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Harvard Law School, J.D. , cum laude
Ames Moot Court Competition
Boykin C. Wright Memorial Prize for Best Overall Team
George S. Leisure Award for Best Oralist
Editor, Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review
Co-President, Harvard Society for the Separation of Church and State
Dean’s Award for Community Leadership
Yale College, B.A., Phi Beta Kappa
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Hon Raymond J. Lohier, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2016–2017)
Hon. Patti B. Saris, United States District Court, District of Massachusetts (2014–2015)
Hon. Barbara A. Lenk, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (2013–2014)
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New York
Massachusetts
Southern District of New York
Eastern District of New York
Northern District of New York
Western District of Oklahoma
First Circuit Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
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Member, New York City Bar Association Civil Rights Committee
2020-2021 Co-Chair of the Subcommittee on Qualified Immunity and Police Reform of the New York City Bar Association Federal Courts Committee
“Super Lawyers” Rising Star (2021–2022)
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Note, “Giving Casey Its Bite Back: The Role of Rational Basis Review in Undue Burden Analysis,” 48 Harvard Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review 279 (Spring 2013)
Co-author, New York City Bar Association, “Report in Support of Federal Police Reform Efforts: The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and Justice in Policing Act” (February 2021)
Emma Lerner Freeman
(413) 221-9033
Emma is an experienced appellate and trial advocate who has litigated various civil-rights, commercial, and class-action matters in federal and state court. She has dedicated her legal practice to eradicating corporate and government misconduct and discrimination, with a particular focus on fighting sexual abuse and assault; remedying discrimination against and mistreatment of persons with disabilities; combating misconduct and excessive force by police and correctional officers; preventing housing and employment discrimination; vindicating children’s and students’ rights; and litigating other constitutional questions. Emma has substantial expertise across an array of issue areas ranging from Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower protections, religious free exercise, and the Establishment Clause to civil RICO, the Rehabilitation Act, and the IDEA.
Emma previously litigated federal and state appeals with Apollo Law LLC, an appellate boutique that focuses on employee and consumer rights. Before that, Emma was a trial litigator with Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, a nationally recognized civil-rights boutique law firm in Manhattan. While there, Emma achieved a number of groundbreaking results, including reforming the New York Police Department’s and Yonkers Police Department’s discriminatory policies requiring arrestees to remove religious head coverings for mug shots and enabling a woman-led sexual wellness company to advertise on New York City subways.
Emma has also co-directed the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic at the University of Minnesota Law School since 2024.
Emma grew up in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and currently lives in Brooklyn. Outside the courtroom, Emma is likely enjoying a crossword puzzle or word game, reading fiction, or exploring local playgrounds with her family.

