Sofia Nelson is a program director of MDefenders and a lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School.
Before joining Michigan Law, Nelson spent a decade as a public defender, litigating trial and appellate matters. Nelson’s experience includes jury trials, juvenile lifer resentencings, and arguments before the Michigan Supreme Court and the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Nelson’s academic interests include abolition, public defense as harm reduction, and the evolving jurisprudence of gun rights. Nelson is particularly committed to mentoring students interested in careers in public defense. They are an active member of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan and both the Criminal Jurisprudence and Practice Committee and the Criminal Law Section Council of the State Bar of Michigan.