Alumni in the Field of Criminal Legal Practice
Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson is a veteran prosecutor who has been with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for more than 14 years. He is the assistant head deputy of the Major Crimes Division, which handles the DA's most complex and high-profile criminal prosecutions. During his career, Jackson has prosecuted more than 50 felony trials, almost half of which were murders. He was assigned to the Hardcore Gang Division for nearly five years. Jackson has also successfully led the prosecution in some of Los Angeles's most difficult and high-profile cases. In 2006, he prosecuted the killer of Mickey Thompson, the race car driver who was executed, along with his wife, Trudy, in 1988. Most recently, Jackson prosecuted and convicted famed music producer Phil Spector, who murdered Lana Clarkson. Today, Jackson is a supervisor in the Major Crimes Division while he continues to carry his own case load.
Away from the courtroom, he spends much of his time lecturing. He is a member of the Los Angeles Leadership Council for INMED, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to providing medical and social services to underserved children in Los Angeles. He has published a monograph for the Department of Justice and a chapter in a college textbook on the issue of Gang Prosecutions. He is also a featured analyst on NBC Dateline's Cold Case Squad, which first aired in April 2009. In 2009, Jackson was named Prosecutor of the Year by the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, after which he was named one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal.
Jennifer Lentz Snyder
Jennifer Lentz Snyder is a 20 year veteran of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. She has successfully prosecuted scores of criminal cases, including dozens of gang-related homicides and public corruption crimes. Her collaboration with a joint FBI-LAPD task force resulted in the dissolution of the 89 Family Bloods, a notorious street gang with a penchant for killing witnesses. Her experiences caused Snyder to assist in the development of legislation enacted as the California Witness Protection Program, and she litigated the case of People v. Alvarado, resulting in a California Supreme Court case that approved the non-disclosure, until trial, of witness identities where the safety of the witness is in jeopardy. Currently, she is a subject matter expert in public corruption crimes, the White Collar Crimes enhancement, and the Brown Act (California's Open Meeting Laws). As an instructor for law enforcement personnel, lawyers and the community on Witness Issues, Public Corruption, and Asset Forfeiture, her experience and insights provide valuable training to the community and demonstrate her heartfelt commitment to the cause of criminal justice.
Harry Caldwell
After graduation Harry Caldwell had little idea what he wanted to do with his law degree, but less than one year after being admitted to the bar he opened his own law practice. Initially taking every case that came through his door he soon was retained to defend a woman accused of Felony Theft. That case began his passion for criminal defense work. Not having the benefit of working in a public defender's office, Caldwell pieced together a continuing education program through various seminars, volunteer opportunities, and developing relationships with other criminal defense practitioners. Over time he gathered enough experience to qualify for court appointed work, first in State court and later in Federal. Eventually, he was certified by the State Bar as a criminal law specialist and today devotes nearly all of his practice to defending criminal cases.
Caldwell has represented a variety of clients facing charges ranging from property crimes to immigration crimes to crimes of the person. He believes that each client has his or her own story. Defending these individuals has given him the opportunity to see the faces behind the 'defendant,' their struggles, motivations and their humanity. Caldwell feels that he is continually challenged to learn about topics he would otherwise have no occasion to encounter. He senses that he has met people he would not otherwise have had an opportunity to meet, and that law is a humbling and rewarding experience for him. His clients have taught him just how valuable empathy, compassion, and understanding are to the human experience.
Bill Haney
Bill Haney graduated from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 1995 after serving as Editor-In-Chief of the Pepperdine Law Review. He also competed on the school's award-winning trial team, which captured the ABA Western Regional championship.
Shortly after graduation, Haney joined the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, where he continues to serve as senior deputy district attorney. As a veteran trial attorney, he has tried cases ranging from domestic violence to capital murder. With advanced training and experience in the area of forensic science, Haney further serves as a point of contact for cold-hit DNA cases. In addition, Haney supervised the Misdemeanor, Felony, Major Narcotics and Auto Theft Units from 2005 to 2009. He also managed and coordinated informant operations from 2002 to 2009.
Although Haney is known to be an aggressive prosecutor, it his commitment to justice that truly distinguishes him in his field; as such, he spearheaded an investigation, which resulted in the exoneration of Efren Cruz, following his wrongful murder conviction in a neighboring jurisdiction. In 2001, Cruz was freed from Pelican Bay State Prison, after serving five years of a life sentence that resulted, in part, from a case of mistaken identity. Haney continues to strive for the effectiveness, accuracy and fairness of the California criminal justice system today. In 2008, Haney contributed to hearings sponsored by the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice concerning eyewitness identification and the ethical use of informants.
Gina Satriano
Gina Satriano has compiled a uniquely interesting resume with an extremely wide variety of experience since her 1992 graduation. She has played professionally for several years for three women's baseball teams, has been a teaching assistant and an adjunct professor at Pepperdine, has appeared on a variety of television shows, such as Oprah, Maury, Dateline NBC and E! True Hollywood Story, and has a certificate in dispute resolution. Her legal experience is just as broad.
Working as a deputy district attorney for the Los Angeles County DA's office, Satriano has prosecuted a variety of high profile cases such as Mel Gibson's drunken driving incident, Courtney Love's assault and possession charges, and Paula Poundstone's child abuse charges. Since 2003 she has been working toward the prosecution of Rodney Alcala as a serial rapist and murderer after he was indicted for the murders of five Los Angeles and Orange County area women, potentially creating new case law as the two counties team up to prosecute him.
Speaking most recently to the Los Angeles Police Departments Sex Offender Tracking and Registration Enforcement division Satriano often presents to different groups on sexual assault, gender crimes and other issues of women and children's rights, most often speaking about PC 290 crimes, their impact and their prosecution. She is currently the Stuart House coordinator for the Sex Crimes division of the Los Angeles County D.A.'s office and was the 2007 to 2009 sexual assault felony enforcement team prosecutor.