Michele M. Hayes-Martinez
Michele hails from the southern Adirondacks and currently resides in Queensbury. After high school, she joined the US Air Force and served 22 years before retiring as a Master Sergeant. While in the service, she also obtained degrees in Avionics, legal studies, and human resource management.
Since 1998, Michele has been working in the legal field in various positions within the United States Air Force JAG Corps, Department of Defense and Department of Justice. Prior to working in the private sector, Michele’s most recent experience had been supporting civil defense litigation practices as a Paralegal in defense of the federal government. Since Michele started as the Senior Paralegal at Johnson & Laws, LLC in October 2021, she has concentrated on federal and state litigation in civil rights, employment law, land use disputes and education law; Michele has also assisted in the defense of numerous state administrative proceedings.
In her spare time, Michele enjoys reading, hiking, kayaking, walking her dog and, most of all, traveling with her Fiancé to see their kids and grandkids.
Michelle K. LaRosa
Michelle K. LaRosa is a Paralegal at Johnson & Laws, LLC. She was born and raised in the Capital Region of New York, and now resides in Ballston Spa. Michelle earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Language Arts from SUNY Plattsburgh where she spent her free time as a writing and grammar tutor. She then went on to earn her Juris Doctorate with a full merit scholarship from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.
Michelle previously worked at a prominent Albany law firm where she gained experience in federal, state, and administrative law in the fields of Mass Torts and Workers’ Compensation. While attending law school, she also gained experience participating in the Pace Family Court Legal Program where Michelle advocated for victims of domestic violence. Since joining Johnson & Laws, LLC in January 2023, Michelle provides paralegal support on federal and state cases, as well as state administrative proceedings, focusing on civil rights law, education law, employment law.
Michelle prides herself on working closely with clients, helping them understand and navigate the process of litigation, and striving to be a friendly and approachable resource.
In her spare time, Michelle enjoys cooking new recipes, reading a good book, painting, knitting, and spending time with her family.
Carol-Jean “CJ” Cerqua
Carol-Jean (“CJ”) Cerqua brings her many years of office management and organizational skills to Johnson & Laws, LLC as Office Administrator/Billing Coordinator. She has an extensive retail background as a buyer/manager/event coordinator in various multi-store operations, including Cohoes Specialty Stores and The Party Warehouse. Most recently she was employed as a direct service provider to persons living with disabilities. A life-long resident of the Capital Region, Ms. Cerqua has served on the Board of Directors of several area not-for-profit organizations and as a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Now that Ms. Cerqua has ventured into the field of law, she brings her invaluable skills to assist the firm’s varied clients and personnel.