Charisa Kiyô Smith

Charisa Kiyô Smith is a Professor of Law at the CUNY School of Law, where she co-directs the intersectional Family Law Practice Clinic and teaches courses including Torts, Contemplative Practice & the Law, and Juvenile Law. A graduate of Yale Law School and Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, she previously served as the William Hastie Fellow at Wisconsin Law School (LL.M.). Her scholarship focuses on marginalized families, youth criminalization, disability justice, and carceral abolition, with notable works cited in federal and state courts. Smith integrates critical race feminism and vulnerability studies into her research, emphasizing legal and non-legal approaches to reparative justice.

Education:

• Yale Law School
• Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges

Research Interests:

• Criminalization of youth behavior
• Parental rights for mentally disabled individuals
• Mindful lawyering and legal education
• Intersectional family law
• Reparative/restorative justice frameworks

Key Articles: Her 2023 Rutgers Law Review piece analyzes youth-led movements' revolutionary potential, while her 2022 South Dakota Law Review article critiques cannabis law conflicts affecting family rights. The 2015 Quinnipiac Health L. J. article on ADA protections for disabled parents was cited in federal litigation.

Awards: Recipient of the Arthur Liman Fellowship, Schell Human Rights Fellowship, and NY Book Festival recognition for her biography of artist Tom Malloy.

Teaching & Advocacy: Former staff attorney at Advocates for Children of New York, Smith emphasizes youth empowerment and has worked internationally on human rights issues. She co-founded the Family Law Practice Clinic, blending legal education with community-based justice.

Labs/Teams: Director of the CUNY Family Law Practice Clinic, which provides legal services while training students in intersectional advocacy.