"I've dedicated my life to serving Philadelphia and its young people -- and I'd be honored to join the Court of Common Pleas." -- Betsy Wahl
THREE DECADES OF SERVICE
Betsy Wahl has spent 30 years working towards fair and just outcomes in Philadelphia courtrooms. Her background includes:
* Master in Juvenile Court in Philadelphia's 1st Judicial District
- Has determined placements and outcomes f
or thousands of youth since 2002
* Public Defender for Juvenile and Adult Criminal Courts
- Represented thousands of juvenile and adult criminal clients
* Adjunct Professor of Criminal Law at Temple University and Cabrini College
* Private and Court appointed mediator for family law cases
* Finalized hundreds of adoptions
* Harvard University Prisoner Legal Assistance Program
- Advocate for inmates in disciplinary and parole hearings
DEDICATED TO JUVENILE JUSTICE
Betsy has developed a deep understanding of juvenile justice -- and she knows the judicial system must value and lift up our youth.
* Over the last 14 years as a Master in Juvenile Court, Betsy has developed a reputation as someone who is open-minded and fair.
* To better understand the consequences of judicial decisions, Betsy has visited dozens of juvenile placements and programs.
* As a Public Defender, Betsy was chosen to join the Juvenile Special Defense Unit – representing serious, habitual juvenile offenders and high-publicity juvenile cases. PHILADELPHIAN
Betsy came to Philadelphia in 1979 as an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania. She returned after graduating from Boston University School of Law – and she never left. Betsy lived in Mount Airy for 25 years. She recently moved to Fairmount with her son, Jack, who is a freshman at Central High School. Betsy's oldest daughter, Abby, is a wildlife biologist in Washington, DC, and Emily is in the Peace Corps in Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean.
