Our Staff
The staff of the Career Services Office is dedicated to providing students and alumni with a complete one-stop resource for their career related questions and issues. Our staff is well trained to respond to the complex and difficult career questions that regularly face students and alumni.
Margarett Williams
Assistant Dean of Career Services
(631) 761-7035
Margarett Williams, who joined our staff in 2007, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Adelphi University, where she graduated
summa cum laude, and her Juris Doctor from Touro Law Center. While a student, she served as President of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society and was recognized for excellence in trial practice and her contributions to the quality of student life.
Prior to attending law school, Ms. Williams spent almost 17 years in corporate Human Resources and Training in a $1.5 billion corporation currently owned by Motorola. During that time, she obtained certification in Human Resource Management from Cornell University. She practiced employment law after graduation, but quickly began pursuing her interest in family law. Shortly thereafter, she practiced matrimonial and family law at Winkler, Kurtz, Winkler & Kuhn, an AV rated law firm in Port Jefferson Station, New York. Ms. Williams has given presentations about resumes and provided counsel on job searches at the Association for the Bar of the City of New York. She has been also been recognized for her pro bono efforts by the Suffolk County Bar Pro Bono Foundation.
Erica Edwards-O’Neal
Senior Director of Career Services and Diversity Initiatives
(631) 761-7034
Erica Edwards-O'Neal received her Bachelor of Art in Government and Politics from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA and her Juris Doctor from Touro College Jacob. D. Fuchsberg Law Center. Prior to joining our Career Services Office in 2003, she served as the Director of a Legislative Advocacy Coalition in Nassau County, where she developed and enacted advocacy strategies related to the Nassau County and New York State Budget process on behalf of Nassau’s youth, mental health, substance abuse and child care agencies and the people they serve. Additionally, as a Legal Mentor and Community Development Liaison with the Time Dollar Organization in Washington, D.C., she was instrumental in the establishment of the District’s first Youth Court Diversion Program. She has also served as an Americorp VISTA volunteer, where she assisted in advocating for update housing rights legislation and established a New Home Ownership Program for low-moderate income families.
Ms. Edwards-O’Neal currently serves on the Board of several organizations, including Urban League/Dowling College GEARUP College Preparatory Program and the Suffolk County Community Council. She is a member of the Amistad Suffolk Count Black Bar Association, Suffolk County Women's Bar, and the New York City Bar’s Committee on Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers.
Charles Hill
Director of Career Services
(631) 761-7038
Charlie Hill received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Binghamton University, where he was an active member and Vice President of the Circle K community service organization. He earned his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School, where he received American Jurisprudence Awards in Professional Responsibility and in Civil Procedure. While attending law school at night, Mr. Hill was a trial investigator at Furey & Furey in Hempstead, NY and later clerked in the New York City office of Ahmuty, Demers and McManus.
After law school, he became associated with the litigation firm of Keller, O’Reilly and Watson, where he defended premises liability, labor law, and medical malpractice cases. Mr. Hill then joined the in-house insurance defense firm of Isserlis and Sullivan in Bethpage, NY. Charlie was with Isserlis & Sullivan for ten years, and, in addition to his responsibilities in representing clients in civil litigation matters, he also trained and mentored new attorneys and gave presentations to the paralegal staff on important legal developments. Mr. Hill joined our staff in 2007 as an Assistant Director of Career Services and was promoted to Director of Career Services in November, 2011.
Catherine Quinn
Assistant Director of Career Services
(631) 761-7032
Catherine Quinn received her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Fordham University and her Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, she worked in constituent services for two elected officials on Manhattan’s East Side. In addition, she was an Americorps volunteer for one year at Casa de Esperanza, a long-term shelter for children in Houston, TX. While attending law school in the evening division, she was a full-time paralegal in the litigation group at Peknic & Peknic, then in the real estate practice group at Herzfeld & Rubin. Following graduation, she remained an associate there, practicing real estate litigation. Ms. Quinn left there to become a Legal Conference Producer at American Conference Institute, where she was responsible for developing and promoting events examining legal issues associated with life science practices. For nearly two years she was an associate at Burns, Russo, Tamigi & Reardon, defending municipal law and premises liability cases. Ms. Quinn then joined Custom Legal Solutions, where she placed attorneys and legal support staff in permanent and temporary assignments at law firms and companies.
Thomas Maligno
Executive Director of the William Randolph Hearst Public Advocacy Center and Director of Public Service
(631) 761-7033
Thomas Maligno is Director of Public Interest at Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center and Executive Director of its William Randolph Hearst Public Advocacy Center (PAC), which was created by Touro Law in 2007 to bring together non-profit legal advocacy agencies to provide services to the community while providing opportunities for students to participate in pro bono work and gain hands-on legal training. Housed within the law school, the Center provides furnished offices at no cost to the advocacy groups. He oversees the Public Advocacy Center and works with its agencies and Touro Law students.
In addition to working with the PAC, Mr. Maligno has developed a wide range of public interest career opportunities for Touro Law students and graduates, and has been a highly visible supporter of pro bono activities at the law school. He is the advisor for the Public Interest Law Organization of Touro (PILOT) and works with the organization in securing summer fellowships.
During his 30-year career in public interest law, Mr. Maligno has received numerous state, local and national awards for his efforts in pro bono and public interest work. He has been part of the organized pro bono movement since 1978 when he helped create the Pro Bono Project on Long Island and his leadership was integral in creating a nationally recognized volunteer effort. In 1989, Mr. Maligno left the Pro Bono Project to become the Executive Director of Nassau Suffolk Law Services, one of the largest legal services program in the country Mr. Maligno is a consultant for the American Bar Association, helping to organize pro bono efforts in numerous communities across the United States. He is also the leader of the organized pro bono effort of both local bar associations; the Nassau County Bar Association and the Suffolk County Bar Association.
Brett Gilbert
Director of Alumni Career Services
(631) 761-7031
Brett Gilbert received his Bachelor of Science in physics and Master of Arts in philosophy from the University of Toledo, and his Juris Doctor from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Immediately after law school, he was a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society, Criminal Appeals Bureau, in New York City. Mr. Gilbert then became an associate for noted criminal defense attorney Benjamin Brafman, and thereafter became a partner in the firm of Brafman, Gilbert & Ross. In addition to his ten years with this firm, Dean Gilbert has operated a solo practice and has clerked for the Honorable Marcy L. Kahn, Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, New York County, Criminal Term.
Prior to joining Touro Law in 2006 as Assistant Dean, he was an Associate Director of Career Services at Brooklyn Law School for several years, during which time he sat for and passed the registration examination administered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He created and maintains the Law Center’s Career Services Office
blog and
Twitter feed, and has given presentations about social media and career services before NALP, the Association of Legal Career Professionals. Mr. Gilbert stepped down from the Assistant Dean position to become Director of Alumni Career Services in July 2010.
Robin Nackman, Esq.,
Director of Employer Relations
(631) 761-7048
Robin E. Nackman earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from The Johns Hopkins University and her Juris Doctor from the State University of New York at Buffalo. While a law student, Ms. Nackman was selected a member of the Law School’s Moot Court Board and served as it’s Director in her third year. At graduation she received the Robert J. Connelly Trial Technique Award, was appointed a member of the Order of Barristers and received the Judge Matthew J. Jason Appellate Practice Award.
Ms. Nackman began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Office of the Manhattan District Attorney, prosecuting all aspects of misdemeanor and felony criminal matters. For the next 10 years, Ms. Nackman continued her litigation practice as in-house counsel to Prudential Securities Inc. where as a First Vice President, Associate General Counsel she concentrated on defending the firm in securities litigation matters, regulatory and enforcement actions, administrative hearings and supervision of outside counsel. Thereafter, Ms. Nackman began her own general litigation practice concentrating her efforts in the areas of estate planning including probate and administration proceedings, real estate transactions, contract disputes, securities arbitration and mediations, class action consumer fraud claims, employment disputes and foreclosure matters. Ms. Nackman has written numerous articles appearing in RegisteredRep Magazine and has spoken extensively to senior citizens and women’s groups on how to avoid being a victim of securities fraud.
Claudia Morett has been with Touro Law Center since 2000, and manages all on-campus interview programs and job listings.
Irene “Cookie” Sacks
Receptionist
(631) 761-7037
Cookie Sacks, who joined Touro Law in 2000, is the Career Services Office receptionist. She manages all student appointments.