Lenina C. Trinidad ’00
Justice in Action: Q&A with CUNY Law Alums
Lenina C. Trinidad ’00 is a Senior Staff Attorney specializing in Family Law and Domestic Violence advocacy at Manhattan Legal Services, where she has served since graduating from CUNY Law. Deeply committed to grassroots work, she began her career working with community-based organizations in Harlem, providing legal support to the Dominican community and championing interdisciplinary approaches to intimate partner violence. In this Q&A, she shares reflections on her legal career, the lessons she’s carried forward, and advice for future legal advocates.
Q&A
Q. What was your first job after graduating law school? What did it teach you?
“My current job was my first job! It was Harlem Legal Services then and I was hired to provide services to the primarily Dominican community in the Heights. I spent several days a week at small community based DV [Domestic Violence] organizations. I learned what it meant to work in an interdisciplinary model, how people other than lawyers approach domestic violence, and really engaged with grassroots efforts to address intimate partner violence.”
Q. How did CUNY Law prepare you for practicing law?
“CUNY Law was a very practical approach to education. Everything we did was rooted in the practical application. We were always considering how the topics we covered applied in the courtroom and in the communities we might be serving.”
Q. What was your favorite class? How did it prepare you to practice law?
“Weirdly, I loved civ pro. And yes, the CPLR [The New York Civil Practice Law and Rules] is still my favorite reading! If there is a motion to be made, I’m making it, if opposing counsel or the court is not following procedure, I’m calling it out – every time!”
Q. What is something you learned at CUNY Law that has stuck with you?
“For me, CUNY taught me that there is always a way. There is always something you can do to make things better and that there is always humanity on both sides of a conflict. The work is in seeking justice and honoring that humanity, no matter how hard it is to see sometimes.”
Q. If CUNY Law had a mascot, what should it be?
“The dolphin. They live and work together in family groups, are excellent hunters, and have been known to help animals and humans in danger.”
Q. What’s one piece of advice you have for current CUNY Law students?
“ASK FOR HELP. This was so hard for me to learn. I really believed that everyone just knew more than I did and somehow I missed the memo. Then I started talking to colleagues, approaching presenters at CLEs, and was so surprised at how much help these folks offered time and again. I try to pay that forward whenever I can and I really mean it when I tell students to reach out to me for help.”