Henal Patel

Henal Patel is Law and Policy Director at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. She leads the Institute’s body of policy work, which includes the economic justice program, focused on closing New Jersey’s vast racial wealth gap; the criminal justice reform program, focused on closing youth prisons and police accountability; and the democracy and justice program, which she previously directed and which is committed to making democracy real for everyone in the state – particularly the most marginalized. Before joining the Institute, Henal was an associate at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney and Carpenter. Previously, Henal had the honor of serving as a law clerk to Chief Justice Stuart Rabner on the New Jersey Supreme Court. She also served as general counsel and board member for the New Jersey Leadership Program. While in law school, Henal was an Eagleton Institute of Politics fellow (’13 GF), participated in the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, and served as an assistant to the Chairman of the New Jersey Redistricting Commission. Henal received her J.D. from the Rutgers University School of Law – Newark and her B.A. from Rutgers University. Henal also serves on the Board of Directors at the League of Women Voters of New Jersey.