Jessica Frisina

Jessica Frisina, assistant professor of law, joins Rutgers Law School after spending a decade in criminal defense work. Drawing on her years of experience in indigent and youth defense, her research and writing center on police-citizen encounters, the treatment of youth in the criminal legal system, and the ethics of criminal practice. Professor Frisina teaches and writes about the theory and practice of criminal law. Drawing on her years of experience in indigent and youth defense, her research and writing center on police-citizen encounters, the treatment of youth in the criminal legal system, and the ethics of criminal practice. In addition to teaching the Ethics of Criminal Practice, she will launch and direct the Criminal Defense and Advocacy Clinic, where students will learn to zealously advocate for clients entangled in the criminal legal system, serving as their defense counsel from the time of arrest through resolution or trial.

Prior to joining the Rutgers faculty, Professor Frisina spent a decade in criminal defense. For the majority of her career, she served as an Assistant Deputy Public Defender in the Newark office of the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender (NJOPD). In that role, she handled a full felony caseload, acquired significant jury trial and litigation experience, pursued systemic change through statewide working groups, supervised legal interns, and served as a coordinator within the agency's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Prior to joining NJOPD, Professor Frisina completed an Equal Justice Works Fellowship at the Michigan Children’s Law Center (MCLC) in Detroit. There, she served as a youth defender and launched an Education Advocacy Unit to disrupt the school-prison nexus ensnaring MCLC's clients. Professor Frisina is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where she participated in the Criminal Justice Institute and the Prison Legal Assistance Project and was awarded the Gary Bellow Public Service Award. Professor Frisina is also a graduate of Harvard College, where she studied the history of civil rights and American social movements.