I’m a US-based human rights lawyer and for the past 10 years have focused on issues of freedom of expression and technology. Most recently I served for two years as Legal Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression. Over that period I advised the mandate on its positions and drafting of four thematic reports presented to UN Member States at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, as well as two Joint Declarations alongside regional mandate holders on the themes of AI and the rights of children online, respectively.

GENERAL AREAS OF FOCUS:

• freedom of expression and technology
  • AI | digital security tools | platform regulation | human rights due diligence
• First and Fourth Amendment 
  • rights of journalists | national security | privacy 
• nonprofits
  • 501(c)(3) compliance | grantmaking

I’m in private practice, and do regular work with a number of civil society orgs on these topics. In addition, I’ve given keynotes at conferences, law and journalism schools, published in the NYU Law Review and have been quoted in publications such as the Washington Post and Columbia Journalism Review. 

I’m fairly proficient in Spanish (B2 level) and in my spare time, I’m an open water swimmer, rescue diver, and dabble in artistic projects with costume design, cooking, and music.

In 2022 I co-authored, with media historian Ralph Engelman, A Century of Repression: The Espionage Act and Freedom of the Press (University of Illinois Press, 2022). Some selected reviews:

• “I even learned a lot about my own case. A riveting eye-opener and must read.” – The late DANIEL ELLSBERG, Pentagon Papers Whistleblower
• “An absolute sensation. It is the best publication I’ve ever read on the Espionage Act.” – JAMES GOODALE, Former General Counsel, New York Times
• “A timely and compelling ‘biography’ of the Espionage Act, vividly told through the harrowing stories of whistleblowers, government employees, policy consultants and journalists.” – STEPHEN ROHDE, LA REVIEW OF BOOKS
• “An impressive piece of both legal and journalistic history.“ – REPORTERS COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
• “Engelman and Shenkman’s compelling history should inform deliberations about the
  roles of secrecy and publicity in our digital world for some time to come.” – AMERICAN JOURNALISM, Journal for the American Journalism Historians Association