and contributing to overall advocacy efforts.
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New York City Council
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United States
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Government Administration
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500 - 600 Employee
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Legislative Counsel
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Jul 2017 - Sep 2021
Led and facilitated the legislative process for the committees on Aging, Civil Service and Labor, and Veterans. Organized and conducted public oversight and legislative hearings with Council members, closely collaborated with Committee Chair to set the committee agenda, and substantively briefed the Chair before each hearing. Heard and solicited feedback on legislation, negotiated and revised legislation with the Administration, and organized the committee vote. Drafted legislation in a variety of issue and legal areas, including: labor rights and protections, age discrimination, political speech in the workplace, oversight of homeless shelters, transportation, and resources for veterans.As Labor Counsel, held extensive roundtables with labor and business stakeholders on expanding the City’s paid sick leave law, led oversight efforts on the impact of COVID on labor and workplaces, and helped pass the City’s first just cause protection legislation for fast food workers. As Aging Counsel, helped lead, draft, and pass the City’s first anti-aging discrimination legislative package.
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Social Justice Fellow, Civil Rights Committee
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Jan 2017 - Jul 2017
Drafted legislative requests from Council members, including proposed bills and resolutions, on civil rights issues impacting New Yorkers, including employment and housing discrimination, and immigration. Conducted preemption analyses and prepared legal memorandums on the power of the Council to legislate on issues. Helped run committee hearings by compiling witness lists, writing committee reports, preparing questions and opening statements for the chair, and writing the hearing summary after.
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Center for Appellate Litigation
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United States
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Law Practice
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1 - 100 Employee
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Appellate Fellow
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Sep 2015 - Sep 2016
After communicating closely with clients and combing through extensive records from the trial level below, conducted extensive legal research and wrote criminal appellate briefs, submitted to the First Appellate Division, for clients on claims including: excessive sentences, improper court procedures, and Padilla/lack of proper advice for immigration consequences. Worked on a variety of projects with multiple supervisors, including: investigatory work involving reaching out to the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, filing a subpoena, working with a videographer to examine evidence, and filing FOIA requests, and compilation of exhibits for and review of a 440 motion. Also visited assigned and unassigned clients in various state detention facilities, wrote and submitted parole packets to the Parole Board, and worked closely with clients on prison condition issues.
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Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic
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Greater New York City Area
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Clinical Intern
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Sep 2014 - May 2015
Attend weekly seminar addressing human rights goals, strategies, and tactics. Simultaneously, work with clinic director, project team, and local NGO to design, create, and implement a year-long project concentrating on building NGO's capacity and enhancing evidence collecting strategies, as well as securely documenting potential war crimes and grave human rights concerns in a conflict zone in Africa, while also providing feedback to peers on other clinic projects. Attend weekly seminar addressing human rights goals, strategies, and tactics. Simultaneously, work with clinic director, project team, and local NGO to design, create, and implement a year-long project concentrating on building NGO's capacity and enhancing evidence collecting strategies, as well as securely documenting potential war crimes and grave human rights concerns in a conflict zone in Africa, while also providing feedback to peers on other clinic projects.
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Columbia Law Writing Center
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Greater New York City Area
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Writing Fellow
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Jul 2014 - May 2015
Meet individually with 1Ls and LLM students to review legal writing assignments, including legal briefs and memos, in order to strengthen legal writing and Bluebooking abilities, including persuasive writing techniques and properly organizing legal writing through IRAC/CREAC. Additionally, create Writing Center lunchtime programming to teach legal writing methods through outreach presentations to the law school student body at large. Meet individually with 1Ls and LLM students to review legal writing assignments, including legal briefs and memos, in order to strengthen legal writing and Bluebooking abilities, including persuasive writing techniques and properly organizing legal writing through IRAC/CREAC. Additionally, create Writing Center lunchtime programming to teach legal writing methods through outreach presentations to the law school student body at large.
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Children's Rights, Inc.
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New York City, New York
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Legal Intern
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Jul 2014 - Aug 2014
Conducted legal research on class certification in different circuits, prepared findings of fact by reading through depositions, compiled data on foster group homes gathered through investigative incident reports, and researched evidentiary standards to aid expert reports, all for pending investigation against Fresno and litigation against Texas to reform state child welfare systems. Conducted legal research on class certification in different circuits, prepared findings of fact by reading through depositions, compiled data on foster group homes gathered through investigative incident reports, and researched evidentiary standards to aid expert reports, all for pending investigation against Fresno and litigation against Texas to reform state child welfare systems.
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Legal Resources Centre
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South Africa
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Legal Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Legal Intern
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May 2014 - Jul 2014
Interviewed African refugees seeking asylum in South Africa and completed client intake forms to be presented at the weekly litigation decision meeting. Researched and worked on a variety of projects on behalf of attorneys, including drafting a letter to the South African audit committee for transparency in governance of a post-Apartheid reparations fund, drafting a letter to the Minister of Home Affairs to ensure female asylum seekers were interviewed by female officials, and crafted arguments for various asylum rejection appeals. Observed the South African court system by sitting in on Advocate arguments to judges in the High Court on Legal Resource Centre cases.
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UNDP
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United States
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International Affairs
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700 & Above Employee
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Democratic Governance and Rule of Law Group Extern
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Feb 2014 - May 2014
Attended a weekly seminar at Columbia Law School on the functioning of and policy behind the United Nations. Participated in fieldwork with UNDP, including conducting legal research on legal aid legislation in all countries, created a UNDP fact sheet on transitional justice policies, organized brown bag lectures, and created a UNDP Rule of Law knowledge product policy update communication. Attended a weekly seminar at Columbia Law School on the functioning of and policy behind the United Nations. Participated in fieldwork with UNDP, including conducting legal research on legal aid legislation in all countries, created a UNDP fact sheet on transitional justice policies, organized brown bag lectures, and created a UNDP Rule of Law knowledge product policy update communication.
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Columbia Law Foundations Moot Court Program
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New York City, NY
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Teaching Fellow
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Jan 2014 - May 2014
Co-taught a weekly legal writing class section of 16 first year law students with a practitioner-legal writing instructor and teaching fellow partner. Worked with half the class personally to help develop their legal writing and problem analysis skills in response to the Moot Court problem by extensively working with them on their legal briefs through multiple drafts, and preparing them for oral arguments. Co-taught a weekly legal writing class section of 16 first year law students with a practitioner-legal writing instructor and teaching fellow partner. Worked with half the class personally to help develop their legal writing and problem analysis skills in response to the Moot Court problem by extensively working with them on their legal briefs through multiple drafts, and preparing them for oral arguments.
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Davis, Polk, & Wardell Asylum Workshop
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New York, New York
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Volunteer
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Oct 2013 - Dec 2013
Attend weekly workshops, taught by two attorneys from Davis, Polk, & Wardell, about asylum and refugee policies, representation, and processing within the United States. Assisting a group of attorneys to represent and help prepare a Nepalese political asylee for removal proceedings. Attend weekly workshops, taught by two attorneys from Davis, Polk, & Wardell, about asylum and refugee policies, representation, and processing within the United States. Assisting a group of attorneys to represent and help prepare a Nepalese political asylee for removal proceedings.
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ACLU
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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700 & Above Employee
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Law Clerk, National Security/Immigrants' Rights Project
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May 2013 - Aug 2013
Researched and wrote memoranda addressing First and Fourth Amendment violations in an incident of police harassment in rural Georgia. Drafted Open Records Requests and demand letters for and personally communicated with all Georgia Sheriffs offices regarding religious headwear policies in Georgia prisons. Researched and wrote memoranda addressing First and Fourth Amendment violations in an incident of police harassment in rural Georgia. Drafted Open Records Requests and demand letters for and personally communicated with all Georgia Sheriffs offices regarding religious headwear policies in Georgia prisons.
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Emory Law School
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Atlanta, Georgia
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Research Assistant for Professor Mary Dudziak
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May 2013 - Aug 2013
Researched Congressional events and statements surrounding the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution using journal databases and Westlaw for her forthcoming book on Presidential war and foreign powers. Researched Congressional events and statements surrounding the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution using journal databases and Westlaw for her forthcoming book on Presidential war and foreign powers.
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Missouri Scholar's Academy
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Columbia, Missouri
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Resident Advisor
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Jun 2012 - Jul 2012
Worked with a group of 10 other Resident Advisors to organize and care for 300+ of Missouri's brightest, gifted high school students for an intensive three week session on the University of Missouri's campus. In charge of a "house" of 15 girls, organizing group bonding, debriefing after their days, and creating a smaller community within a larger environment for them. Co-taught a "Personal and Social Dynamics" session daily with an instructor. Worked with a group of 10 other Resident Advisors to organize and care for 300+ of Missouri's brightest, gifted high school students for an intensive three week session on the University of Missouri's campus. In charge of a "house" of 15 girls, organizing group bonding, debriefing after their days, and creating a smaller community within a larger environment for them. Co-taught a "Personal and Social Dynamics" session daily with an instructor.
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Representative Mary Still
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Jefferson City, Missouri
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Intern
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Jan 2012 - May 2012
Accompanied Representative Still to meetings with constituents, researched and tracked legislation. Drafted her editorial pieces and wrote articles for the Representative’s newsletter. Organized, publicized, and staffed kick-off and fundraising events for the Mary Still for Senate campaign. Updated social network accounts and tracked opponent’s Senate votes. Accompanied Representative Still to meetings with constituents, researched and tracked legislation. Drafted her editorial pieces and wrote articles for the Representative’s newsletter. Organized, publicized, and staffed kick-off and fundraising events for the Mary Still for Senate campaign. Updated social network accounts and tracked opponent’s Senate votes.
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University of Missouri Nursing Online Writery
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Columbia, Missouri
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Online Writery Reviewer
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Nov 2011 - May 2012
Provided critique on substance, writing structure and organization on lengthy nursing graduate papers. Adapted to reading unfamiliar medical concepts in order to fully assess writing effectiveness. Provided critique on substance, writing structure and organization on lengthy nursing graduate papers. Adapted to reading unfamiliar medical concepts in order to fully assess writing effectiveness.
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Missouri Public Defender's Office
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Columbia, Missouri
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Intern
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May 2011 - Jan 2012
Examined discovery to write case summaries and issue spot. Conducted initial interviews with defendants and updated their case files. Actively participated in voir dire by helping attorneys with final jury selection. Observed arraignment hearings and full length bench and jury trials. Examined discovery to write case summaries and issue spot. Conducted initial interviews with defendants and updated their case files. Actively participated in voir dire by helping attorneys with final jury selection. Observed arraignment hearings and full length bench and jury trials.
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University of Missouri Career Center
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Columbia, Missouri
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Career Specialist
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Jan 2009 - May 2011
Revised and strengthened résumés and cover letters in order to prepare customers for job searching, guided customers in major, career, and job exploration and prepared them for interviews, and worked closely with the International Students’ Career Services to better aid international students. Mentored and instructed two Career-Specialist-in-Trainings on a weekly basis for a full semester each. Also worked as a Coordinator for the Outreach Team, where I: created presentation training curriculum with two fellow coordinators for weekly Outreach meetings, co-led weekly training meetings of 10-20 members with a focus on strengthening presenting skills, and presented Powerpoints on creating resumés, interviewing, and career exploration to freshman through senior-level classes, large student organizations, and campus-wide activities fairs.
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Writing Tutor
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Jan 2009 - May 2010
Reviewed papers with undergraduate and graduate students, face-to-face, four hours a week, focusing on organizational, structural, and substantive issues to aid in writing development. Reviewed papers with undergraduate and graduate students, face-to-face, four hours a week, focusing on organizational, structural, and substantive issues to aid in writing development.
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The Susan Horak Real Estate Group
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Columbia, Missouri
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Administrative Assistant
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Jun 2007 - Dec 2008
Answered real estate and rental clients’ requests via phone calls, emails, and personal contact, and created organizational systems and scanned and filed important housing documents within the systems. Used Microsoft Word and Microsoft Database programs to complete housing paperwork before housing surveys and open houses as well as after settlements, and adapted to a fast-paced and stressful work environment by cooperating with other administrative assistants, real estate agents, title companies, and clients.
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Education
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2013 - 2015
Columbia Law School
Doctor of Law (JD) -
2012 - 2013
Emory University School of Law
Doctor of Law (JD) -
2007 - 2011
University of Missouri-Columbia
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Communication -
2010 - 2010
Oxford University
International Relations and Affairs, Islamic History -
2004 - 2007
Rock Bridge High School
Community
