Jennifer Simmons, Youth and Parent Defense Supervising Attorney
Jennifer has spent her legal career at the Cuyahoga County Public Defender office, solely in the Youth and Parent Defense Division, starting as a law clerk in 2001 and continuing on as an attorney after passing the Ohio bar in 2003. She has an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University. Jennifer’s primary practice areas are parent representation in child welfare matters and youth delinquency matters. She has handled cases involving juvenile transfer as well as sex offender registration hearings and cases involving the termination of parental rights. She was involved in the implementation of the office’s FIRST program, which provides representation to DCFS involved families in an effort to avoid formal court involvement and continues community outreach efforts to grow the program by networking with other agencies that share a similar goal of preserving the family unit. She currently serves as a Supervising Attorney, offering guidance, assistance and supervision to other attorneys in the Youth and Parent Defense Division.