About Todd Harris Fries
I was born "Todd Harris Fries" in Livingston, New Jersey on June 4th, 1978. I spent the first nine years of my life in the northern Jersey suburbs (Berkeley Heights, NJ) before my family moved to Los Altos, California. The formative years of my childhood were spent in Silicon Valley where I attended Homestead High School, whose famous alum include the likes of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Throughout high school I was actively involved in student government, serving as Associated Student Body President and captain of the soccer team.
After graduating from high school in 1996, I attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Westwood, CA. At UCLA, I was an active member of many student organizations including the renowned UCLA Advertising and Marketing Team and Theta Xi Fraternity. As an undergraduate, I also was provided the opportunity to intern at the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and study Shakespeare abroad in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. I graduated from UCLA in 2001 with a B.A. in English.
Following college, I backpacked around Europe (I visited England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands) for three months and fell in love with European fashion and culture. Upon my return to the United States, I sought out a career in fashion. After an eight month stint as sales supervisor at the GAP in Santa Monica, I was hired at Donna Karan New York in Los Angeles as the Assistant Store Manager. I worked at Donna Karan New York for four years where I got numerous opportunities to meet Donna Karan herself, as well as many other celebrities.
Though my experience at Donna Karan was enjoyable, I desired to pursue a career that would have a more positive impact on society. In the winter of 2006, I decided to return to school to pursue a law degree. In the fall of 2006, I began my 1L year at Santa Clara University School of Law. I immediately immersed myself in the student body by becoming a Student Bar Association class representative and a member of the Jewish Law Student Association. I also participated in Honors Moot Court where I advanced to the quarterfinal round. In May of 2009, I graduated Cum Laude from Santa Clara University School of Law with a certificate in public interest and social justice.
After graduating and passing the bar exam, I began working for Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, LLP where I had spent a summer during law school. After a month of employment with Paul Hastings, I quickly realized that I would prefer a niche of law that was more geared toward public interest and social justice work. I resigned my position at the beginning of February 2010 so that I could explore public interest opportunities. In March of 2010, I obtained a fellowship position at the Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP), a non-profit organization run through Santa Clara University School of Law that investigates prisoners' claims of actual innocence. During the fellowship with NCIP, I also began a judicial and clinical clerkship with the Santa Clara County Superior Court. The clerkship, which was split between the family court and the family law self-help office allowed me the opportunity to work with family law judges on tentative rulings and with self-represented litigants on navigating them through the legal system. Currently, I am working for the Veritas Initiative, the watchdog entity of the Northern California Innocence Project, which is dedicated to advancing the integrity of the the criminal justice system through research and data-driven reform. I continue to search for law related opportunities that will allow me to have a positive impact on society at large.
In my free time, I enjoy playing and watching sports, rooting on the UCLA football and basketball teams, relaxing Hawaiian vacations, writing poetry and children's books, and the company of family and friends.
After graduating from high school in 1996, I attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Westwood, CA. At UCLA, I was an active member of many student organizations including the renowned UCLA Advertising and Marketing Team and Theta Xi Fraternity. As an undergraduate, I also was provided the opportunity to intern at the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and study Shakespeare abroad in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. I graduated from UCLA in 2001 with a B.A. in English.
Following college, I backpacked around Europe (I visited England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands) for three months and fell in love with European fashion and culture. Upon my return to the United States, I sought out a career in fashion. After an eight month stint as sales supervisor at the GAP in Santa Monica, I was hired at Donna Karan New York in Los Angeles as the Assistant Store Manager. I worked at Donna Karan New York for four years where I got numerous opportunities to meet Donna Karan herself, as well as many other celebrities.
Though my experience at Donna Karan was enjoyable, I desired to pursue a career that would have a more positive impact on society. In the winter of 2006, I decided to return to school to pursue a law degree. In the fall of 2006, I began my 1L year at Santa Clara University School of Law. I immediately immersed myself in the student body by becoming a Student Bar Association class representative and a member of the Jewish Law Student Association. I also participated in Honors Moot Court where I advanced to the quarterfinal round. In May of 2009, I graduated Cum Laude from Santa Clara University School of Law with a certificate in public interest and social justice.
After graduating and passing the bar exam, I began working for Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, LLP where I had spent a summer during law school. After a month of employment with Paul Hastings, I quickly realized that I would prefer a niche of law that was more geared toward public interest and social justice work. I resigned my position at the beginning of February 2010 so that I could explore public interest opportunities. In March of 2010, I obtained a fellowship position at the Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP), a non-profit organization run through Santa Clara University School of Law that investigates prisoners' claims of actual innocence. During the fellowship with NCIP, I also began a judicial and clinical clerkship with the Santa Clara County Superior Court. The clerkship, which was split between the family court and the family law self-help office allowed me the opportunity to work with family law judges on tentative rulings and with self-represented litigants on navigating them through the legal system. Currently, I am working for the Veritas Initiative, the watchdog entity of the Northern California Innocence Project, which is dedicated to advancing the integrity of the the criminal justice system through research and data-driven reform. I continue to search for law related opportunities that will allow me to have a positive impact on society at large.
In my free time, I enjoy playing and watching sports, rooting on the UCLA football and basketball teams, relaxing Hawaiian vacations, writing poetry and children's books, and the company of family and friends.
