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Meet Jackie

From Crenshaw to the front of the largest prosecutor's office in the nation.

The story of a girl who watched her mother walk to a garment factory at dawn, and grew up to lead one thousand attorneys through some of the most consequential years in American criminal justice.

At a Glance

The record, on one page.

Born Jacquelyn Phillips February 27, 1957 · Los Angeles, California
In Office December 3, 2012 — December 7, 2020 42nd District Attorney of Los Angeles County · Two terms
Preceded By Steve Cooley
Succeeded By George Gascón
Party Democratic
Education University of Southern California — JD, 1982 University of California, Irvine — BA, Psychology, 1979
Bar Admission State of California, 1982 In good standing for over four decades
Spouse David Lacey Married 1980 · Passed away 2022
Children Kareem and April Lacey
Residence Granada Hills, Los Angeles
Jackie Lacey, former Los Angeles County District Attorney
1957
Born & Raised
Los Angeles, California
Origin

A Los Angeles story.

Jackie Lacey was born in Los Angeles and raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood — the only child of Louis Phillips, who worked for the City of Los Angeles cleaning empty lots, and Addie Phillips, a garment-factory worker.

They were not a family of lawyers. They were a family that believed an education and a steady moral compass could carry their daughter further than the streetcorner they could see from their front door. They were right.

Jackie graduated from Dorsey High School, then earned her bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of California, Irvine in 1979 — the first in her family to graduate from college. Three years later, she earned her Juris Doctor at the USC Gould School of Law.

A Career, Marked

Thirty-four years.
One office. One mission.

1982

Admitted to the California Bar

Earns Juris Doctor from USC Gould School of Law and is admitted to practice in California.

1986

Joins the Los Angeles County DA's Office

Begins as a Deputy District Attorney, the start of three-and-a-half decades of public service.

Early 1990s

Hate Crimes & Major Felonies

Successfully prosecutes the first race-based hate-crime murder in Los Angeles County history, alongside hundreds of other felony prosecutions.

2000s

Rises Through Office Leadership

Serves in progressively senior management roles — head deputy, branch and bureau leadership — before being appointed Chief Deputy District Attorney.

2012

Elected District Attorney

Sworn in as the 42nd District Attorney of Los Angeles County — the first woman and first African-American to hold the office in its 162-year history.

2015

Mental Health Advisory Board

Convenes clinicians, law enforcement, and advocates to redesign how the justice system meets people in mental-health crisis.

2016

Re-Elected Without Opposition

Re-elected to a second term unopposed — a rare distinction reflecting broad public confidence.

2017 – 2020

National Leadership in Reform

Launches the nation's first Animal Cruelty Prosecution Program, expands elder-fraud and human-trafficking units, and leads on cybercrime, workplace safety, and environmental enforcement.

2020 — Present

Counsel, Advisor, Public Voice

Concludes her elected service and turns to advisory, expert witness, board, and public-speaking work — continuing to shape the future of American justice from outside the courtroom.

From the Office · 2012 — 2020 Welcome statement during her tenure
“

Jackie Lacey

Los Angeles County District Attorney

I am proud to serve as the 42nd District Attorney of Los Angeles County. Our prosecutors, investigators and support staff members are among the nation's best. We protect the residents of Los Angeles County by prosecuting violent and dangerous criminals. We also assist crime victims and provide community resources. As the leader of the nation's largest local prosecutorial office, I am committed to maintaining public safety and seeking justice for all.
— Jackie Lacey 42nd District Attorney · Los Angeles County
Credentials

Education, bar admissions, & recognition.

Education · 01

USC Gould
School of Law

Juris Doctor, 1982. One of the nation's preeminent law schools, in the city Jackie has served her entire career.

Education · 02

UC Irvine

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 1979. First in her family to earn a college degree.

Bar · 03

State Bar of
California

Admitted 1982 — in continuous good standing for over four decades.

Honor · 04

Distinguished Alumna
USC & UCI

Recognized by both alma maters for distinguished service to the legal profession and to the public.

Honor · 05

Mental Health
Innovation Award

Honored nationally for the office's award-winning work transforming the criminal-justice system's response to mental illness.

Honor · 06

Women in Law
Trailblazer

Recognized by the California Women's Law Center and others as a trailblazer for women in legal leadership.

Off the Record

A few things that don't appear on the résumé.

Jackie has called Granada Hills home for decades. She married David Lacey in 1980; together they raised two children, Kareem and April. David passed away in 2022.

Today Jackie remains a yoga practitioner, an avid reader of biography and history, and a mentor to dozens of young lawyers — a woman who still believes, after thirty-four years inside the system, that the law can be fair if the people inside it choose it.

Get In Touch

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For consulting, expert witness work, board service, or speaking engagements — the conversation starts here.

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