Sarah Yousuf
Senior Attorney
Sarah recently joined Massachusetts Advocates for Children as a Senior Attorney, where she will provide legal representation and conduct systemic legal and policy advocacy on a range of education issues including special education, student discipline, immigrant student rights, and homelessness, with a focus on Boston and Lawrence public schools.
Prior to joining MAC, Sarah served as the Senior Supervising Attorney at the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee (MHLAC), where she oversaw a team of legal advocates and led systemic advocacy efforts on behalf of individuals with psychiatric diagnoses. Her leadership at MHLAC emphasized partnerships with grassroots organizations and efforts to transform carceral and coercive systems of care.
Sarah brings over a decade of experience in policy advocacy, legal services, and community organizing. As Associate Director of City and County Policy at Community Renewal Society in Chicago, she spearheaded legislative campaigns focused on police accountability and housing justice. She previously served as Policy Director at the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations, where she co-led successful efforts to pass the End Booking Stations Act, the Trust Act, and the VOICES Act in Illinois.
Earlier in her career, Sarah worked as a public defender in Cook County, representing parents in child protection cases, and contributed to post-conviction investigations with the California Innocence Project. She holds a J.D. from California Western School of Law and a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago.