Early life, education, and career

Schiff was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, the son of Edward and Sherrill Ann (Glovsky) Schiff. He was raised in a Jewish family, and moved to Danville, California, during high school. He graduated from Monte Vista High School and received a political science degree from Stanford University and a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.

After Harvard Law School, Schiff began working as a prosecutor in the Los Angeles branch of the U.S. Attorney's Office. While an assistant U.S. Attorney, he gained attention by prosecuting a case against Richard Miller, a former FBI agent convicted of "passing secret documents to the Soviet Union in exchange for a promised $65,000 in gold and cash." The first time Miller was tried, it resulted in a hung jury; the second time, it resulted in a conviction overturned on appeal, and the third time he was convicted.

California State Senate
Schiff was elected to the California State Senate in 1996, after two unsuccessful bids for state assembly.[8] He chaired that body's judiciary committee during his one term.