Mara E. Cella obtained her Bachelor’s Degree Magna Cum Laude from Binghamton University in 2003 and went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from Cardozo School of Law in 2006. During law school, she worked diligently with Family Court Clinics assisting individuals filing for orders of protection. She began her law career as an associate at a Long Island defense firm where she handled matters concerning property liability, personal injury, medical malpractice, construction law as well as estate planning.
Thereafter, she held the position of Principal Assistant County Attorney in the Suffolk County Attorneys office in the Family Court Bureau where she practiced for 15 years. In that capacity, she prosecuted matters concerning child abuse, neglect and maltreatment in addition to Juvenile Delinquent matters. She served on the Child Welfare Court Improvement Project, collaborating statewide with stakeholders to improve the court system to better meet the needs of these families in need of support and services. During her time with the County, she delivered lectures and workshops to other assistant county attorneys as well as the Family Court defense bar and Child Protective Services workers. Mara has been admitted to practice in the State Courts of New York since 2006.