About Jennifer Kinzey

PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE

 

Admitted to State of Oregon Bar - 171324 May 2017

 

EDUCATION 

 

Durham University Law School   Durham, England, UK

Masters in Law- International Law and Governance, with Merit January 2020

Dissertation: Resolving Rape in Refugee Camps: Effectiveness of Community Justice vs. Mobile Courts on Reducing Barriers to Reporting Rape

 

Drake University Law School (under the name Jennifer Penn) Des Moines, IA

Juris Doctorate, with High Honors (Top 20%) December 2016

Law Review: Drake Journal of Agricultural Law –Staff Editor (2015-2016)

Moot Court: C. Edwin Moore Oral Argument (Semi-Finalist); First Year Oral Argument (Finalist)

Activities: International Law Society (Public Relations Officer); Student Bar Association; Summer Semester in Nantes, France 

Externship: Hired at the Private International Law United States Department of State for 2016 Externship

 

Morningside College Sioux City, IA

Bachelor of Arts: Political Science & Theatre May 2013

 

PUBLISHED WORK

 

Cultured Meat; Lab-Grown Beef and Regulating the Future Meat Market January 2018

UCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy 

 

RESEARCH

 

Conference: Consent: Histories, Representations, and Frameworks for the Future 2019

Josephine Butler College, Durham University

“Cutting, An Unequal Application of Human Rights Law: A Comparison of Male and Female Genital Cutting Under International Bodily Autonomy and Consent Laws”

 

Symposium: Palmer Student Research Symposium 2012

Religious Freedom versus the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; An Analysis of O’Brien Holdings v. Health and Human Services 

 

Research: Under Professor Jonathan Rosenbloom 2016

Research focused on green zoning and environmental law

 

Under Professor Valerie Hennings 2010

Research on political leadership and women’s participation


 

EXPERIENCE

 

Ridehalgh & Associates Hillsboro, OR

Attorney November 2021 – Present

• Family Law Pro Bono cases. Juvenile Dependency cases representing children, mothers, and fathers on a public defense contract.

• Project manage multi-year cases with at least half a dozen or more stakeholders across various governmental and non-profit service providers such as the Oregon Department of Justice, Department of Human Services, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Morrison Parent Mentors, various substance abuse/domestic violence/mental health treatment providers, various housing programs, etc. This includes Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children and Federal Immigration laws on unaccompanied minors and asylum. 

• Navigate complex litigation timelines with several types of hearings with different statutes, administrative laws, and various agencies’ rules and procedures- including Special Immigration Juvenile Status and cross-border families. 

• Work with various languages and cultures requiring accurate translations and cultural understanding.

• Draft and argue motions with evolving case law as well as near daily court appearances.

 

Stoll Berne Law Firm Portland, OR

Staff Attorney March 2018 – October 2018 

March 2020 – November 2020

• Conducted legal research, prepared memoranda, and reviewed discovery for case against Aequitas securities. 

• Weekly meetings with the team to discuss and disseminate my discoveries and legal findings.

• Performed legal discovery for a Class Action litigation against CenturyLink sales practices.

 

Ofenbakh Law Firm, PLLC Des Moines, IA

Law Clerk (under the name Jennifer Penn) April 2015 – May 2016

• Conducted legal research; prepared legal filings and trial/appellate briefs; second chaired a post-conviction relief trial

• Assisted in court proceedings and legal issues including criminal and civil litigation, business, family, estate planning

• Co-authored an Amicus Curiae Brief with the ACLU regarding the disenfranchisement of convicted felons submitted to the Iowa Supreme Court

 

Drake Legal Clinic – Criminal Defense Des Moines, IA

Certified Student Attorney (under the name Jennifer Penn) August 2015 – May 2016

• Hands-on practical experience with clients, opposing counsel and the courts in a nationally recognized clinical program allowing students to serve as lead counsel under supervision of clinic staff

• Drafted and researched motions, made numerous court appearances advocating for clients at contested hearings 

• Achieved successful dismissal of cases; negotiated plea agreements; able to communicate effectively with clients

• Handled all aspects of case management, including paper and electronic filings, communication through an interpreter and coordination of witnesses and other information

 

PRO BONO WORK

 

Ridehalgh & Associates Hillsboro, OR

Attorney November 2021 - Present

• Taking on Family Law cases with complex issues such as grandparent rights.  

• Advising clients on cross-border issues such as passports, parental kidnapping, and enforcement options utilizing the Hague Conventions.

 

Innovation Law Lab Portland, OR

Attorney May 2018 – September 2018

• Organizing and filing transition paperwork for Asylum Immigrants to transition to Permanent Residence status in the U.S. 

• Working with Asylum seekers detained in Sheridan Prison to represent them in their case before the immigration authorities.

 

Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office Portland, OR

Special Prosecutor (under the name Jennifer Penn) September 2017 – December 2017

• Trial and court appearances; Trial preparation; Evaluating and issuing complaints; Managing a large criminal caseload 

• Specialized in Community Court and alternative resolutions; Analyzed community court practices

 

VOLUNTEER WORK

 

Oregon New Lawyers Division OR

Executive Council Member Region 4 November 2022 – Present

• Delegate for Oregon New Lawyers Division to the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division Assembly at the ABA’s Mid-Year Conference February 4, 2023.

• Co-Chair for the Continued Legal Education sub-committee working on tribal and rural practice CLEs.

• Committee member for the Rural Project sub-committee working on advisory opinions and actions to address issues affecting rural practice in Oregon. Designed a traveling work fair to encourage law students to intern and apply for jobs in rural areas to benefit access to justice. 

 

Washington County Juvenile Dependency Model Court Hillsboro, OR

Member December 2022 – Present

• Created a process to address conflicting no contact orders between criminal court and juvenile court- specifically to prevent creation of conflicting orders with pre release investigation requirements. 

• Head of working group to create an introductory video that engages with the viewer while explaining juvenile dependency cases and shelter hearings with an eye to translation and dubbing with foreword on cultural differences for clients with different cultural backgrounds. 

 

Oregon State Bar House of Delegates Hillsboro, OR

Member December 2022 – Present

• Voting Member

• Co-Sponsor of resolution for equality in public defense. 

 

Oregon Public Defense Commission Hillsboro, OR

Volunteer Member of Working Group to Revise Attorney Qualifications December 2024 – Present

• Revising the qualifications standards for juvenile dependency contracts in public defense. Oregon uses a quasi-governmental entity, the Oregon Public Defense Commission, to contract for public defense rather than employing public defenders as state employees. 

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PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

 

Project Management, Comparative International Law Analysis, Trauma-informed Representation, International Travel Expertise, Excellent Public Speaking, Stakeholder Collaboration, Published Author, Cultural Sensitivity, Empathy, Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and Power Point, Fluent in English, Limited Proficiency in Spanish and Bangla