Shomari Ward grew up in Brooklyn, NY and worked for years at community-based organizations focusing on youth development before pursuing a career in law. Shomari was a litigation attorney at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, LLP where he focused on a broad range of complex commercial litigation. Shomari then joined the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Division (JRD) where he managed a litigation docket, which included child protective and juvenile defense proceedings. Currently, he serves as a JRD staff attorney in their Special Litigation and Law Reform Unit representing children in systemic, class action litigation and legislative reform efforts. In addition to serving as an attorney in JRD, Shomari facilitates trainings on race, class, and community issues for JRD staff, as well as at national conferences. Shomari was formerly a professor at CUNY – Brooklyn College in their Children and Youth Studies Program. His courses included “The Criminalization of Youth of Color” and “Children and the Law.”
Shomari is a graduate of the State University of New York – University at Albany and the Howard University School of Law.