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Elder Law and Disability Attorney Joins Thrive Montclair Slate

February 25, 2008 – Sumana Rangachar, an elder law and disability attorney in West Orange, has signed on with the Thrive Montclair slate as a candidate for Councilor at Large.

Sumana has provided legal counsel for many families in Essex County during a critical time in their lives. She has given lectures and presentations in the areas of Elder and Disability planning in community centers and nursing homes throughout New Jersey. Her practice combines social service and legal advocacy, both of which represent important values to her. She is eager to provide her expertise to Montclair’s residents as a member of the Town Council and to focus on the areas of fiscal responsibility and quality of life in Montclair.

Sumana moved to Montclair nine years ago with her husband and three young children, and says she has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of a community surrounded by educated, open-minded and friendly people. She is pleased that her children, now in Montclair’s elementary and middle schools, are socially aware and interested in the world around them. “I look forward to working with Thrive Montclair and giving back to a town that I truly love,” she says.

Previously, Sumana worked as in-house counsel at Wall Street Financial Corporation in Fairfield, New Jersey, where she managed the compliance department and was responsible for communicating on a regular basis with ten different state agencies conducting business with the firm. She started her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney for Bronx County, New York, devoting her eight year long career at the DA’s office to the Narcotics Bureau where she was responsible for investigating and prosecuting drug sales and drug related crimes that plagued the streets of the Bronx.

Sumana has been a Writer’s Room coach in Montclair High School for the past 5 years and has been an active troupe member of Kids on the Block Puppet Theater promoting disability and drug awareness for grade school children in Essex County for the past 6 years. She has chaired several committees in the Watchung PTA and is an active member of Mt. Hebron and Glenfield PTAs.

Sumana received her JD from New York Law School and her BA from Wesleyan University. She is a member of the New York and New Jersey bars.