About Us
William C. Snowden, Director
Will's legal career began as a public defender in New Orleans, LA, where he witnessed the discriminatory practices removing jurors from the jury panel and took his fight from the courtroom to the community and created The Juror Project. Will presents at high schools, colleges, churches and other community gatherings discussing the importance of jury service and the factors at play removing diversity from the jury putting the fairness of our criminal legal system in jeopardy.
Will completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota and earned his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.
Porsha Shaf'on Venable, Deputy Director
Born, raised and still residing in the Bronx, Porsha-Shaf’on received her J.D. from California Western School of Law and her MSW from New York University School of Social Work. She initially worked at Bronx Defenders as a Forensic Social Worker. During Law school, She then returned to Bronx Defenders as a Law Clerk and after law school, she was a Staff Attorney in the criminal defense practice, the Adolescent Defense Project and a Team Leader. In 2017, she joined the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem as a staff attorney. In October 2017, she returned to the Bronx Defenders for the fourth time in her career. She is currently a supervising attorney.
Porsha-Shaf’on has facilitated many conversations and conducted trainings on showing up as your Blackest self in the courtroom, Cross examination, Jury Selection and Jury Nullification at Public Defense agencies across the country, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The Black Public Defenders Association and The National Association of Public Defenders and The National Council (FREEHER).
While few people get excited about jury duty, Porsha-Shaf’on believes community members are missing an opportunity: jury duty is not only a unique and given civic right, it’s a quiet but important lever for change in our legal system. More than training on the importance of sitting on a jury, Porsha-Shaf’on is obsessed with making nullification the next big thing – a power that all jurors have and should be encouraged to use.