- University Department Law
- Location HPU Law School, Office 212; Clinic Building 103
- Phone Number 336-841-2627
- Email [email protected]
Jennifer L. Martin is a Clinical Associate Professor of Law and the Director of Clinical Programs at HPU Law.
Prior to joining the academy, she dedicated her twenty-five-year legal career to public service. After graduating from law school in 1999, she began serving as a District Court prosecutor in the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office. She served that office with distinction and finished as the Chief Assistant District Attorney.
In her past position as Chief ADA, Professor Martin has tried 80 jury trials, including 15 First Degree murder trials, to verdict. She often worked closely with law enforcement agencies to advise preliminary investigations and comfort grieving families, guiding them through the trial process.
Professor Martin has a track record of starting positive community programs, including an Elder Abuse Task Force and a community outreach license restoration program. She also developed a long-term collaborative partnership between local universities, campus police, and university athletic departments to support student-athletes off the field.
Professor Martin is actively engaged with community initiatives. She serves on the Forsyth County Commissioner’s Commission on Ending Homelessness, the CURE Violence steering committee, her local Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, and the Forsyth County School Justice Partnership. In addition, she has served on the board of The Ronald McDonald House, The Parenting Path, the Bethesda Center for the Homeless, and Mediation Services of Forsyth County. She is a frequent guest speaker at law schools and universities across North Carolina, as well as law enforcement agencies.
Professor Martin graduated from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in English and a minor in Women’s Studies and received her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law. She will teach Criminal Law in addition to her role overseeing HPU Law’s community law clinic.
Martin teaches criminal law to first-year students and implements HPU’s vision for the Community Law Clinic to help the community while providing practical real-world experience for law students. She teaches the classroom component of the clinical course for law students to prepare them to advocate in court for clients on issues ranging from driver’s license restoration to expungement of criminal records. She also works with the law school’s Clinical Advisory Board to supervise the students as they offer these services to members of the High Point community to increase their access to justice. Martin earned her B.A. in English at Wake Forest University in 1996 and her J.D. at Wake Forest University in 1999.