Photo: Courtesy of Johnathan Coleman ‘19

At Bucknell, Johnathan Coleman ’19 was a Posse Scholar, member of the water polo team and the Commencement student speaker.

Johnathan “Chief” Coleman ‘19 felt torn between a career in politics or law until a study abroad trip to South Africa showed him a path forward. “Learning about South Africa’s restorative justice process after apartheid inspired me,” he says. “I grew up in a lower-class socioeconomic area, and one reason I wanted to go to law school is that the criminal justice system had impacted my family. I thought that having a better understanding of the law would protect us from injustice.”

While studying at University of Southern California Gould School of Law, Coleman joined the Post-Conviction Justice Project (PCJP), where he provided pro bono representation to incarcerated individuals before the California Board of Parole. “These people have been rehabilitated and paid their debt to society, so we should help them reintegrate,” he says.

His work with the PCJP led him to pilot a restorative justice program in Long Beach, Calif., where community members help determine responses to crime. “It’s taught me that, sometimes, people just need a second chance,” says Coleman, who serves as the vice chair of the Ethics Commission for the City of Long Beach.

In addition to his commitment to restorative justice, Coleman practices intellectual property and privacy law. “In private practice, I represent large corporations in relatively sophisticated matters,” he says. “Shifting from my practice to restorative justice work reminds me of why I went to law school in the first place. It’s an honor to advocate for others.”