Mariel Mussack L’20

Mariel is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied Comparative Literature and Global Studies, and graduated with Highest Honors. As an undergraduate student, Mariel spent most of her time advocating for immigrant workers. After college, Mariel moved to Philadelphia to work as a paralegal at Community Legal Services (CLS), where she assisted low-income tenants facing eviction and termination of subsidized housing benefits. 

At Penn Carey Law, Mariel served as co-director of the Penn Carey Law Immigrant Rights Project, through which she organized a variety of pro bono projects and clinics to serve immigrants in the Philadelphia area. She has also served on the boards of If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice and the National Lawyers’ Guild. Mariel is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Law and Social Change.  

In 2020, Mariel began a Skadden Foundation Fellowship at Justice at Work PA. Her fellowship project focused on addressing the various legal needs of workers recruited to Pennsylvania through temporary labor migration programs. After her fellowship, Mariel stayed on at Justice at Work as a staff attorney. She currently represents low-wage immigrant workers in employment and immigration matters, with a focus on how these two areas of the law intersect.