• Tal Vicario

Tal Vicario is a Master of Arts Candidate in the United Nations and Global Policy Studies (UNMA) program in Political Science at Rutgers University, concentrating in Democracy, Human Rights, and Counter-Terrorism. He is interested in using law and policy to advance justice and equality in civil society, particularly to fight against injustices suffered by undocumented people and people accused of crimes in the United States. He began in the UNMA program in the Fall of 2020 and anticipates graduating in the Spring of 2022. After completing his Master of Arts degree, he plans to pursue work in the nonprofit and think tank sector and to pursue his Juris Doctor degree. After law school, he plans to work to reform criminal justice and immigration policy and to represent undocumented people.

Tal graduated with his Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University in 2018, where he majored in History and minored in Sociology. His Undergraduate coursework focused on the impact of American Reconstruction era politics and the Civil Rights Movement on criminal justice and immigration inequalities. Outside of the classroom, Tal was a member of Mock Trial, Behind the Glass, Best Buddies, the Club Basketball team, Wonderful Wednesday, and the WMRE radio network. Tal obtained work experience in different areas of the law, working for the District Attorney’s office, a personal injury law firm, and a criminal defense attorney.

After graduating, Tal worked at Citizens Union, an organization dedicated to government accountability and voting rights, where he helped to evaluate NYC Public Advocate candidates. In January of 2019, Tal returned to the New York County District Attorney’s Office, in order to gain more firsthand experience in criminal law. He began as a Paralegal before being promoted to a Senior Paralegal and then to Investigative Analyst, where he assisted with the investigation of violent Felonies. Tal left this position in June of 2021 to pursue his studies full time while seeking part time work opportunities.

Tal has bilingual fluency in Spanish and English and uses this knowledge in his personal and professional experiences. Tal seeks to be a part of communities where individuals work inside and outside of the justice system to develop transformative policies to advance social change.