Jennifer Bonjean is a defence attorney and entrepreneur. She is the founder of the Bonjean Law Group PLLC, considered one of the greatest law firms in America.
She has represented many famous individuals and, most recently, R Kelly and Bill Cosby. Bonjean has a net worth of approximately $10 million.
| Name | Jennifer Ann Bonjean |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth: | August 7th, 1970 (51 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Valparaiso, Indiana |
| Height: | 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 meters) |
| Profession: | Defense attorney, entrepreneur |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Children: | 4 |
| Parents: | Nicole Rittenmeyer (mother), father unknown |
| Net Worth Estimate: | $10 million |
Net Worth
It is unclear exactly how much Bonjean is worth. However, it is speculated to be approximately $10 million.
Bonjean gets most of her net worth from her law firm, Bonjean Law Group PLLC. The company has annual revenue of approximately $1 to 10 million per year (1).
Bonjean works as a lawyer for this group and has represented many notable individuals. This has included R Kelly, Bill Cosby, Armando Serrano, and others. In total, Bonjean has dealt in cases that have equaled $20 million.
Bonjean has also made several appearances on various TV shows, such as CNN, FOX News, and truTV. Additionally, Bonjean’s daughter attends Packer Collegiate school, a private school that charges $38,000 per year in fees, suggesting that Bonjean’s net worth is high.
Company
In 2007, Bonjean founded the Bonjean Law Group, a law firm dealing with cases pro bono. The Bonjean Group has dealt with over 1980 civil rights cases, which have equaled over $20 million.
In 2014, the Bonjean Law Group represented James Degorski in a civil suit. They were successful, and Degorski was awarded $451,000 (2).
In 2017, Bonjean represented David Castellani in Castellani vs City of Atlantic City, et al. Bonjean managed to win a settlement for her client of $3,000,000 (3).
In 2018, Bonjean represented Alstory Simon in a wrongful conviction lawsuit. She successfully negotiated a settlement of approximately $40 million (4).
Also, in 2018, the Bonjean Law Group represented Franco Sydnor. Both parties in the case settled for an unknown amount, although it was likely to be more than $1 million (5).
The same year, Bonjean represented Steven Sadler in a police brutality case. She won the case, and Sadler was awarded $679,000 from the Atlantic City police department (6).
During this case, Bonjean charged $495 per hour.
Her associate attorney Ashley Cohen charged $250 an hour, and the paralegal, Stacy Bangalore charged $125 an hour. Bonjean worked for 1,105,59 hours, Cohen for 848.82 hours, and Bagaloo for 171.75, totalling approximately $780,940,80 for the Bonjean Law Group (7).
In 2019, Bonjean won a wrongful conviction lawsuit for Stanley Wrice in Wrice vs Byrne et al. Bonjean successfully convinced the jury to award Wrice with $5.2 million in compensation for the wrongful conviction.
In 2020, Bonjean managed to settle for her client Emily Weinman. The settlement was from the Philadelphia Police Department and totalled $325,000 (8).
In 2021, Bill Cosby hired Bonjean as his new defense attorney. She was successful with this case, and the State freed him.
Also, in 2021, Bonjean represented Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez after a Chicago Police Detective wrongfully framed them. She was successful in this case, leading to compensation of approximately $20.5 million for the victims (9).
In 2021, the Bonjean Law group sold their remixes on 442 van Burnt Street for $3,500,000 (10).
Salary & Earnings
It is unclear how much Bonjean is paid per case. However, as she works on a pro bono basis, she gets most of her earnings from settlements.
In Bonjean’s words, “I don’t charge my client, and getting paid is contingent on winning these cases. So when I win, you better believe I’m going to come after every penny I’m entitled to.”
During the Steven Sadler case, reports indicate that she charged Sadler $495 per hour (11).
When representing Bill Cosby, Bonjean’s exact salary is unknown. However, sources indicate that it may have been approximately $3 million (12).
Prior to working for her own company, Bonjean worked as an Office of the State Appellate Defender for the State of Illinois. She worked here from 1999 to 2004.
Although her exact salary is unknown, sources indicate that this position pays approximately $72,000 (13).
Real Estate
In 2005, Bonjean and her husband bought two units in the Ben Building Condo in Bowery, New York. This cost $3,869,350, and they were granted a mortgage of $2,250,000 from JPMorgan Chase Bank.
In 2008, Bonjean and her husband bought another unit in the building for $1,900,000. They were given a mortgage of $3,850,000 from Berkshire Bank. Two years later, Bonjean bought a fourth unit for $2,215,000 with a mortgage of $1,107,500 from Maspeth Federal Savings and Loan Association.
In 2012, Bonjean sold two of these units for $4,950,00 each. The following year, she sold one unit for $864,662, another for $2,903,750, and bought a unit for $1,900,000 (14).
Currently, Bonjean lives with her family on Van Brunt Street in Brooklyn, New York. Her house has four beds and three bathrooms and is roughly 3750 square feet. The house is worth approximately $3,606,900 or $962 per square foot (15).
Early Life
Bonjean was born on August 7th 1970, in Valparaiso, Indiana, to her mother, Nicole Rittenmeyer. Her father’s name is unknown.
Bonjean studied at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School, graduating in 1985.
Her high school is unknown. In 1988, Bonjean began studying at DePaul University as a Bachelor of Music, specializing in vocal performance. She graduated in 1992, although her final grade is unknown.
From 1992 to 1994, Bonjean attended the Manhattan School of Music, gaining a Master of Music specializing in opera performance.
Career
Bonjean then began working as a volunteer for the Young Woman’s Christian Association (YWCA) in Metropolitan Chicago.
In this position, Bonjean worked as a counsellor for rape victims and as a crisis advocate. Witnessing the poor treatment of victims inspired Bonjean to pursue a career in law.
From 1996 to 1999, Bonjean attended the Loyola University Chicago School of Law and became a Doctor of Law. Originally, Bonjean aimed to work as a prosecutor but later switched paths to become a defense attorney.
While studying at the university, Bonjean completed intern work in the Illinois State Appellate Defender’s Office as part of the Capital Litigation Division.
Shortly before graduating from university, Bonjean became part of the Trial Division in the Cook County Public Defender’s office.
After graduating, Bonjean started work as an Assistant Appellate Defender at the Office of the State Appellate Defender in Illinois.
In Bonjean’s own words, this position involved her “research[ing] and writ[ing] appellate briefs, argu[ing] in the appellate courts, Illinois State Court and the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.” Bonjean worked here until 2004 when she moved to New York.
In 2007, Bonjean established her law firm called the Bonjean Law Group. This law firm centres on serious criminal defense cases, specifically Section 1983 civil rights matters.
On Bonjean’s website, she states that her work “focuses on appeals and post-conviction litigation particularly committed to exonerating those wrongly convicted.” (16)
With this company, Bonjean has represented many high-profile and famous court cases. Most recently, she worked as Bill Crosby’s lawyer and got his conviction overturned.
Earlier this year, Bonjean became R Kelly’s lawyer in his sex trafficking and racketeering case. Bonjean argued that Kelly’s previous legal team had serious problems, leaving Kelly “with a disjointed, unprepared trial team and no singular defense strategy.” (17).
Kelly was sentenced to 30 years for racketeering, 20 years for coercion and enticement, 20 years for transporting a minor, and ten years for transporting across state lines for illegal sexual reasons.
Career Highlights
- Worked for YWCA as a volunteer
- 1996-1999, studied as a Doctor of Law
- Intern at the Office of State Appellate Defender until 2004
- In 2007, created Bonjean Law Group
- Represented Bill Cosby in 2021
- Represented R Kelly in 2022
Personal Life
Bonjean is married to Ken Alpart, although their wedding date is unknown. The pair have four children together, including three daughters and one son. Their names are Winnifred Bonjean, Golda Queen Bonjean, and Dove Bonjean, while the third daughter’s name is unknown.
In 2015, Bonjean and her eldest daughter, Winnifred, attempted to sue the New York Police Department for $2 million. This was after Winnifred was arrested for underage drinking. Bonjean claimed the NYPD mistreated Winnifred during the arrest, but this case was later thrown out.
Winnifred is an aspiring actress who featured in the films Sexy Baby and Slut. Bonjean’s son, Dove, is a basketball player.
Bonjean is a Christian.
Interesting Facts
- In 2014, Bonjean won the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Chicago Innocence Project. This was primarily for her work involving Stanley Wrice and his appeal.
Summary
Jennifer Bonjean is a defense attorney and entrepreneur who has worked on many high-profile cases. Recently, she represented Bill Cosby and R Kelly in criminal cases.
She has a law firm named Bonjean Law Group, which has annual revenue of between $1 and $10 million. Bonjean has a net worth of approximately $10 million.