Laura Schaefer

Laura Schaefer is a Visiting Clinical Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and a Deputy Federal Public Defender in the Capital Habeas Unit of the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California. Among other responsibilities, she represents death-sentenced prisoners in federal habeas and related collateral proceedings. From 2016 to 2021, Schaefer was a Staff Attorney at the Death Penalty Representation Project of the American Bar Association (ABA). She also served as Capital Clemency Counsel, in which capacity she directed the ABA’s Capital Clemency Resource Initiative. Schaefer was previously a Post-Conviction Fellow at the Office of Capital Writs in Austin, Texas, and a “Bridge to Practice” Fellow at the Federal Defenders of New York. She holds a J.D. from Cardozo School of Law, an M.Sc. in Human Rights from the London School of Economics, and a B.A. from New York University. She is admitted to practice in five state and federal jurisdictions.