Education

Law School/Year: J.D., Harvard Law School, 1983, cum laude

College/Year: B.A., Smith College, 1978, summa cum laude; General Course Student, London School of Economics and Political Science, 1977

Bar Admissions

California, 1985

Practice Areas

Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Immigration & Naturalization, International, Real Estate; primarily I have represented clients on international trade law issues

Major Cases

I have spent hundreds of pro bono hours educating out-of-work U.S. film workers regarding their rights and raising funds to file a petition with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. This petition requested the USTR investigate the legality under the World Trade Organization laws of film subsidies being provided by Canada. This work grew out of a law review article I published in 2006, and I was just invited to testify before Congress on this subject. On a pro bono basis and on behalf of Amnesty International, I successfully challenged the deportation orders issued to 12 unrelated South American immigrants, on the basis that each of them had a well-founded fear of persecution in his or her home country.

Professional Background

I have been involved in international trade issues since I moved to San Diego 20 years ago. I was elected an international partner at Baker & McKenzie and was a partner at Ernst & Young LLP, where I also directed its WTO Center for multinational clients. I have expertise regarding trade issues with Mexico, Canada and China, and have participated in Thomas Jefferson’s summer program in China for the past two years.

I started teaching full-time at Thomas Jefferson in 2003 and recently was promoted to associate professor. I am also a member of the adjunct faculty of the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UCSD, where I have taught WTO law since 2001.

Professional Affiliations

I am actively involved in the International Law Section of the Bar Associations of both San Diego County and the state of California. I’ve also been actively involved in the International Law Section of the American Bar Association. I was elected to the American Law Institute in 2001, where I’ve been very involved with its new WTO Law Project, often meeting in Philadelphia and Geneva with other ALI members involved in this project. In addition, I have been involved in Lawyers’ Club, Regional Chamber of Commerce and World Trade Center activities for a number of years.

Personal Affiliations

Since 1982, I’ve been an active member of Amnesty International. I am a strong supporter of local Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy activities. I am also a member of the PTA of La Jolla High School and have been involved in numerous other activities on behalf of my two daughters.

Personal Background

My four sisters and I were born and raised in St. Petersburg, Fla., where my father owned and managed a trailer court for retirees and my mother taught humanities and music theory. I fell in love with California while on a Harvard/Boalt exchange program and moved to Berkeley after clerking for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (where I worked primarily for then-Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg). In the Berkeley/San Francisco area I handled a variety of civil, criminal and immigration cases. In 1988, I moved to San Diego and became involved in U.S./Mexico trade issues. During the last 20 years, I have enjoyed practicing and teaching international trade law in San Diego immensely, and my two daughters have been my greatest source of pride and joy. In September, Katie, 19, will be a sophomore at UC Berkeley, and Sarah, 18, will commence college at Barnard/Colombia in New York City.