Malissa Osei

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Malissa  Osei 
Malissa Osei
Krauss Shaknes Tallentire & Messeri LLP
New YorkNY

Malissa Osei concentrates her practice in commercial litigation and matrimonial matters. She has experience litigating complex contract disputes, negotiating pre-nuptial agreements, and litigating child custody and child support matters in New York’s Family and Supreme Courts. Malissa was named to the National Black Lawyers’ 2019 class of Top 40 Under 40, an invitation-only network of African American attorneys from each state who demonstrate superior leadership, reputation, influence, stature, and profile.

Malissa is a member of the National Urban League Young Professionals, a network of young professionals across the United States that works to eradicate social and economic inequalities through community service and volunteer initiatives. She is also involved with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the New York Women’s Bar Association, and the Metropolitan Black Bar Association.

Before joining KSTM, Malissa worked with Caroline Krauss and Heidi Tallentire at Blank Rome, in one of the nation’s largest matrimonial practices. She received her law degree from Cornell Law School, where she served as an articles editor for the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy. Fluent in Twi, a dialect of Ghana, Malissa also served as an intern for the Legal Resources Centre, a Ghana-based human rights NGO. During her internship, she successfully sought a presidential pardon for a death row inmate, developed an anti-human trafficking training manual for prosecutors, and facilitated a public forum on election disputes.

HONORS

  • One to Watch for Family Law in New York, Best Lawyers (2023)
  • American Bar Association’s On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers (2021)
  • New York Super Lawyer Rising Star in Family Law (2022)
  • ­ Profiles in Diversity Journal's Women Worth Watching (2020)
  • ­ National Black Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, New York (2019)

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

  • Associate | Blank Rome

EDUCATION

  • Cornell Law School (J.D., 2014)
  • ­Fordham University (B.A., 2008)

MEMBERSHIPS

  • ­New York State Bar Association
  • New York Women’s Bar Association
  • National Urban League Young Professionals
  • ­NAACP Legal Defense Fund
  • ­Metropolitan Black Bar Association

ADMISSIONS

  • New York
  • District of Columbia

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