Sonya Pfeiffer is a skilled litigator who vigorously represents individuals in the United States and internationally. She successfully advises clients in complex, high-conflict matters and specializes in handling well-publicized cases that often draw media attention.

Pfeiffer began her legal career as a public defender, then transitioned to a large corporate law firm where she handled white-collar criminal matters, civil litigation and pro bono death penalty work. For the past decade, Pfeiffer has worked with her husband and law partner, David Rudolf, trying both high-profile and routine cases, taking on high-stakes civil litigation matters as well as complex criminal and civil rights cases. She focuses the majority of her present work on wrongful conviction and police misconduct matters. Pfeiffer also regularly advises attorneys and law firms on media strategy and working with the press.

Pfeiffer is a board member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a member of the American Bar Association, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and the North Carolina Bar Association. She serves on several Bar committees at the local and state level in North Carolina. She is also a member of the Bar in Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts, and is licensed to practice in all federal districts in North Carolina and before the Supreme Court of the United States. Sonya is also a licensed barrister and solicitor in Canada and handles high-conflict, high-stakes civil and family litigation in the province of Ontario. She teaches trial advocacy at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, and is a member of the Ontario Criminal Lawyers Association and the Toronto Trial Lawyers Association.

In addition to her legal experience, Pfeiffer is an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker. Before earning her law degree, she spent more than a decade as a television news reporter in the United States and in Europe, with a focus on investigative reporting. She covered major international stories while based in Paris, France, including the Yitzhak Rabin assassination in Tel Aviv and the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in Paris. As a result of this experience, Pfeiffer has a unique ability to tell each client’s story in a compelling and persuasive manner.

She is the co-host of Abuse of Power, a Webby Award-winning podcast that spotlights injustices in the criminal legal system. She is also the owner of Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art, a North Carolina-based gallery with a focus on content-driven contemporary art. In addition to strategic planning at the gallery, Pfeiffer puts her legal skills to work for a number of arts-related organizations, advising artists and providing creative counseling.

Pfeiffer also speaks across the country and internationally on a variety of topics related to trial skills, the practice of law, working with the media and decision-making. She also regularly moderates panels and roundtables related to law, art, and current events.