Former 42nd District Attorney · Los Angeles County · 2012 — 2020

The pursuit of justice, uncompromised.

Three decades inside the courtroom. A career defined by integrity, reform, and a quiet refusal to let the system fail the people it was built to serve. Now offering counsel, advisory, and public speaking on the issues that shape our justice system.

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Tenure
2012 — 2020
Bar Admission
California, 1982
Cases Tried
500+
Office Led
1,000+ Attorneys
Jackie Lacey, 42nd District Attorney of Los Angeles County
Counsel · Advocate · Speaker
Jackie Lacey, Esq.
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First Woman LA County DA
First African-American LA County DA
USC Gould School of Law
Animal Cruelty Prosecution Pioneer
Mental Health Diversion Architect
First Woman LA County DA
First African-American LA County DA
USC Gould School of Law
Animal Cruelty Prosecution Pioneer
Mental Health Diversion Architect
A Career in Brief

"Public safety is not the opposite of fairness. They live or die together."

Jackie Lacey rose through the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office from line prosecutor to its 42nd elected District Attorney — the first woman and the first African-American to lead the largest local prosecutor's office in the United States.

Across thirty-four years of service, she tried hundreds of cases, supervised major felony divisions, and built nationally recognized programs in mental health diversion, animal cruelty prosecution, hate crimes, and elder fraud. Her tenure was defined by an unflinching commitment to integrity in prosecution and to a justice system that earns public trust.

Today, Jackie advises law firms, public-sector agencies, philanthropic organizations, and boards on criminal-justice reform, prosecutorial ethics, crisis response, and victim-centered policy.

Jackie Lacey Founder & Principal · Lacey Counsel
0+
Years Serving
Los Angeles County
0+
Felony & Misdemeanor
Cases Tried
0+
Attorneys Led
As District Attorney
0M
Residents Served
Largest Local DA Office
Practice & Counsel

How Jackie works with clients today.

A focused practice serving organizations and counsel that need clarity at the intersection of law, ethics, and public trust.

01 / Advisory

Justice-System
Strategic Counsel

Discreet advisory for prosecutors' offices, defenders, AGs, and reform initiatives navigating policy, leadership transitions, and case strategy.

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02 / Expert Witness

Expert Testimony
& Consulting

Expert witness work and pre-litigation consulting on prosecutorial ethics, charging decisions, supervisory responsibility, and use-of-force review.

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03 / Speaking

Keynotes &
Public Engagements

Keynotes, panels, and fireside conversations on leadership in public service, women in law, mental health and justice, and reform that holds.

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04 / Reform Design

Program & Policy
Design

Designing diversion programs, victim-services pipelines, and integrity units — drawing from initiatives launched and proven during her tenure.

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05 / Crisis Counsel

Crisis &
Reputational Counsel

Calm, experienced counsel for institutions facing crisis — when the stakes are public and the next decision matters more than the last.

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06 / Mentorship

Mentorship &
Boardroom Service

Selective board appointments, fellowship advisory, and mentorship for women and lawyers of color entering leadership in the legal profession.

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Jackie Lacey announces the Mental Health Advisory Board, 2015
2015
Mental Health
Advisory Board Founded
Signature Initiative

Where the system met the person.

Under Jackie's leadership, Los Angeles County built one of the nation's most ambitious efforts to reshape how the criminal-justice system interacts with people in mental-health crisis.

  • Trained thousands of law-enforcement officers in crisis intervention
  • Established the Mental Health Advisory Board uniting clinicians, advocates, and prosecutors
  • Built diversion pathways that prioritized treatment over incarceration where safe and appropriate
  • Recognized nationally as a model for prosecutor-led mental-health response
See all Initiatives →
In Her Own Words
A prosecutor's job is not to win. It is to do justice — to seek the truth even when the truth is inconvenient, and to protect the rights of every person who walks into a courtroom, including the accused.
Jackie Lacey 42nd District Attorney, Los Angeles County
Recognition & Press

Featured by leading institutions.

Begin a Conversation

The right counsel rarely arrives too early.

Whether you need experienced counsel on a sensitive matter, an expert witness, or a voice that has stood at the front of America's largest prosecutor's office — the door is open.

Schedule a Consultation → Learn More About Jackie