Directory

Jennifer Petrella

Adjunct Professor of Law

Adjunct

School of Law

Profile

Magistrate JENNIFER A. PETRELLA, CCM, is a proud graduate of the University of Dayton School of Law. For the past 26 years she has been fortunate to have found her calling and has worked within the court system where she devotes her time to improving the lives of the children and citizens of Montgomery County. While working at Juvenile Court, she assisted the Child Protection Mediation, Juvenile Drug Court and Community Court programs, before being promoted to Chief Deputy Clerk. By the end of her tenure at this division, she was Director of Court Services. Since 2015, Jennifer has been serving as both the Court Administrator and a Magistrate in Domestic Relations Court. Here, she works hand-in-hand with the judges overseeing the court’s daily operations, as well as partnering with other agencies to improve the services the court offers.

Jennifer is excited to share her love of public service and the law with University of Dayton Law students and assists in grading and mentoring graduates as they prepare for the Bar exam. She further works and helps guide judicial externs who are chosen for a position at Domestic Relations court, working with the extern to develop a project that overarches their entire extern experience. Jennifer was a certified Bridges Out of Poverty trainer at the Juvenile Court, and this knowledge as well as her certification in Court Management, helps her in her current role as magistrate and mentor.

In her free time, Jennifer volunteers with her church and with other various groups throughout the community. Having graduated from both a Jesuit and a Marianist university she continues to hold those values dear, and prioritizes serving and helping others. She enjoys good food, traveling and spending time with her family. Over recent years, she has developed an eye for nature pictures which she enjoys displaying throughout her home.