Richmond Law Launches New Criminal Justice Forum

“What we do is so important because public defense is the modern-day civil rights movement,” said Mychael Jefferson-Reese, ’00, Chief Public Defender for the Chesterfield County Public Defender's Office. “This is how we effectuate the most change to make our world a better place—by going to the court day in and day out and fighting for our clients.”

Jefferson-Reese’s comment came during a panel discussion that recently took place at the University of Richmond School of Law. The event was the first in a series taking place this fall as part of the school’s new Richmond Criminal Justice Forum.

Launched by Dave Johnson, L’83, visiting professor and retired executive director of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, the co-curricular program is designed to give law students the opportunity to explore careers in criminal justice and to provide a forum for discussions about criminal justice issues.

“We wanted to bring together the more than 25 criminal law courses that we offer and give students a clear path for how they can pursue a career in this field,” Professor Johnson said. “It’s important that students know what actual careers in this field look like and what they should be doing during law school to prepare themselves for success.”

A cornerstone of the forum is its speaker series. The first panel discussion, Two Ends of Criminal Justice: A Conversation About Careers in Criminal Justice, featured Jefferson-Reese and Shannon Taylor, L’95, Commonwealth's Attorney for the County of Henrico. The two discussed the paths they took to arrive at their current positions, the challenges they face in these roles, and their respective viewpoints on job satisfaction.

The discussion was moderated by Amari Harris, L’13, head of diversity and recruiting at the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission.

Additional discussions, each featuring Richmond Law graduates now working in the criminal justice field, are planned throughout the forum. They include:

Oct. 17– A Day in the Life of and Assistant Public Defender
Nov. 2 – Internships in Criminal Justice
Nov. 15 – A Day in the Life of an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney

“Public interest attorneys report having a high level of job satisfaction,” Professor Johnson said. “The forum is one way to expose students to rewarding, impactful careers in criminal justice.”

Alumni interested in learning more about the Richmond Criminal Justice Forum can contact Johnson directly at djohnso7@richmond.edu.