Jessica Rinaldi

I have been truly fortunate to work for organizations committed to making the world fairer and more equitable, including the ability to promote social and criminal justice.  I spent 5 years working as a criminal prosecutor in New York City, where I was an assistant district attorney in the trial division and was responsible for the prosecution and investigation of all types of street-level violent crimes including sexual assaults, domestic violence, theft, fraud, shootings, stabbings, firearms and other weapons and narcotics offenses.  I simultaneously served as Deputy Chief of the Hate Crimes Unit where I was in charge of the pre-arrest and post-arrest investigations and prosecutions of hate crimes in Manhattan of all levels ranging from harassment to homicide.  As an assistant district attorney, I have interviewed over a thousand witnesses, conducted over one hundred grand jury presentations, and first- and second-chaired numerous jury and bench trials.  I co-chaired the Office’s Transgender, Gender Non-conforming, and Non-Binary Rights (“TGNCNB”) Working Group, which is a collection of various agencies, community stakeholders, affinity groups, and non-profits aimed at ensuring equity and fairness for all participants/aspects of the criminal legal system for those who are transgender, gender nonconforming/expansive, and non-binary.  I also served as an executive board member of the LGBTQ+ Lawyers Association.

I spent three years in private practice at a large international law firm where I represented clients under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, the New York State Department of Financial Services, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, and have extensive experience conducting sensitive internal investigations for various pharmaceutical and life science companies, as well as those in the insurance, finance, and banking industries.  

I am an experienced facilitator and speaker on a broad variety of diversity, equity, and inclusion topics.  I have been trained on facilitating sessions on EEO and professional conduct, collaboration and communication, anger management, and creating a culture of belonging.  As an attorney and licensed private investigator, I conduct in-house investigations of sensitive workplace complaints and of workplace misconduct, including discrimination, harassment, bullying, fraud, and other policy matters.