About Jenna
Jenna Richards entered law school after an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice, Law, & Society. She earned her B.A. from Pacific University in 2015 and completed her J.D. at Lewis & Clark Law School in 2022. Those years shaped an early interest in criminal justice and public-interest work.
Her first legal roles were varied and practical. In 2020 she served as a law clerk at the Oregon Innocence Project. That position involved case review and research tied to claims of wrongful conviction. In 2021 she served as executive editor for Environmental Law, taking on editorial responsibilities while she continued to build her legal resume.
After law school she entered private practice. In 2021 she joined Harris Velázquez Gibbens, Lawyers at Law as an associate lawyer. Two years later she moved to Gilroy Napoli Short Law Group, where records show she worked as an associate in 2023. These positions exposed her to litigation and client advocacy in different settings.
Richards is a member of the Oregon State Bar. Her membership places her in the community of Oregon practitioners and connects her to local professional resources. She continues to work in the state where she trained and began her legal career.
Her professional experience crosses a few distinct areas. Work at the Innocence Project involved investigative and post-conviction research. The editorial role touched on environmental policy and scholarship. Her associate positions required litigation support, client counseling and courtroom preparation. The mix of public-interest and private-practice roles gives her a practical sense of how cases progress from intake to resolution.
Colleagues describe Richards as attentive to case details and methodical in preparing filings and briefs. She has handled research-heavy assignments and supported trial teams. That background informs how she approaches new matters: she looks for key facts early, builds records carefully, and prepares for the unexpected.
She is based with the Gilroy Napoli Short Law Group and remains active in Oregon legal circles. Her current work concentrates on litigation and case development within the state of Oregon.
