Emily Mistr

Emily Mistr joined the NC Justice Center in 2020 after many years in the trenches as an assistant public defender in Raleigh, NC.

Emily serves as a bridge between the NC Justice Center’s Fair Chance Criminal Justice Project and the Blanchard Community Law Clinic at Campbell Law School, where she helps law students assist formerly justice-involved individuals, primarily in the areas of expunction and driver’s license restoration. In particular, Emily strongly believes that the restoration of a person’s driver’s license can have a profound impact on expanding employment and housing opportunities.

Emily was drawn to the legal field after repeatedly hearing about the atrocities endured by incarcerated people from her mother, who worked for over 10 years as a teacher in a women’s prison in Virginia. After 14 years of being part of the criminal “justice” system and the frustrations of not being able to effectuate change from the inside, Emily is excited to be advocating for more global policy changes. Emily attended law school at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and undergrad at University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

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