Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Lin was born and raised in New Jersey. She developed an early interest in reading, writing, and communicating with others. She attended Cornell University for her undergrad, majoring in government. She began to see law as a natural path that combined her intellectual interests with her inclination toward problem-solving and public administration.
“So that just led to being in school and trying to think through, what do I want to do in life? Law school seemed to make the most sense for me in terms of my interest, the classes that I was enjoying in school.”
She later graduated from Washington University Law School in St. Louis.
Her interest in public service solidified during a 2004 internship with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office while she was a second-year law student, or 2L. She says this was “a fantastic experience. I mean, life changing, really.”
During her internship, she worked primarily in the Trial Division and the motions unit; discovered a strong affinity for the research and writing that underpin the work attorneys perform in the DAO’s Law Division.
After graduating, she joined the office in 2005 and began her career in that section of the office, where she spent much of her tenure handling appellate work. The role allowed her to engage her passion for the analytical and writing-focused aspects of the law. She also enjoyed collaborating with those who shared a similar mindset.
As her career at the DAO progressed, she helped build connections between the office and the Asian Pacific Islander American community through the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, later serving as its president in 2012.
In addition to supervising the office’s Civil Litigation Unit beginning around 2021, she took on broader leadership responsibilities and began serving as a special advisor in the Chief of Staff capacity in 2023, before being formally appointed Chief of Staff in early 2024.
“There’s a lot that I had to learn on my own, but with support, everyone’s very open and supportive, particularly since I was coming in at a challenging time when we were trying to figure out some major issues with the budget and personnel.”
In that role, she helps oversee the complex operational functions that keep the office running, from personnel and budgeting to recruitment and staff support, while continuing to emphasize the importance of communication, collaboration, and service in the criminal justice system.
When she’s not carrying out the responsibilities of Chief of Staff, she enjoys traveling, food, family and friends, films, and poetry. She also considers herself an amateur equestrian, adding that it’s “something she finds very therapeutic.”
Lin has a message for law students who are considering public service and a career in law:
“Think about why you’re interested in work, what you hope to hopefully achieve over time being in that space, kind of what are your goals? I was lucky I happen to know that I have this interest, and it was the right fit for me. That may or may not be the case for people, but don’t be discouraged by that. I think the criminal justice space is also quite comprehensive. There’s different aspects of it.”