Names of Note: Manhattan DA’s Office hires Turlock woman straight out of law school
Turlock product Emily Yonan will begin her law career in a high-profile place: the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Yonan earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Stanislaus State University in 2019. She will graduate this spring from the law school at Washington University in St. Louis, then start in September as an assistant district attorney.
Stan State provided the details in a Jan. 7 news release, based on a Zoom interview from Yonan’s home in St. Louis:
The hiring followed a summer 2021 fellowship in the Manhattan office, mostly done remotely due to COVID-19. Then-DA Cyrus Vance Jr. offered Yonan the permanent job over Zoom after a four-interview process.
“He asked where Turlock is,” she said.
Yonan had pursued an interest in human trafficking cases during an undergraduate internship with the U.S. House of Representatives. A law school internship had her aiding prosecutors on child sexual abuse cases at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Yonan is managing editor of the Washington University Law Review. She also works in the school’s Wrongful Conviction Clinic, which helps people in and near Missouri with credible claims of innocence.
The latter experience is helpful to a future assistant DA’s training, Yonan said.
“I think as somebody going into prosecution, it’s important to realize the effect you can have on people’s lives,” she said. “Doing this clinic and helping people in this way is an important service. Sometimes prosecutors do get it wrong. One person wrongfully convicted is one too many.”
Yonan capped off her Stan State experience as the student commencement speaker for the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
“We are all Warriors through and through, and as Warriors, we can do anything,” The Modesto Bee quoted her as saying that day. “And if you still don’t know what that anything is, that is OK. You will find your calling in due time, and when that time comes, don’t be afraid to answer that call with boldness and courage. Because that is what you have been preparing for, and you are more than ready for it.”
Yonan attended Turlock Christian High School. Her father, Michael Yonan, is a high school teacher in Stockton. Mother Polet works at the family’s church. Older sister Ashley teaches in Orange County. Younger brother Michael is about to graduate from the School of Engineering at Sacramento State University.
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