Laura’s primary interest is advocating on behalf of people impacted by the criminal legal system. Before joining ACLU-D.C., Laura clerked for the Hon. Joshua Deahl of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and will clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio after her fellowship. Laura graduated from the College of William & Mary with a B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology, summa cum laude, and Harvard Law School, cum laude. While at Harvard, Laura served as Co-Executive Director of Harvard’s Prison Legal Assistance Project, regularly representing incarcerated individuals in disciplinary and parole proceedings. Laura also worked as an Executive Editor of Online Content for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. During her summers, she interned with the Capital Post-Conviction Project of Louisiana and the MacArthur Justice Center’s Supreme Court & Appellate Program, in addition to completing an externship with the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Missouri’s Capital Habeas Unit. Prior to law school, Laura worked for two years as a litigation legal assistant at a law firm.
In her free time, Laura sings with the 18th Street Singers, a local choral ensemble. She also enjoys subjecting her friends and family to a wide array of reality television franchises and (somewhat inconsistently) caring for a growing collection of plants.