I have been a professional for 15 years as a Spanish teacher then as a criminal defense attorney. I trained under some of the best criminal defense and civil rights attorneys in the country. I have ample appellate experience; I have written Supreme Court briefs in two states, argued in the Superior Court, and even worked for a federal appellate judge, as an intern, writing memos and opinions. I graduated with honors and a Certificate in Trial Advocacy from the #1 law school in the country for Trial Advocacy: Temple Law. I received three graduation awards, including the National Order of the Barristers Award for oral advocacy and brief writing.

I have ample legal writing experience. I spent a year interning for a federal appellate judge and served as a Teaching Assistant for four semesters of Legal Research and Writing I & II. I have written and argued hundreds of motions and briefs for trials and appeals. My writing has been commended as “the work of a top-notch clerk.”

I am the Vice President of the Philadelphia chapter board of the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU was founded in 1920 to fight against government oppression and defend the Constitution.

I served as a proud attorney for many years in two public defender offices: the Defender Association of Philadelphia and the Office of the Public Defender of Bucks County. The Defender Association receives 1,000 applications per year and hires 20 attorneys after three intense rounds of interviewing. Anyone who has sat in a criminal courtroom has watched public defenders explain statutes, case law, rules of evidence, rules of criminal procedure, diversion options, strategic motions, and local practice to clients, private criminal defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges—even strangers, trying to facilitate best outcomes for each person who passes through a courtroom. I’ve seen shocking things in court and worked every day to try to reduce the horrors I saw. Public defenders could work at large firms and make 3x as much money but instead choose to represent clients who cannot afford representation during what may be a life-changing moment. We sometimes say it’s the best defense money can’t buy.