The Hon. Jennifer Conn Shirk is a judge for the Tulare County Superior Court in California. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007.
Shirk received her A.A. in communications from the College of the Sequoias in 1977. She first thought she might pursue a degree in journalism, though ultimately she decided upon a different career path and obtained her B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1980. After briefly working in the service industry, Shirk then went on to earn her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1986.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Shirk spent her entire legal career in private practice. During her tenure in private practice, Shirk established a program that provided free legal service to her family law clients.
Though her desire for a career in journalism was not realized, Judge Shirk channeled her love of writing by authoring a book in 2016.
Ultimately her career path mirrored that of her late father's, the Hon. Kenneth Conn, who was also a Tulare County Superior Court Judge.