Laura Nirider

Laura Nirider

Laura Nirider is a Clinical Law Professor and Co-Director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in Chicago. She is an expert in false confessions and dedicates her practice to representing young people who have been wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit.

Nirider has gained international recognition for her involvement in several high-profile cases involving juvenile confessions, including those of Brendan Dassey from the Netflix series Making a Murderer and Damien Echols from the documentary West of Memphis.

Aside from her courtroom work, Nirider is also an accomplished author who regularly publishes articles on interrogations and post-conviction relief for both academic and practical audiences. She co-authored one of the few existing juvenile interrogation protocols in collaboration with the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Additionally, she is a frequent presenter on interrogations at training conferences for defenders and law enforcement across the country and has been featured in television and film programs on the topic. Nirider’s recent contributions also include co-authoring an amicus curiae brief that the U.S. Supreme Court cited in J.D.B. v. North Carolina.

Guest Appearances
May 24, 2023

False Confessions (Part 2)

Children in Crosshairs & Innocent People with Guilty Facts

May 24, 2023

False Confessions (Part 1)

Why Innocent People Do It

April 29, 2020

Wrongful Convictions, Making a Murderer, and Social Media with Laura Nirider

Host Dan Linna talks to Laura Nirider about wrongful convictions in the US and how social media can help address and reduce their occurrence.

December 19, 2018

Making a Murderer: How Brendan Dassey’s Case is Making a Difference

Steven Drizin and Laura Nirider talk about false confessions and the legal proceedings covered in the second season of “Making a Murderer.”

August 17, 2016

Defending Brendan Dassey of “Making a Murderer”

Host Dan Rodriguez speaks with Steven Drizin and Laura Nirider about youth interrogation, false confessions, and Brendan Dassey.