Rhona Taylor

MANAGING ATTORNEY

Rhona Taylor is the Managing Attorney at For The People, where she leads the team of attorneys executing FTP’s core legal work. She brings nearly fifteen years of experience as a public defender and impact litigation attorney with a focus on criminal justice reform, restorative justice, and successful reentry processes.

Prior to joining For The People, Rhona was an Assistant Federal Public Defender at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Northern District of California, as well as the Western District of Michigan, where she represented indigent defendants on a broad range of criminal matters. Rhona worked in partnership with the judiciary, US Attorney’s Office and other federal agencies to further the use of diversion programs and sentencing alternatives.  

In addition, Rhona served as Directing Attorney and Staff Attorney at Columbia Legal Services (CLS) in Seattle, WA leading impact litigation cases focused on prison reform. She also directed local, statewide, and national criminal and economic justice initiatives to remove the burden of court fees, fines and costs as collateral consequences and barriers to reentry. 

Most recently, Rhona investigated Title IX harassment and discrimination matters at UC Berkeley. Her work centered on the importance of leading with trauma-informed principles and utilizing alternative dispute resolution practices to remedy matters involving faculty, students and staff. 

Rhona earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and is a member of the Michigan Bar. She is also a proud alumna of Spelman College where she received her B.A. in Political Science. Rhona serves as the co-chair of the board of trustees at St. Paul’s Episcopal School where she formerly chaired the board’s DEI Committee. When not working, Rhona enjoys exploring California with her husband and their three daughters, traveling the world, hosting book club meetups, cooking, watching documentaries, and designing spaces and floral arrangements.