John Sharifi is an attorney in the Appellate Division of Maryland’s Office of the Public Defender where he represents indigent defendants before the Appellate Court of Maryland and Maryland Supreme Court. Prior to that he was a trial and appellate attorney in private practice, and a public defender in the trial division. He has litigated highly publicized cases that have helped shape Maryland criminal law and procedure, including State v. Jones, in which he successfully argued for the removal altogether of a felony murder theory from Maryland law. He speaks regularly on criminal law issues, including a homicide law presentation at the annual Office of the Public Defender conference in May 2023.
Mr. Sharifi has also taught Evidence and Trial Practice for many years. He formerly directed a law school mock trial program, and in 2019, a team he coached won the National Trial Competition (NTC). His scholarly interest is criminal litigation, and he is published in The American Criminal Law Review, the American Journal of Trial Advocacy, and the Akron Law Review.
He earned an LL.M. degree from The George Washington University Law Center and a J.D. from The Catholic University, Columbus School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Maryland’s state and federal courts, the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association.