# Susan Filan
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{{short description|American lawyer}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2018}}
'''Susan F. Filan''' (née Freedman) (born August 24, 1959) is a Senior Legal Analyst for [MSNBC](/source/MSNBC), former prosecutor for the State of [Connecticut](/source/Connecticut), and a [trial lawyer](/source/trial_lawyer).
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==Early career==
In 1991, she began her career as a criminal defense attorney for a legal aid clinic, in [New Haven, CT](/source/New_Haven%2C_CT), representing indigent defendants charged with crimes. She then went into private practice where she specialized in criminal defense and matrimonial law at both the trial and appellate level in state and federal court. In 1998, Filan was hired by the State Attorney's office for The Division of Criminal Justice which consists of the Office of the Chief State's Attorney and the State's Attorneys for each of the 13 Judicial Districts in Connecticut. They, along with Assistant State's Attorneys, are Connecticut's prosecutors—the public officials known in many other states, and in TV lore, as District Attorneys, or the "D.A." Filan was one of the more than 500 prosecutors, inspectors and administrative and support staff who are responsible for the investigation and prosecution of crime in Connecticut. She was assigned to the Gang and Continuing Crime Unit. In 2003, Filan transferred to the Judicial District of Fairfield at Bridgeport as an Assistant State's Attorney (prosecutor).
==TV Legal Analyst==
In 2005, Filan began providing commentary on [MSNBC](/source/MSNBC), [Fox News](/source/Fox_News), [CNN](/source/CNN), [Court TV](/source/Court_TV), [ABC News](/source/ABC_News_(United_States)), [CBS News](/source/CBS_News), and [BBC News](/source/BBC_News) in 2005 on several high-profile cases including [Michael Jackson](/source/Michael_Jackson) and [Scott Peterson](/source/Scott_Peterson_(murderer)). In May 2005, Filan resigned as a prosecutor to pursue a career in media when she was hired by [NBC News](/source/NBC_News) and [MSNBC](/source/MSNBC) to provide exclusive legal analysis of the [Michael Jackson trial](/source/Michael_Jackson_trial). She covered the trial from [Santa Maria, California](/source/Santa_Maria%2C_California). After Jackson's acquittal on all charges, Filan returned home and began providing legal analysis for MSNBC and occasionally appeared on NBC. In 2006, she was promoted to MSNBC Senior Analyst.
In addition to appearing as an analyst on MSNBC's daytime and primetime programs, Filan also has served as a guest host for "[The Abrams Report](/source/The_Abrams_Report)." Filan has been quoted in print media around the world.
She is a regular contributor to [Women in Crime Ink](/source/Women_in_Crime_Ink),[[https://www.womenincrimeink.blogspot.com/ Contributor, Women in Crime Ink]] described by the ''[Wall Street Journal](/source/Wall_Street_Journal)'' as "a blog worth reading."[[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203771904574173874199242710 ''Wall Street Journal'' article featuring Women in Crime Ink]]
==Credentials==
Filan is admitted to practice before the [Supreme Court of the United States](/source/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States), the [United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Second_Circuit), the [United States District Court for the District of Connecticut](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_Connecticut) and the Courts of the State of Connecticut. She had a column on MSNBC.com called the Filan Files.
She was the past president of the Board of Quinnipiac University School of Law Alumni Association and an Alternate on the Local Grievance Panel for the Judicial District of New Haven.
==Education==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=April 2019}}
* [Quinnipiac College School Of Law](/source/Quinnipiac_University_School_of_Law), Hamden, CT
* Juris Doctor, May 1991; Merit Scholar, 1990–91
* IOLTA Scholar, 1990–91; American Jurisprudence Award, Trial Practice, 1991
* University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
** M.A., Anthropology, 1986
** Teaching Assistant; Research Assistant; Research Grant Recipient
** Admitted to Ph.D. Program in Anthropology
* [University of Michigan](/source/University_of_Michigan), Ann Arbor, MI
**B.A., with Distinction, Anthropology, 1981
*Graduate of National Institute of Trial Advocacy’s Ten Day Regional Program
*Graduate of National Advocacy Center Trial Advocacy Program
*Graduate of Top Gun Training Program, Sea Girt, New Jersey
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://susanfilan.com Website]
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Category:Living people
Category:1959 births
Category:Connecticut lawyers
Category:American television reporters and correspondents
Category:American television news anchors
Category:MS NOW people
Category:CNN people
Category:American women television journalists
Category:American women lawyers
Category:American lawyers
Category:University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni
Category:Quinnipiac University alumni
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Susan Filan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Filan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Filan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.