Emily is a Staff Attorney for the Beyond Guilt Project. She grew up in Butler County, Ohio, and attended Miami University, earning her B.A. in Psychological Science with a minor in Criminal Justice. Having a background in psychology enables Emily to consider the intersectionality of mental health with our criminal justice system, and how oftentimes there are underlying concerns that prevent people from being the best versions of themselves.
Emily earned her J.D. from The University of Tennessee College of Law in 2021 with a focus in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. There, she was awarded the McClung Medal for Excellence in Moot Court and named to the Order of the Barristers. She spent all three years on the Phi Alpha Delta Mock Trial Team. She shares her passion for teaching advocacy skills by coaching her former mock trial team remotely each year.
Aside from working with great mentors and friends, Emily believes her most influential experience in law school was reading Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. She cites this book as the reason she became a defense attorney, and Mr. Stevenson’s famous quote, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done,” as her reason for pushing forward when overwhelmed by the heaviness that defense work carries. The compassion that Mr. Stevenson shows for his work and for clients—regardless of their convictions—is something Emily strives to incorporate in her practice every day.
She has experience as both a defense attorney and prosecutor, which she believes helps her have a well-rounded perspective in analyzing a case. In preparing for any advocacy, Emily believes it is important to start by asking questions the opposing party will want to know. For Beyond Guilt clients, that means assessing a case from the perspective of a Parole Board Member, anticipating their concerns, preparing clients for tough questions, and pushing back when necessary.
Emily is passionate about holistic defense and representation, which enables her to look at issues and the struggles a client may face that caused them to end up in their current situation, and how to best prevent that from happening again. According to the NACDL, holistic defense “fulfills the right to counsel with the root-cause responsivity, using interdisciplinary teams to isolate and treat not just the criminal case but also the circumstances that contributed to system involvement.” This can include addressing housing concerns, mental health, struggles with addiction and maintaining sobriety, and integrating community support wherever possible. Another important aspect of holistic defense is communication and education; Emily believes that giving clients a realistic understanding of the process is crucial for clients to make informed choices about their case and take an active role in their own representation. Practicing with the Hamilton County Public Defender and working with their team of social workers, helped Emily develop skills in coordinating with community resources and working with clients to determine what they believe will help them succeed while also addressing the concerns of the State and Court. Her favorite part of advocating for clients is highlighting who they are outside of their charges and helping them succeed with the right support.
In her free time, Emily enjoys kayaking and hiking in Red River Gorge, and reading both fiction and non-fiction books, particularly fantasy and memoirs. She has recently started baking sourdough bread with inclusions from her garden (her favorites are blueberry and lemon, and jalapeno cheddar), and quilting. Emily is a Cincinnati sports fan, cheering for the Reds and Bengals, and she loves Tennessee football.