Kaelia Plunkett is a dynamic and strategic advocate with over 15 years of experience in the areas of disability and administrative law. She brings her excellent advocacy skills and a penchant for meticulous attention to detail to GDH Law.
Kaelia holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Business Administration from Temple University and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She also holds a Master of Law (LL.M.) degree in Law and Government and Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree from American University.
As a student attorney in the Re-Entry of Ex-Offenders Clinic at Maryland Law, Kaelia managed several legal and practical issues for her clients. She assisted them in expunging eligible charges from their criminal record, led expungement informational workshops, and provided resources for housing and employment. The clinic also afforded her the opportunity to teach students awaiting sentencing about the collateral and societal consequences of incarceration. It also allowed her to be a part of community outreach programs that directly affected the lives of disenfranchised Baltimore City residents.
Upon graduating from law school, Kaelia served as a law clerk for the Honorable Martin P. Welch (ret.) in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. A hallmark of her clerkship tenure was being instrumental in preparing a landmark decision involving complex property and administrative law that was affirmed by the Supreme Court of Maryland.
Kaelia works for the federal government in the realm of disability and administrative law, which involves analyzing complex legal and policy issues that encompass the entire spectrum of case dispositions. She makes recommendations on the viability of cases being defended in federal court. Kaelia has trained employees on updated policy and legal initiatives and briefed senior officials on relevant policy developments involving the disabled and aging community. She was one of the contributors to the 2016 White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable Report and represented agency leaders at the Administrative Conference of the United States meetings.
In addition to her legal expertise, Kaelia served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she taught Introduction to Oral Advocacy to first-year law students. She volunteers with the Maryland Legal Aid Pro Bono Expungement Clinic and has given presentations on various civil rights and voting rights issues. She proudly served as a board member for Community Law in Action and chaired its Inspiring Voices fundraising program that highlighted the best and brightest of Baltimore City.
Kaelia is licensed to practice law in Maryland, New York, and New Jersey and is a member of the Maryland Association for Justice and Maryland State Bar Association. Kaelia is a travel enthusiast and likes to experiment with different recipes. She is an unrepentant New York Knicks fan and finds inspiration in the arts. In her spare time, she writes both poetry and short plays and enjoys producing and directing them.
Kaelia is delighted to join GDH Law, where she would be able to use her experience, legal training, and education to serve the best interests of her clients by working diligently to ensure that they achieve the best possible outcomes.
Bar Admissions
- Maryland, 2008
- New Jersey, 2009
- New York, 2009
Education
- Temple University, Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration, 2002
- University of Maryland Frances King Carey School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2007
- American University, Master of Law, Law and Government, 2022
- American University, Master of Public Administration, 2022
Memberships
- Maryland Association for Justice
- Maryland State Bar Association
