Vera Institute of Justice

Claire Simonich is the associate director of Vera California, working alongside community organizations to lead the initiative’s efforts against incarceration and toward care in Los Angeles County. She also supports Vera California’s Kern County and statewide work.

Before joining Vera, Claire worked as a federal public defender, providing holistic representation to Angelenos who were facing serious charges without the means to afford counsel. She, too, led strategic projects addressing poor jail conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and racial discrimination in jury pools. Claire also previously worked as a senior attorney at a Los Angeles nonprofit which brought impact litigation cases against the carceral system and trained developing civil rights attorneys. She began her legal career as a law clerk for appellate and district court federal judges in California.

Outside of Vera, Claire chairs the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section.

Claire holds a BA/BS from the University of Connecticut and a JD from Yale Law School.