J. Ra’Chel Fowler is an Associate with JSP. She has over 25 years of legal experience working in various professional work environments. As a certified paralegal she has trained law students on case management software and law office practices with a particular focus on being sensitive to addressing the needs of people and communities that are traditionally underserved and underrepresented by the legal profession. She has created training manuals for both students, attorneys and court personnel during her tenure at North Carolina Central University Law School. Her paralegal experiences also afforded the opportunity to work with indigent clients from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. With the growth of multiculturalism in our society, Ms. Fowler’s previous work experiences in law firms, criminal justice, juvenile justice, and government agencies and in academia, particularly at a Historical Black College and Universities (HBCU), afforded her the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the different cultural values and belief systems within our communities. Aside from her vast work experiences, Ms. Fowler has also mentored disadvantaged youth in housing projects by providing soft skills training, stress coping skills, theater and dance classes to channel positive self-esteem and self-confidence within themselves and as a means of diverting them from the risk factors that could make them susceptible to criminal activities and disruptive behavior.                   

Ms. Fowler obtained her ABA-approved paralegal certification from the National Center for Paralegal Training (NCPT) in Atlanta, Georgia. She also holds both a B.S. and M.S. in Criminal Justice from North Carolina Central University and a M.S. in Forensic Psychology from Walden University. She is passionate about identifying and researching gender and racial disparities with the criminal legal system and advancing equity among underserved and underrepresented individuals. Her previous research interest has included violence against women, gender and racial disparities within the criminal justice system, online deviance among college-age individuals, policy research, criminal behavior among juveniles, and criminological theories.