Jestelle (Jess) is a first-generation college graduate with first-class willpower. Her passion for justice drives her work and makes her the kind of tenacious litigator you want on your team.
In 2023, she began her career in personal injury and workers’ compensation, primarily serving working-class Washingtonians of color. Today, in addition to her personal injury work, she is also a member of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel of DC Superior Court, serving as court-appointed counsel in misdemeanor criminal matters.
Jess graduated with honors from the George Washington University Law School in 2021, where she concentrated her studies on constitutional law and social justice. During her tenure as a student, she testified before the D.C. Council and Maryland Judiciary Committee regarding police reform, interned in the areas of gun violence prevention and immigration law, organized a university-wide, interdisciplinary webinar on the intersection of race and voting rights, and participated in a data-driven research project with the D.C. Justice Lab to examine racial biases in prosecution.
After graduating, Jess served as a law clerk at the D.C. Superior Court, supporting the Honorable Janet E. Albert on the child abuse and neglect docket. That role was both heart-wrenching and eye-opening and reinforced her commitment to providing trauma-informed, client-centered representation, and to giving every case the time and dedication it deserves.
When she’s not gearing up for a legal battle, Jess is hanging out with her two adorable rescue pups (Lula and Domino), enjoying a sturdy glass of chardonnay, and binging something deliciously dystopian. She is an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader and was recently convinced to buy a Kindle, despite her very reasonable Orwellian fears. (She begrudgingly admits, that the Kindle is awesome).
Credentials
- Licensed in Maryland and the District of Columbia
- Member of the DC Trial Lawyers Association
- Member of the DC Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association
- George Washington University, J.D.
- Northeastern University, M.A. (Political Science, concentration Public Policy)
- Northeastern University, B.A. (Psychology, minor Political Science)