Emily has been a public defender practicing in the Juvenile Court for over 20 years. Emily’s commitment to system-involved youth in San Francisco is rooted in her experiences growing up in the City. Those experiences exposed her to a justice system that often seemed unfair to youth, and in which young voices were marginalized or ignored, and economic and racial disparities were rampant. The Youth Defender Unit works diligently and holistically to overcome these barriers, to keep young people out of juvenile detention facilities, and to ensure that they are supported within their own communities where each youth’s needs can be addressed outside of a carceral system.