Championing Justice in the Courtroom
In a legal world often defined by bureaucracy and bottom lines, alumnus and Placer County Assistant Public Defender Yevgeniy Pislar stands apart. Recognized not just for his sharp legal mind, but for his commitment to preserving human dignity, Pislar is a Ukrainian immigrant who carved his path through higher education, law school and passing the bar exam to ultimately build a career rooted in compassion. While others might focus solely on statutes and settlements, he fights not only for justice, but for respect for the people behind his cases as he works in civil law mitigating family law disputes, restraining orders, termination of parental rights, child support or guardian and conservatorships.
“It’s really about treating people with dignity and respect,” Pislar said. “That’s something I learned from being part of the Jessup community. Each person deserves to be recognized for their worth and potential.”
Developing an interest in public policy at the tender age of nine years old, Pislar was motivated by former California State Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I thought if Arnold can be governor, so can I,” Pislar said. When it came time to study in college, public policy was a natural choice.
While at Jessup, Pislar made the most of his college experience, serving as student body vice president, a member of the debate club, participating in three missions trips to Romania, completing an internship with the Rocklin Police Department and serving on campus as a student worker in the library, security, events and facilities departments. He also volunteered with Bridgeway Christian Church’s children’s ministry program. In addition, he managed to squeeze in time to help a friend with their newspaper delivery service where he was involved in a car accident confining him to a wheelchair for a few weeks during spring semester of his senior year. That experience forced him to slow down from the hectic pace he was living. “My resident director knew that my goal was to graduate debt-free, but he helped me realize the work would always be there, I needed to learn to take time to rest,” he said.
A valuable life lesson Pislar attributes to his college experience is the importance of Sabbath rest. “Probably one of the biggest takeaways from my Jessup education is that I learned about creating margin, rest and rhythm. The value of that was instrumental for me in law school, while studying for the bar, and in my work today. At Jessup, I learned it is crucial to rely on and trust God completely,” he said. “Growing up in a Slavic Baptist background, my upbringing was very devout and religious. Jessup helped me grasp this idea of seeing where Christ is in my life. I learned that it wasn’t about what I was doing, or about the rules I’m following. It’s about my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
After graduating from Jessup debt-free, Pislar worked at a legal firm and later joined the Peace Corps, serving in the western region of Uganda for nearly a year and a half. When he returned to the states, he attended McGeorge School of Law on a full tuition scholarship and later began his law career working in immigration, trust administration and probate law. He also served with Yuba County as deputy county counsel, with World Relief as a staff attorney and later founded his own law firm. Over the past eight years, he’s also served with G.L.O.B.A.L. Justice alongside the founder of Jessup’s Institute for Public Policy and other Jessup alumni.
Despite the demands of working as a public defender, Pislar makes time to serve at Bridgeway again. This time in their high school ministry. Interestingly, he’s currently working with some siblings of the kids he taught in fourth grade. Those kids are now recent high school graduates, some are even Jessup students!
One piece of advice Pislar has for Jessup students is a tactic that served him well: engage in activities outside their area of study. “So often public policy or pre-law students limit themselves to activities like debates, but I would encourage them to branch out, go on a missions trip, join the University Choir and Orchestra — try practicing new things.”
From late nights studying in the Nystrom Library, to the numerous volunteer hours he spent in community, it all left a mark on him. Pislar’s undergraduate experience didn’t just teach him how to think like a lawyer — it shaped the kind of lawyer and person many are honored to know today.
