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Recognizing and honoring Keir Bradford-Grey for her astounding, impactful, and incomparable service to the City and its citizens as Chief Defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia and congratulating her on her new role as Partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP.
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WHEREAS, Chief Defender Keir Bradford-Grey has devoted 21 years of her life and legal career to indigent defense by her diligent and compassionate efforts to secure just and fair outcomes for people involved with the criminal legal system; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey began her distinguished career in indigent defense at the Defender Association of Philadelphia in 1999, following her graduation from Ohio Northern University-Claude W. Pettit College of Law; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey continued her career in indigent legal defense in 2008 at the Delaware Federal Public Defender’s office, before returning to Pennsylvania in 2012 to serve as the first African American and second woman Chief Defender in Montgomery County; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey returned to the Defender Association of Philadelphia in 2015 when she was selected to lead the office as Chief Defender - the first African American woman to serve in the role; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey has worked tirelessly in her role to improve the quality of justice for all Philadelphians by bringing a client-centered indigent defense model to the City; establishing and building meaningful partnerships with the community, empowering individuals, families and neighborhoods to make informed decisions and advocate for themselves at every justice system decision point; and bringing her “Know Your Systems” training and education program to community centers and barber shops throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey introduced Participatory Defense, a dynamic community-organized criminal justice reform model to Pennsylvania, and facilitated the establishment of eight Participatory Defense Hubs, including the nation’s first Youth Hub, throughout the city of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey has been at the forefront of police accountability and transparency, establishing and assigning dedicated staff and resources for the Police Accountability Unit at the Defender Association of Philadelphia and serving as an invaluable resource on the Task Force on Police Reform; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey’s passionate commitment to racial equity led her to envision and launch a reasonable alternative to the cash bail system that ends wealth-based detention while also improving clients’ case and life outcomes. Her vision, the Pre-Entry Partnership, is a first in the nation network of community-based social service organizations that provide arrested people with support they need to address the root causes of behaviors that lead to justice system involvement; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey, her leadership team, the staff she oversees and the Pre-Entry Partnership were steadfast and vigorous in their leadership throughout the COVID-19 crisis, overseeing an effort to safely secure release for over 1,200 Philadelphians incarcerated in the Spring of 2020; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey has been a national and statewide leader in criminal justice reform serving as President of the American Council of Chief Defenders and on the Governor’s Task Force to eliminate racial disparities in the system; and
WHEREAS, Chief Defender Bradford-Grey has served as an incomparable resource for City Council, as Co-Chair of the Special Committee on Criminal Justice Reform, and as champion for the communities she serves; and
WHEREAS, Chief Bradford-Grey will step down from her position as Chief Defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia on April 15, 2021, to begin a new legal path as a Partner at the Center City law firm, Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP, where she will continue her commitment to criminal justice reform by bridging more private-public partnerships; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes and honors Keir Bradford-Grey for her astounding, impactful and incomparable service to the City as Chief Defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, and congratulate her on becoming a Partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads’ law firm, and wishes her the very best and continued success in her legal career and all future endeavors.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Keir Bradford-Grey as evidence of the sincere respect, admiration and appreciation of this legislative body.
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