Lisa A. Mathewson

Board of Directors, Director, First Term, Class of 2025

Lisa A. Mathewson Photo

Lisa Mathewson has defended clients in criminal matters for nearly twenty-five years. She has an active appellate practice spanning multiple circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court. She also handles matters from the investigative stage through trial and sentencing, and co-counsels with colleagues who value her appellate expertise to present and preserve legal issues at the grand jury and trial stage.


Ms. Mathewson is currently a Vice-Chair of NACDL’s Amicus Curiae Committee, with responsibility for the Third Circuit, Co-Chair of NACDL’s White Collar Committee; and a member of its Bylaws Committee. Outside of NACDL she is a member of the Selection Committee for the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Mathewson has been recognized by her peers as a Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer” in the area of white collar criminal defense every year since 2011, and before that as a “Rising Star Super Lawyer. Before forming The Law Offices of Lisa A. Mathewson in 2009, she was a partner in a boutique Philadelphia white collar defense firm and practiced with a large international law firm. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1995, and clerked at the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

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  1. The Champion
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    March/April 2025

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  2. Amicus Brief
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    Jenner & Block LLP v. U.S. Department of Justice

    Brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and New York Council of Defense Lawyers as Amici Curiae in Support of Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment.

  3. News Release
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    News Release ~ Law Enforcement Executive Order

    NACDL Warns Executive Order's Dangerous Overreach Undermines Community Safety and Trust in Police – Washington, DC (April 29, 2025) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) expressed deep concern regarding the Executive Order titled "Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens," cautioning that several of its proposals represent a dangerous overreach that undermines these goals by jeopardizing individual rights and the legitimacy of law enforcement in the eyes of the community.

  4. Event
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    Trial Tactics for Pregnancy-Related Cases: Skills for Every Defender

    LOCATION: The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, TX
    DATE: May 16-17, 2025
    COST: FREE (registration is required)
    CLE Credit: Up to 14.5 credits 

  5. Webinar
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    Collaborative Approaches to Appellate Defense: Recognizing Clients' Legal Expertise

    WHEN: Thursday, May 8, 3:00-4:30pm ET / 12:00-1:30pm PT
    CLE CREDIT: not available
    COST: Free