Jacqueline Cadman

Jacqueline Cadman is widely regarded as one of the best criminal trial lawyers in the District of Columbia. She brings to the firm over eighteen years of experience as a seasoned trial attorney. Throughout her career she has tried hundreds of cases, ranging from traffic and misdemeanor offenses to the most serious charges, including homicide and sexual assault. She has mastered complex issues of forensics, psychology, and conducted intricate constitutional litigation. She has extensive experience litigating complex pre-trial issues such as privilege, Brady sanctions, and double jeopardy, as well as identifying, consulting with, and preparing experts to testify.  She is widely known for her expertise in conducting deep investigations and for trying and winning the most time-intensive and difficult cases. She is a regular trainer nationwide on countless topics involving criminal law and trial advocacy.

Jacqui began her career in Pennsylvania at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. During her time there, she represented people charged with all types of criminal offenses, ranging from DUIs, gun and drug offenses and assaults to armed robberies, kidnapping and attempted murder charges. She set herself apart as a skilled litigator, rising to the position of supervisor within the organization, while also teaching Criminal Law at Temple University Beasley School of Law as an adjunct faculty member.

Following her time in Pennsylvania, Jacqui spent over twelve years at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) – widely regarded as the best trial public defender office in the country – where she represented countless people charged with crimes at the pre-trial and trial level, while also handling the collateral consequences that all too frequently accompany criminal allegations. Jacqui represented high-profile clients charged with the most serious and complex offenses in the District of Columbia, litigating close to a hundred homicide, assault with intent to kill, and sexual assault cases. She coordinated and managed multidisciplinary teams to ensure that her clients consistently received the highest level of representation. She also served as a supervisor in the office, and as a senior member and lecturer of PDS’s Forensic Practice Group, specializing in litigating cases involving DNA, fingerprints, blood spatter, pattern-matching fields, eyewitness identification testimony, and forensic laboratory issues. She co-chaired the Police Accountability team in PDS’s Police Reform Committee, which advocated for increased transparency and meaningful consequences for police misconduct in the District of Columbia.

Jacqui’s experience and acumen in the courtroom has made her a sought-after lecturer, trainer, and speaker. She has organized and led countless skills-based and law trainings for criminal and civil practitioners, investigators, social workers, and judicial delegations from other countries.

Before graduating law school, Jacqui interned at the Innocence Project, where she helped to free an innocent man who had been wrongfully convicted.