Ashley Shapiro is a Deputy Public Defender in the Richmond City Public Defender’s Office. Ashley previously served as a public defender in Fairfax, Virginia and St. Mary's County, Maryland. During her time as a public defender, she has litigated dozens of jury trials, countless motions and represented both children and adults. Prior to the Richmond Public Defender’s Office, Ashley was the Immigration Resource Attorney for the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, conducting training and case-specific consultations for all public defenders in Virginia regarding the immigration consequences of criminal convictions. Ashley graduated With Honors from The George Washington University Law School in 2010.

Ashley is also the Vice Chair for Justice Forward Virginia, a criminal justice reform non-profit. Justice Forward advocates in the Virginia General Assembly for criminal justice reform, and has helped change a number of laws that contributed to systemic racism and mass incarceration, striving to make the criminal system more fair and just.