Emily first joined the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project in 2008 as a staff attorney and later became Director & Chief Counsel in 2015. Emily works with civil lawyers and law firms that are interested in pro bono death penalty representation to identify cases in need of assistance and that match the needs and interests of the firm. She also oversees the Project’s systemic reform efforts and serves as a national expert on the ABA Guidelines for the Appointment & Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Penalty Cases. She routinely provides training and technical assistance to capital defenders and pro bono counsel and also assists state agencies and lawmakers with implementing qualification and performance standards for capital defenders. Emily co-teaches a habeas practicum at Georgetown University Law Center with former staff attorney Christina Mathieson in the fall semester. The course introduces students to habeas law and how to address issues such as mass incarceration, systemic racism, and geographic disparity in the American legal system through individual direct representation as well as systemic litigation.
Emily graduated from New York University School of Law in 2006. Prior to joining the Project, she was in private practice, where she began working on death penalty cases as a volunteer lawyer. While in law school she worked on capital habeas cases and represented criminal defendants in federal court through NYU’s clinical programs.
In addition to her legal work, Emily manages the Project's website and online resources for volunteer attorneys and defenders.