da: About the District Attorney

Montgomery County, PA

P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311
Courthouse Hours: 8:30a.m. to 4:15p.m.
Phone: 610-278-3000
Website: www.montcopa.org

Risa Vetri Ferman
 

ABOUT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Risa Vetri Ferman, District Attorney, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
 
Risa Vetri Ferman is the elected District Attorney of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  She began her term in January 2008 after serving fifteen years as an Assistant District Attorney in the county.  Prior to her election District Attorney Ferman served for six years as First Assistant District Attorney, overseeing all operations of the District Attorney’s Office and County Detective Bureau; she served for four years as a Deputy District Attorney supervising both the Trials and Pre-trials Divisions; she served as the Captain of the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit and a Trials Assistant District Attorney specializing in sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.

District Attorney Ferman is a Montgomery County native. She graduated from Abington High School in 1983.  She attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1987 with a B.A. in History. In 1992, she earned her law degree from the Widener University School of Law, Wilmington, Delaware.  Prior to attending law school, District Attorney Ferman worked in a family owned retail jewelry chain of stores located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

District Attorney Ferman co-founded two non-profit organizations to benefit and protect abused children: The Montgomery Child Advocacy Project (“MCAP”), which provides pro-bono legal services for abused children, and Mission Kids, a child friendly facility where all disciplines involved in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse provide coordinated services to kids to minimize trauma to abused children.  District Attorney Ferman serves as President of the Board of Directors of Mission Kids and as a Board member for MCAP.
 
In 2003, the Montgomery Bar Foundation honored District Attorney Ferman with the Louis D. Stefan Law Enforcement Award for her role in the creation of the Child Advocacy Project.  In 2007, District Attorney Ferman was named as Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Valley Forge Optimist Club and Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Schuylkill Valley Alliance Chamber of Commerce.  In 2008, members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 14 named District Attorney Ferman as an Honorary Member.
 
District Attorney Ferman currently serves as Chair on the Criminal Procedural Rules Committee of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.  District Attorney Ferman serves on the Executive Board of the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association.  She is also a member of the Pennsylvania District Attorney's Institute –  which provides training for police and prosecutors across the Commonwealth.  District Attorney Ferman frequently lectures on topics related to criminal investigation, prosecution and crime prevention for law enforcement, prosecutors and community groups.