Her Story
About Danielle
I started my legal career in January 2007 as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn DA's office. After about two and a half years, I transitioned to private defense practice, where I worked for a solo practitioner for nearly eight years. Now I'm with my current firm, Barquette, Epstein, Keron, Aldea, and Let Herco, where I do appellate work, criminal defense work, and prisoners' rights advocacy. My main areas of practice are post-conviction criminal practice and civil rights. On a typical day, I draft appeals to appellate courts throughout the state, investigate convictions, seek pathways for post-conviction relief, and advocate against violence in prisons and for prisoners' rights. One of my most notable professional achievements is winning the reversal of multiple murder convictions, including one just recently on December 31st, 2025, and another back in 2015. My experience at NYU, living in the East Village and seeing so much diversity and so many different kinds of people living in so many different ways, really shaped my desire to be part of that energy and advocate for people who need help.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Danielle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to never giving up. I think I learned this from a client once while we were waiting for a verdict, and he said, you know, you never lose if you never stop fighting. When I believe in something, I fight for it, I work hard for it, and I think that when you approach things like that with discipline and passion, you can make things happen.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say don't do it only for the money. You need your legal goals to be goals that motivate you morally, also. You want to do something that you're passionate about, that you care about. I think that has to come first, before the money.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I'm very troubled by the violence in the New York State prison system. There's a complete lack of any meaningful accountability for guards who abuse incarcerated people. Another challenge is competitive pricing and making yourself stand out. There's a lot of people practicing, and it's competitive. When people have more options, you don't want to lower your worth and lower your fees against your worth. You want to keep your prices up, but you also want to work with people and work with their budgets. People are suffering, and it's an irony that a lot of our clients that most need our help don't have the money to afford our services. It's like trying to strike a balance there.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · New York
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.