Sharon Dietrich

Litigation Director at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. Winner of the ACLU Pioneer Award. National leader in employment law for the poor, especially those with criminal records.

Person details

Where most active professionally: Pennsylvania
Law type: Civil
Lists:
Source: CNEJL

Bio

https://clsphila.org/about-cls/staff/administrative-team/187 Sharon Dietrich became CLS Litigation Director in 2014. She also serves as Managing Attorney of CLS’ Employment Unit. Ms. Dietrich represents low-income persons in employment matters, with the goals of removing employment barriers, preserving jobs, and getting access to employment-related income. Ms. Dietrich specializes in employment issues faced by people with criminal records. Prior to her employment with CLS, Ms. Dietrich served as law clerk for Ann Aldrich, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio. From 1994 through 2004, she also worked as a contract attorney with the National Employment Law Project in New York. NELP provides assistance to legal services programs, unions and community based organizations nationwide and promotes a national advocacy agenda on issues related to criminal records, unemployment compensation, and others. Ms. Dietrich has received numerous awards for her work, including the 2011 ACLU Pioneer Award, presented by the American Civil Liberties Union. In addition, Ms. Dietrich received the 2006 Kutak-Dodds Prize from the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, the Civil Legal Aid Attorney of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association (2006), and the Andrew Hamilton Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association (2005). She was named one of Pennsylvania’s Super Lawyers in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Ms. Dietrich has published many works, the most recent being: When Working Isn’t Enough: Low Wage Workers Struggle to Survive, Management Information Exchange Journal, Vol. XXIII, No. 1 (Spring 2009). Ms. Dietrich is a summa cum laude graduate of Albright College and earned her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

What others say