Shawn Petrini

My name is Shawn Petrini. I have been an Assistant Public Defender with the Defender Association of Philadelphia since January 2022. I am currently in the Jury Demand Unit, handling felony cases where clients have decided to exercise their constitutional right to a trial by jury. It is a great privilege to represent our society’s most marginalized citizens against a system that denies their humanity. I’m excited for the opportunity that the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania has given me to hone my skills and learn from the other Emerging Leaders and Mentors. I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a Political Science degree before attending Boston College Law School. I fell in love with public defense work during a yearlong clinic representing clients charged with misdemeanors in the Boston Municipal Court. When I am not defending the rights of the indigent, I enjoy hot yoga, DIY music, traveling, and cross-country skiing.