Justin Brooks

Justin Brooks (born 1965) is an American criminal defense attorney, known internationally for his work in exonerating wrongfully-convicted people and training judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys. He is a co-founder and currently serves as director of the California Innocence Project (CIP), which has freed a number of high-profile innocent clients, including former NFL football player Brian Banks,. The CIP is a founding member of the Innocence Network, an affiliation of organizations dedicated to providing pro bono legal and investigative services to wrongfully convicted people. Brooks is frequently interviewed on broadcast media and in print media about his cases and other legal issues. Brooks is also known for his activism. In April 2013, he walked 712 miles, from San Diego to Sacramento, on behalf of twelve of his clients: the so-called "California 12." For decades he has worked on law reform in Latin America and has founded Innocence organizations throughout the region. He is the director of Red Inocente; a network of projects freeing innocent Latin American prisoners. Among his many honors, Brooks in 2012 won the first annual Roberto Alvarez Award by the American Constitution Society and was voted one of San Diego's Top Attorneys by the San Diego Daily Transcript in 2015. He is a two-time California Lawyer Magazine's "Lawyer of the Year" award winner (2010,2012). He currently serves as a tenured professor of law at California Western School of Law (CWSL) in San Diego.