when the outlaw is the government

marashi legal

civil rights law & policy

01. clients02.  adversaries03.Collaborators04. policy05. resources06. FAQ's
CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES?
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about us

Marashi Legal was founded with a single, lofty objective: to provide top-quality client-centered service using methods and principles not found in most law offices. We aim to shake up how legal services are viewed and delivered.

Going to court can be an intimidating and alienating process. It is our mission to transform that process into a reassuring, personal, and understandable experience.

At Marashi Legal, our clients are more than just clients: we don’t just believe in your case, we believe in you! Our priority is to offer you high-quality work at an affordable rate with an emphasis on friendly, personalized communication.

We are located in the Bronx near Yankee Stadium. We hope you’ll find our
resources helpful, and we invite you to get in touch with us!read our philosophy

mending
the law

not bending the law

we do
hard things

with extraordinary results

a joyful
result

your case - your voice

team

At Marashi Legal, we rely on client-centered design, innovative application of technology, and a talented team to deliver this to our clients.

lawyer

p. jenny marashi

Government Outlaw chaser by day, art director to her two kids by night, After graduating from college with a degree in philosophy and international relations, Jenny wanted to study law, or as she thought, the practical application of our philosophical ideals. After spending much time not going to any Ohio State University football games, she wanted to pursue the practical effects of our hidden beliefs. An example she would give for the one year she spent as a substitute teacher in Columbus City schools, and then as an intern at the United Nations Secretariat, is that everyone thinks they are not a racist until they have to vote on allowing/busing other kids into their own towns/districts.

Since graduating from Cardozo Law School in NYC in 2002, Jenny has been practicing human rights, and exclusively civil rights cases for 15 years, in both federal and state court. She is admitted to practice in all NY state courts and all four New York Federal Courts.  When not, not embroidering her tablecloths, starting equitably resourced and traded businesses or marble sculpting, Jenny is inspired by artists who think differently, and are forging new collaborations to challenge the status quo.

In her spare time, Jenny is on the steering committee for CCIT-NYC to reform police interactions with people undergoing a mental health crisis and is developing a database with her alma matter to improve litigating accountability against municipalities.

Jenny passing a book
paralegal

zach phillips


Zach has always wondered why: why are so many people are incarcerated in the United States; why do police, who are supposed to protect and serve, harm so many people unnecessarily; and why should anyone consider these conditions acceptable or compatible with life in a democracy? Since he began paralegaling for Prison Legal News / the Human Rights Defense Center while an undergraduate studying cultural anthropology of law and medicine at Hampshire College in 2008, he's been committed to providing paralegal, legal-investigatory, and editorial assistance to nonprofits such as the National Police Accountability Project of the National Lawyers' Guild and to private attorneys specializing in addressing civil rights violations by police departments, corrections agencies and their agents. Zach manages Marashi Legal's FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) investigations and discovery processes, as well as fielding legal research and spearheading and maintaining file organization. He reads and types very quickly.

In his private life, Zach is an experienced pianist and tape-recordist who plays in bands in three continents. He prefers writing to touring and considers himself a student of the music of Eduardo Mateo, Carla Bley, and Thelonious Monk. You can hear some of his music here.

Zach Passing a Book
intern

anna shvetsova

Anna Shvetsova, a junior political science honors and human rights student at CUNY Hunter College, is guided by her interest in restorative justice and legal reform. Originally from Ukraine, she believes that grassroots organizing and community assistance can transform our criminal legal, immigration, and healthcare systems. As a Jeannette K. Watson Fellow, and a former intern at Senator Gillibrand's office and the ACLU, she is excited to develop closer relationships with clients and provide holistic support. 



After completing her countless school papers and helping her younger sister with homework, she transforms into a craftswoman who keeps her hands busy with embroidery, wood carving, and other handicrafts. Although she likes to escape into the world of fantasy, Anna hopes to bring a touch of magic into our current world and prove that reality doesn't have to be cruel. After graduating, she hopes to open a non-profit organization that would help LGBTQ+ refugees resettle in the United States.




Anna moving a book
Paralegal

alfonzo riley

Alfonzo is an experienced and certified paralegal living in New York City, who’s been a voice of the voiceless for more than 30 years.  After he earned a B.S. in Management, he learned that law was his passion. He has a particular interest in leveling the playing field in the legal system for the impoverished and the imprisoned.  Although his expertise lies in criminal law, he has also prepared and filed many civil rights complaints on behalf of men and women who would have otherwise been without the assistance of counsel.  He currently works for a public defender’s office and for private practitioners doing public interest work.

Alfonzo is also a certified “Credible Messenger,” which means he uses the experiences of his own humble beginnings to mentor so-called at-risk youth.  He is a volunteer chess instructor for a nonprofit organization in Brooklyn, NY where he teaches life skills to young people, using chess as a metaphor for life.  He teaches them to think before they act, calculate risks, consider all options, and that everything that glitters isn’t gold.Alfonzo is also a part-time student in the graduate program at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies where he is pursuing Masters Degree in Urban Studies.

Alfonso reading notebook
DESIGNER

parastou marashi



A product designer with 15 years of experience, Parastou has led design of software and digital experiences for Bloomberg and Accenture; at agencies including RAPP and R/GA; and for startups like BoomGen and Gamechanger Media. Her client roster includes Nike, Verizon, Turner, NBCU, and Viacom.

Parastou holds a B.S. in Architecture from the Ohio State University, and an masters degree from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (Tisch School of the Arts). She loves to learn, and to share what she learns with others.



parastou reading rumi
advisor

bijan marashi

A startup coach in the Silicon Valley with 25+ years of industry experience, Bijan has more than a dozen venture + Morefinancings, 8 acquisitions with major companies including LinkedIn, Yahoo, and Mozilla and university lab spinouts.

Over the years, Bijan has worked with many repeat founders who have enjoyed his sense of humor, ability to develop + phase product strategies while bringing out their A-game.







Zach Passing a Book
257
happy clients
15
Years of Practice
47
collaborators
220
completed cases
EXCESSIVE 
FORCE
WRONGFUL 
ARREST
ABUSE OF 
GOVERNMENTAL
 PROCESS
ACS 
MISCONDUCT
PRISONERS RIGHTS
EIGHTH 
AMENDMENT
FABRICATING 
EVIDENCE
HOLDING
 SUPERVISORS 
ACCOUNTABLE
EXCESSIVE
 GOVERNMENT FINES
RACISM
RETALIATION 
FOR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS
AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT
GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACIES
CORRUPTION
MALICIOUS PROSECUTION

resources


contact

Contact us today to set up a time to speak, or have a video call with us about your civil rights issue.

Phone: +1 - 917-703-1742
Location: 930 Grand Concourse #1E, Bronx, NY 10451
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