Lecturer Bio
Marilena David-Martin, Esq.
Marilena David-Martin is Deputy Director at the State Appellate Defender Office. She represents indigent individuals appealing felony convictions. Marilena manages the Criminal Defense Resource Center and provides training, resources, and support to the criminal defense bar.
She launched and manages Project Reentry, a program focused on supporting people on their journey home from prison. Marilena serves as Chair for the State Bar of Michigan’s (SBM) Prisons and Corrections Section and is on the Board of Directors for the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan (CDAM), Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Program, and the Michigan Bench Bar Conference Foundation.
Marilena is the recipient of the 2014 SBM Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, the 2014 CDAM Justice for All Award, and the 2018, Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Community Impact Award. In 2019, she was appointed by Governor Whitmer to serve on the Michigan Community Corrections Board.