Washington, DC (July 29, 2024) – Four individuals were elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) at the Association’s annual meeting in Seattle. The Board Members below join those currently serving their terms on the NACDL Board of Directors.
Alice Fontier – New York, NY
Alice Fontier is a consultant serving as the Project Managing Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of New York. In her career as a practicing defense attorney, she has served as counsel in over 70 trial cases, including high profile homicide and terrorism cases, most recently as Managing Director of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem in New York, NY. Fontier is a Past President of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a Board Member of the Chief Defenders Association of New York, and an Advisory Board Member of the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services. She currently serves on NACDL’s Budget Committee, Women in Criminal Defense Committee, the Task Force on Police Accountability, and has previously served a term on NACDL’s Board of Directors and as Parliamentarian for the organization. Fontier has conducted trainings across the country including at the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy Conference, the NYSACDL “Cross to Kill” Seminar, and has trained on behalf of NACDL on digital forensic evidence and facial recognition technology. She has been a leader in the efforts to shed light on the inhumane conditions and human rights violations at Rikers Island. Fontier is a Lecturer in Law at Columbia University School of Law and an Adjunct Professor at the New York University School of Law. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida.
JoEllyn Jones – Glassboro, NJ
Defense Lawyer JoEllyn Jones’ journey with NACDL began in 2017 at the inaugural Race Matters Seminar, where she found her calling. In 2019, her engagement deepened after meeting Lisa Wayne and MartÃn Sabelli at the National Criminal Defense College, leading to her participation in various NACDL webinars in 2020 and 2021. Jones currently serves on NACDL’s Diversity Committee as co-chair, Decarceration Committee, the Criminalization of Voting Rights Committee, and the Task Force on Police Accountability. She also serves on the New Members Outreach and Solo Small Practice subcommittees of the Membership Committee, where she actively welcomes and encourages new members. In 2023, her contributions were recognized when she was published in The Champion’s Decarceration Issue. Outside of NACDL, Jones is the Vice-President of the Association of Black Women Lawyers of NJ, a Trustee and Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee for the Cumberland County Bar Association, and a member of the Black Public Defender’s Association and the National Association of Public Defenders. She was recently appointed to the Governor's Clemency Board in New Jersey. She co-founded the non-profit Dream Catches of Gouldtown to support local youth and young adults. Her legal career began in 2010, and despite a battle with Stage 3 Colon Cancer in 2014, she returned to her solo practice and later joined the NJ Office of the Public Defender. In 2022, she established a law practice focused on criminal and juvenile defense, aiming to create a Holistic Defense office. Since opening, her practice has represented over 300 clients and continues to handle conflict cases from the NJOPD. Jones’s commitment to Restorative Justice was inspired by personal tragedy. After the loss of her brother RJ in 1998 and a transformative encounter with Ryan, the man responsible for his death, she found her true calling in criminal defense and the healing power of forgiveness. Her journey in Restorative Justice has deeply shaped her approach to defense work. Jones received her J.D. from Widener University. In addition to her professional roles, she is a devoted mother to her daughter Arjai, who is currently a sophomore at Morgan State University.
Molly Parmer – Atlanta, GA
Molly Parmer is a solo defense practitioner in Atlanta. Since launching her firm, Parmer Law, in 2019, she has become an engaged and active member of NACDL. Before starting her own practice, she was an assistant federal defender and a county-level public defender. In solo practice, she has used her NACDL membership to forge a sense of community, presenting at or chairing an NACDL CLE every year. Parmer has spoken at NACDL’s Defending Sex Cases Training Seminar, the Defending Drug Cases Seminar, the Advanced Criminal Law Seminar, has chaired the Mental Health Seminar, and will chair the 2024 Fall Meeting and Seminar. Parmer’s passion for criminal defense is deeply rooted in her personal history. Growing up with a parent in and out of jail, she was inspired to become a lawyer to defend the marginalized and the accused. Her unconventional upbringing, with parents who shared stories of federal conspiracy law and police violence, shaped her dedication to criminal justice, and gives Parmer a unique perspective that underscores the importance of diversity in leadership within NACDL. Since law school, where she founded Emory Law’s Criminal Law Society and received the Dean’s Award for Advanced Criminal Advocacy, Parmer has been devoted to causes championed by NACDL. She continues to take on pro bono cases and serves on multiple CJA panels, providing indigent defense in federal courts. A successful lawyer, she recently secured an acquittal for her client in a complex white-collar case prosecuted by the DOJ Tax Division.
James “Jim” Boren – Baton Rouge, LA
Jim Boren represents individuals and companies in all types of criminal cases and quasi-criminal matters. From 2002 to 2019, he taught at the Paul M. Hebert School of Law at Louisiana State University, including courses on Advanced Litigation, Capital Punishment, and Wrongful Convictions. Jim is a Charter Member and Past President of the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a Fellow at the American College of Trial Lawyers, and consults with IPNO, the Mwalimu Center for Justice, and several capital defense organizations in Louisiana. He has held leadership positions at the Louisiana State Bar Association and served on numerous committees and task forces for the Louisiana Legislature, Supreme Court, and Public Defender Board. A dedicated NACDL member, Jim has previously served on NACDL’s Board of Directors and chaired the Public Defense and Death Penalty Committees. He has lectured at NACDL’s trainings and is the author of numerous articles for The Champion magazine. He received his J.D. from Louisiana State University. Jim was elected to serve on the Board of Directors by the NACDL Affiliates.
Contacts
Jessie Diamond, Deputy Director, Public Affairs and Communications, (202) 465-7647 or jdiamond@nacdl.org
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.
