Nadine Graves

Deputy Director of Community Legal Services
Nadine joined the Legal Rights Center in 2022, after practicing as a defense attorney with Hennepin County's Adult Representation Services (ARS) Unit, where she represented parents in child protection matters and Hennepin County residents facing evictions. Nadine is also a former Hennepin County Public Defender where she represented hundreds of people charged with criminal cases. She also worked as a law clerk with the HCPD's Office as a law student. 

Nadine Graves is a Minnesota native  (daughter of Liberian immigrants) and a graduate of an HBCU, Delaware State University, where she earned a BA in Sociology and Criminal Justice, and Mitchell Hamline School of Law. 

Outside of the courtroom Nadine is the board chair of a non-profit, We Are Criminals, an organization dedicated to challenging society’s perceptions of what it means to be “criminal.”

Nadine has a long history of working with and advocating for people in need. A significant amount of her experience is in human services assisting underprivileged and underrepresented people of diverse social, ethnic, and economic backgrounds predominately in Minneapolis.

Nadine’s advocacy isn’t limited to direct service. She is a voice for racial equity and meaningful justice reform too. She has testified at Minnesota’s Second Chance Day on the Hill in support of Ban the Box, expungement reform, and voters’ rights restoration. Nadine is also the host and producer of the Waiting Room with Nadine Graves podcast, where she provides a mic to the unheard; exposing the invisible impact upon families affected by the criminal legal system.