In Memory of Susan Hallett, LAC Paralegal

With profound sadness, the Legal Action Center announces the death of Susan Hallett, a fiercely dedicated paralegal who passed away on January 3rd at age 62, following a brief illness. Susan worked at the Legal Action Center for ten years, helping thousands of formerly incarcerated people take the steps necessary to overcome hurdles to re-entry.

She gave effective, meaningful advice and counsel on everything from employment discrimination to sealing arrest records. She encouraged clients do what they could for themselves and taught them how to find the strength to make that happen. Her compassion and talent came both from personal experience with the criminal justice system, and from the heart. Susan also trained advocates and peers on rap sheet and reentry-related topics, and was much in demand as a speaker. She conceived of and was the main force in creating Legal Action Center's DVD, Your Rights, Your Future, geared to helping incarcerated people learn their rights and make plans for what to expect "on the outside."

Susan was an early participant in the Puppies Behind Bars program, through which prison inmates train service dogs, and a longtime dedicated supporter of this life-changing group. She was also deeply involved in Our Journey and WORTH (Women On The Rise Telling HerStory), organizations that offer support to women touched by the corrections system.

An upstate New York native, Susan was devoted to her sister, Gloria, brother-in-law Mike, nieces and other family members who survive her, to her friends, and to her pets, Hercules and Jolie. Contributions in Susan's name may be made to:

• Puppies Behind Bars, 10 East 40th Street, Floor 19, New York, NY 10016, and
• Our Journey, Inc., P.O. Box 134, Fort Tilden, NY 11697 (both tax-exempt organizations).

A memorial is being planned, and an announcement will be made at a later date.

We were privileged to know and work with Susan, and already miss her more than words can express.