The Law Department is pleased to introduce Lisa Pema Harvey, who recently joined our team as Chair of the Social Services Law Group, overseeing the Child Welfare and Health and Adult Services Units. Lisa possesses over 25 years of legal and government experience.
Previously, she spent 18 years as an Assistant District Attorney with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO) where she prosecuted cases in multiple divisions including the major trial unit. She served as the Chief of the Juvenile Court Unit where she trained and supervised a team of 20 prosecutors and 16 support staff in all aspects of juvenile delinquency including trial strategy, investigations and dispositions. Before becoming Chief, Lisa was the Director of Juvenile Diversion for the DAO where she developed and implemented policies relating to diversion programs. Lisa expanded the Youth Aid Panel Diversion Program by diverting more Philadelphia youth from the formal judicial system.
Lisa is passionate about training others and improving processes for stakeholders in social services work. In 2015, Lisa led a training sponsored by the U.S. State Department in Bangkok, Thailand to educate Thai judges, prosecutors, and juvenile probation officers on best practices for juvenile diversion programs and human trafficking courts. In her role as Director of Juvenile Programs, she annually trained hundreds of community volunteers, police officers, and prosecutors on juvenile justice issues and restorative justice practices. Lisa has also served as a member of a small group of prosecutors from around the country who created a national Juvenile Prosecutor Training Curriculum and Best Practice Manual to be used across the United States. In 2021, Lisa was appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to be a member of the Juvenile Court Procedural Rules Committee and became Chair of the Committee in 2025. Lisa is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Temple University Beasley School of Law. She lives in Center City with her husband, and they have three children.
Congratulations, and welcome to the team, Lisa!
