Jere Sullivan was born on February 24, 1951, in Bakersfield, California, and attended local schools until his junior year in high school. That year, he left to attend Deerfield Academy, a well known prep school in Western Massachusetts. He graduated in 1969, and returned to California, and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara from 1969 through 1972. In 1972, he returned to the East Coast, where he finished his BA at George Washington University in 1973. He also attended GW law school, graduating in 1976. In 1977, he again returned to California, taking a position in the Kern County DA's office. He left the DA's office in 1980, and for three years, was a partner in Yinger, Blanton and Sullivan in Bakersfield.
He started his solo practice in May of 1983, and remained in Kern County until 1986, when he moved to the Central Coast. He is also regarded in the community as a musician, occasionally playing, (when he has time), with several of the most well known performers in the area, including Grammy Award winner, Louie Ortega. He enjoys sports, particularly baseball, and is an avid wine collector and amateur wine maker.