Fiona Doherty
Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization
(on leave, spring 2020)
Fiona Doherty is Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School. She directs the Criminal Justice Clinic, which defends indigent clients accused of misdemeanor and felony offenses in New Haven. The clinic also handles a wide variety of sentencing cases, including federal clemency petitions. In 2014, Professor Doherty received the Yale Provost’s Teaching Prize.
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Education & Curriculum Vitae
J.D., Yale Law School, 1999
B.A., University of Virginia, 1996
Courses Taught
- Samuel Jacobs Criminal Justice Clinic
- Sentencing
- Veterans Legal Services Clinic
- Liman Public Interest Workshop
Fiona Doherty is Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School. She directs the Criminal Justice Clinic, which defends indigent clients accused of misdemeanor and felony offenses in New Haven. The clinic also handles a wide variety of sentencing cases, including federal clemency petitions. In 2014, Professor Doherty received the Yale Provost’s Teaching Prize.
From 2005 to 2010, Professor Doherty was an Assistant Federal Defender in the Southern District of New York. Before that, she was Senior Counsel at Human Rights First in New York City, working to ensure that U.S. anti-terrorism measures incorporate human rights protections.
Professor Doherty received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1999 and clerked for the Honorable Martha Craig Daughtrey on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She then received a Bernstein Fellowship to work in Northern Ireland, where she focused on cases involving the targeting of defense lawyers during the conflict.
Professor Doherty’s current scholarship focuses on supervised release, probation, and parole. She has published in the NYU Law Review and in the Georgetown Law Journal.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Sense of ‘hopelessness’ rises among Alabama prisoners as new rules, leadership changes, limit opportunities for parole
The Appeal
Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization Fiona Doherty ’99 is quoted in an article in The Appeal about new rules around parole in Alabama.
Monday, July 8, 2019
Professor Fiona Doherty ’99 Cited in Two U.S. Supreme Court Cases on Supervised Release
An article by Clinical Professor of Law Fiona Doherty ’99 was cited in decisions for two recent U.S. Supreme Court cases, Mont v. United States and United States v. Haymond. Both cases concern supervised release, a common practice in federal sentencing.
Monday, March 25, 2019
Bill Flows from Criminal Justice Clinic’s Work on Parole Revocation Reform
On March 22, 2019, the Samuel Jacobs Criminal Justice Clinic (CJC) submitted testimony to the Connecticut General Assembly in support of Senate Bill 880, “An Act Increasing Fairness and Transparency in the Criminal Justice System.” CJC’s testimony supports the bill’s parole revocation provisions, which establish data collection and rep
Monday, July 23, 2018
Professor Doherty Cited in Federal Ruling on Supervised Release
A Federal Judge in the Eastern District of New York issued a ruling this month holding that he would no longer send people back to prison for marijuana use while on supervised release. The opinion extensively cited the work of Professor Fiona Doherty ’99.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Defendants on Probation Can Be Jailed for Drug Relapse, Court Rules
The New York Times
Clinical Professor of Law Fiona Doherty ’99 is quoted in an article about the impact of probation on substance abusers.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Jail for Drug Relapse: A Case Asks if That's Fair
The New York Times
Clinical Professor of Law Fiona Doherty ’99 is quoted in an article about probation and how it impacts substance abusers.
Friday, January 19, 2018
Q&A: Professor Doherty on Mass Incarceration and the Continuum of Punishments
Fiona Doherty ’99 received tenure and was appointed Clinical Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
'Stark' Yale Law Study Findings Help Drive Parole Reform
Connecticut Law Tribune
Clinical Associate Professor of Law and director of the Criminal Justice Clinic Fiona Doherty ’99 and Theo Torres ’18 are quoted in an article about a report by the clinic on the parole revocation process in Connecticut.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Life on Parole
PBS/ Frontline
Clinical Associate Professor of Law Fiona Doherty ’99 is interviewed as part of a documentary titled “Life on Parole.”
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Eyewitness Identification Reform Focus of National Symposium
The National Symposium on Eyewitness Identification Reform brought together police officers, judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and policy makers to focus on the critical problem of eyewitness misidentification.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Fiona Doherty ’99 Awarded Yale Provost Teaching Prize
Clinical Associate Professor of Law Fiona Doherty ’99 was recently honored as one of the winners of the 2013-2014 Yale Provost’s Teaching Prize, which recognizes untenured Yale faculty who exemplify excellence in teaching.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Fiona Doherty ’99 to Join Law School Faculty in July as Clinical Associate Professor of Law
Fiona Doherty ’99 will join the Yale Law faculty in July 2012 as a Clinical Associate Professor of Law.