Laura O'Brien

Laura O’Brien is the U.N. Advocacy Officer at Access Now, where she represents the organization at various international and regional bodies to advance rights-respecting tech policy and governance worldwide. She joins Access Now after completing her Master of Laws at Columbia Law School where she graduated with honors as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and with a Parker School Certificate of Achievement in International and Comparative Law. During her legal studies, Laura explored the pervasiveness of censorship – particularly of human rights defenders – in the digital age, and assisted the Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic on issues related to business and human rights. Laura also holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, a Master of Arts in International Development from the University of Kent, Brussels School of International Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Justice and Peace Studies from King’s University College at Western University. Laura has previously worked with human rights experts and international organizations based in Córdoba, New York, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto. She is a licensed barrister and solicitor in Ontario, Canada.