Employer: Guantanamo Bay Military Commissions Defense Organization Title and Practice Area: Human Rights Counsel, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

Describe your biggest win or accomplishment in practice.  Securing the release of several Guantanamo Bay detainees who were wrongly detained and tortured by U.S. officials, and helping force into the public sphere the details of the U.S. government's cruel, inhuman, and degrading methods of force-feeding detainees at Guantanamo.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned in your first year practicing law?  To find opportunities to write! I lobbied to write first drafts of briefs, re-wrote them from under the red ink, wrote articles for our firm newsletter, case analyses for international law journals, and eventually a law review article on international crimes. I used writing to keep myself current on public international law and to meet future colleagues involved in issues that I cared about. With the help of partners and peers, I became a much more versatile writer in different formats.

Who is your greatest lawyer mentor and what has he or she taught you?  I am lucky enough to count professor Lou Henkin among many legal mentors. Henkin was a giant of international law and an expert on its interplay with U.S. constitutional law. He taught me that it was not only right, but important, to champion U.S. adherence to international law to strengthen democracy, security and accountability here at home.

Please share a brief key to your success.  Staying confident about my skill in rooms where I'm the only minority, and humble about creating space in rooms unlocked by my own privilege. And plenty of chai.