Deirdre von Dornum

Attorney

deirdre_vondornum@fd.org

(718) 330-1210

Deirdre von Dornum has been a Federal Defender for over twenty years, first as an Assistant Federal Defender in the Southern District of New York, then as the Deputy Attorney-in-Charge of the Eastern District of New York, and most recently as the Attorney-in-Charge of the Eastern District of New York, a position she stepped down from in order to return to representing clients full-time. Deirdre is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a frequent lecturer on criminal trial and sentencing issues, and sits on several national Defender committees. Her passion is helping people in trouble and her hobby is leaning on the Federal Bureau of Prisons to keep the people in their custody safe, healthy and able to meaningfully review their discovery.

Deirdre holds a B.A. in Classics from U.C.L.A., a M.A. in Classics from Princeton University, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she served as an editor of the Columbia Law Review and was awarded the medal for excellence in Trial Practice. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Anita B. Brody of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to joining the Federal Defenders, Deirdre was an associate at the law firm WilmerHale and engaged in pro bono death penalty litigation with the Capital Defenders of New York. Deirdre also served for two years as Assistant Dean for Public Service at N.Y.U. School of Law.