Faith Jenkins is a practicing attorney in New York and a legal and social commentator. She serves as one of the legal pundits for the show Celebrity Crime Files on TV One.

Faith's other appearances include Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends, The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity, Studio B with Shepard Smith, Happening Now, Fox Business Channel’s Lou Dobbs Forum, Your World with Neil Cavuto, Willis Report, HLN’s special report with Vinnie Politan, truTV’s In Session, among others. Faith has also contributed opinion editorials addressing current events in the New York Daily News.

Faith started her legal career in the New York office of Sidley Austin - one the nation’s most prestigious law firms - where she represented high-profile clients in a diverse array of complex, commercial matters. Her practice included defending class action securities fraud lawsuits, white-collar/regulatory investigations, breach of contract disputes, and other types of high-stakes litigation. After five years as a litigator in NYC law firms, Faith became a criminal prosecutor for the government. Faith was the lead attorney in numerous jury trials and prosecuted a multitude of violent crimes including gang assaults, robberies, burglaries, kidnapping, drug sales, and illegal gun possession cases. Faith's current private practice focuses on resolving business disputes, white collar defense and government investigations, as well as other civil and criminal matters.

As Miss Louisiana 2000 Faith became a distinguished young leader in America. After placing 1st runner up at Miss America 2001, Faith gained a national presence and began traveling extensively addressing important issues facing her community and our nation. She has addressed notable academic institutions, business executives, state agencies, political groups, and student organizations. Faith has served as a positive role model for thousands of young people by telling her personal story of perseverance and determination. During her year of service she spoke to students in some of the most economically depressed areas of the nation, motivating them to overcome life’s obstacles and pursue their dreams. In an effort to reach out to teens most in need of an encouraging word, Faith took her message one step further: juvenile prisons and boot camps where hundreds of young people were confined.

Miss America

Faith not only placed first runner up to Miss America 2001 – she also made history. She remains the only contestant in the pageant’s history to be awarded all three of the following awards: swimsuit, talent (after singing Nancy Wilson's classic "If I Could"), and the coveted “Quality of Life” national community service award for her volunteer work in literacy and education.

Faith remains active in the Miss America Organization and judges state preliminaries every year. To date, her judging experience includes Miss Texas, Miss Mississippi, Miss Washington, Miss Virginia, Miss Maryland, Miss Kentucky, Miss Louisiana, Miss Pennsylvania, Miss New York, and Miss Kansas, among others. Faith has also judged the national Miss America Teen competition in Orlando, Florida.

Background and Education

Originally from Louisiana, Faith takes pride in her southern roots. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Louisiana Tech University (where she was also the first African-American woman to win the title of Miss Louisiana Tech University) and a J.D. from Southern University law school in Baton Rouge, LA where she ranked #1 in her law class.