Tess Kilbane Myers is the Dale and James J. Pinto Legal Fellow on the U.S. Advocacy and Litigation team. She received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in May of 2021.
Prior to law school, Tess worked as a Client Advocate at the Orleans Public Defenders (OPD) office in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a Client Advocate, Tess provided a wide range of support services, working with staff attorneys to ensure holistic, client-centered legal representation from the moment of arrest to reentry. She actively sought alternatives to incarceration for her clients, facilitating their release from pretrial detention by securing them placements in drug rehab, transitional housing, and job training programs. Upon release or plea, she worked with clients to get them in compliance with their respective court-mandated pretrial release and/or probation terms. Tess helped her clients navigate a broken, predatory system, while they were inside and once they were released.
Tess is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Georgetown University in 2015 with a B.A. in History and Theology. She currently resides in Washington, D.C. with her dog, Flannery.