Raised in Pittsburgh, Judge Jill Beck knew from a young age that she wanted to work to ensure that everyone had access to justice. While pursuing her undergraduate degree in criminal justice from The George Washington University, she served as a counselor at a residential facility for adjudicated delinquent girls and later as an assistant forensic interviewer at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Child Advocacy Center. After graduating with honors, she served as an AmeriCorps Fellow working with adolescents on probation. These experiences fueled her passion for protecting vulnerable members of our community and drew her to the practice of law.
After graduating at the top of her class from Duquesne University School of Law, Judge Beck chose to work for the nonprofit organization KidsVoice, where she represented abused and neglected children in court proceedings and beyond. Judge Beck’s service at KidsVoice involved not only ensuring that the legal rights of her young clients were protected at trial and on appeal, but that their basic human needs were met — food, clothing, shelter, medical treatment, education, and a safe and loving family.
Judge Beck’s experience advocating for children in the Superior Court led her to want to serve from the other side of the bench in Pennsylvania’s appellate courts. She spent the next 10 years in public service as a law clerk under the Honorable Christine Donohue on the Superior and Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania. Judge Beck drafted decisions for criminal, civil, family, juvenile, and orphans’ court cases that were grounded in the law and achieved substantial justice for individuals, families, and businesses across the Commonwealth.
In 2019 Judge Beck became a civil litigator at Blank Rome, a law firm she selected because of its commitment to providing free legal services to those who cannot afford them. In addition to her busy litigation and appellate practice in state and federal courts across the country, she served as chair of Blank Rome Pittsburgh’s Pro Bono Coordinating Committee.
Judge Beck was elected to the Superior Court in November 2023. She resides with her husband, two children, and rescue dog in Pittsburgh.
