Source: United States Coast Survey, New Haven Harbor. Map, 1846, scale: 1:30,000. Source: Library of Congress
Our Story
Mill River Advisory takes its name from two Mill Rivers that have connected us to our community at different times: one in South Salem, NY, and the second in New Haven, CT. The name reflects something we believe deeply: the most meaningful and lasting work happens when organizations are deeply rooted in the communities they serve — and that conviction shapes how we practice. Being rooted in community is a value that informs not just the work we do, but how we do it.
Experience Grounded in Practice
We bring over twenty years of on-the-ground experience to every engagement. Before founding Mill River Advisory, we served as in-house counsel to a range of mission-driven organizations. That means we know what navigating the governance challenges, funding complexities, and operational realities feels like, and we have experience finding a workable path forward when stakes are high, resources are limited, and the mission can't wait.
Long-Term Relationships
Long-term relationships are at the heart of our practice. We take the time to understand your specific challenges and goals, and we stay invested in your success long after the immediate work is done. That's why we work on a flat-fee model - we never want you to hesitate to pick up the phone if you have a question, and we want to be able to have the conversations that lead to the best advice, without worrying about the clock.
Focus on Solutions
Mill River Advisory provides practical legal counsel that moves things forward instead of slowing things down. We connect legal advice to operational reality, taking a multi-disciplinary approach that keeps the big picture in view, cuts through complexity to find workable solutions, manages risk without losing momentum, and positions our clients for success over the long term.
Our Team
Lauren has been providing legal and strategic counsel to mission-driven organizations, companies, and funders for over twenty years, helping build the structure, capacity, and resources to tackle the toughest challenges. From her early days leading a nonprofit dedicated to breaking the link between poverty and poor health for children and families, and then working in the U.S. Senate, Lauren has been drawn to the solutions that emerge when you look across sectors and bring unlikely partners to the table. That instinct has shaped her entire career.
As in-house counsel at a wide range of mission-driven organizations from Yale
University and Commonfund, to clean energy start-ups and hybrid social enterprises, Lauren has navigated tricky governance challenges, complex capital structures, and shifting regulatory environments firsthand. Her deep experience in investment management — structuring and advising on alternative investment vehicles, working alongside fund managers and institutional investors — allows her to advise on creative capital structures that mission-driven organizations increasingly rely on. That's the experience she brings to every engagement: practical, grounded counsel that works in the real world.
Thought Leadership
Lauren writes and speaks on impact finance and risk management, teaches at Yale
School of Management on innovating within uncertain regulatory climates, and serves
on the Board of Common Ground in New Haven, CT.
Education
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JD, Georgetown University Law Center
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AB, Harvard College
Admissions
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CT
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NY
