Michele M. Hayes-Martinez
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. Her most recent experience has been supporting civil defense litigation practices as a Paralegal in defense of the federal government. Since Michele started as a Paralegal at Johnson & Laws, LLC, she has concentrated on federal and state litigation in civil rights and education law, as well as state administrative proceedings.
Deanna Giroux
Deanna Giroux is a Paralegal/Law Clerk at Johnson & Laws, LLC. She was raised in Ellenton, Florida in Manatee County and currently resides in Albany County. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Albany where she graduated magna cum laude in 2020. She is currently attending Albany Law School in pursuit of her Juris Doctorate.
Prior to joining Johnson & Laws, Ms. Giroux gained legal experience as a Paralegal working in the Mass Torts and Product Liability Departments of a preeminent Albany law firm. With Johnson and Laws, LLC, she now concentrates on federal and state litigation in the practice areas of Civil Rights and Education Law.
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 has 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. She has also gained experience participating in the Pace Family Court Legal Program where she advocated for victims of domestic violence. At Johnson & Laws, LLC, Michelle now focuses on federal and state litigation in civil rights law as well as state administrative proceedings.
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.