Dara Johnson

Through her background in legal defense, public policy, and civil litigation, Dara has developed a strong commitment to helping people access and defend their rights. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Dara’s professional work has been driven by the need to support her surrounding community. Prior to graduating from the Howard University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate, Dara pursued a number of opportunities that centered her focus on legal advocacy, including serving as a legal assistant for Greenbelt-based post conviction attorney Erica J. Suter; investigating felony cases for the Public Defenders’ Service for D.C.; working with clients on juvenile and expungement matters as a student attorney with D.C. Law Students in Court; and assisting with the litigation of MRJI v. Hogan and other advocacy efforts as a law clerk with the ACLU of Maryland. Since returning to the ACLU as the Parole Representation Project and Litigation Support Assistant, Dara has applied her passion to furthering parole support for people with life sentences in Maryland. In her role as the Intake and Investigation Associate, she looks forward to continuing to help people advance and protect their legal rights.