Profile

As Mariana Hogan remembers, she went to law school because she was attracted to a career that relied on words and analysis. But somewhat to her surprise, it turned out to be the human element—listening to people’s stories and helping solve their problems—that held the most appeal.

As a clinical and skills professor, she worked to give students a formative experience that transforms them from law students to caring professionals. In 2003, she and Professor Frank Bress developed New York Law School’s Criminal Defense Clinic for that purpose. Professor Hogan co-taught the clinic until 2009, when she became Associate Dean for Professional Development. Additionally, as Director of Externship Programs for more than 20 years, she also placed student externs with judges and lawyers, where they take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it on real cases.

At the beginning of her career, Professor Hogan worked as a staff attorney in the Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Division in the South Bronx. As a public defender, she was in court every day arguing motions, making bail applications, plea bargaining, and conducting hearings and trials. She then moved to the federal court in the Eastern District of New York as a staff attorney in Legal Aid’s Federal Defender Services Unit.

Professor Hogan is a sought-after lecturer and teacher of trial, deposition, and motion argument skills at Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs. She leads programs on advocacy for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy at law firms and government agencies and in public programs across the country, and she is a member of the faculty at the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

Professor Hogan is also an active member of the legal community in New York City. She has served several terms on the Board of the New York County Lawyers’ Association (NYCLA). As a member, and then as Co-Chair, of NYCLA’s Task Force on the Representation of the Indigent, she was instrumental in the creation of a monitoring program to ensure competent representation for defendants who could not afford counsel, the Indigent Defense Organization Oversight Committee (IDOOC), where she has served since 2006. She has also served on the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. Professor Hogan was recognized by NYCLA for her role in developing and sponsoring its Annual Federal Criminal Practice Institute, which seeks to diversify the panel of attorneys available to represent indigent clients in the federal courts by training women and minority lawyers for federal practice.