Legal and Reputational Risk: Platform Liability and Content Moderation
I am an attorney and trust and safety professional partial to mission-based companies, scrappy startups, and social justice warriors. Using my knowledge and skills to support brands and causes I believe in is what motivates me.
I began my career as a young, idealistic attorney determined to make the world a better place. Fresh out of law school, I worked researching and drafting opinions for circuit court judges in Wisconsin and Illinois. My research covered a wide range of topics, from prison disciplinary decisions to corporate dissolution to divorce and custody law. In each case, I loved the analytical process of interpreting and applying the law, and helping to ensure that the precedent we built upon held true to the law’s underlying policy.
Curious about more direct advocacy, I spent three years as a civil litigator at a boutique law firm in downtown Chicago, where I helped clients navigate divorce, custody, contract disputes, and landlord-tenant issues. Helping people through some of the biggest struggles of their lives was the best part about being a lawyer.
In search of an unconventional career shift, in 2012 I decided to take a chance on a little known Brooklyn-based company called Etsy. I arrived in New York with my husband and two suitcases, and ended up staying for six years. At Etsy, I wrote and advised on site policy, content moderation, privacy, government relations, and corporate social responsibility. I spoke about Etsy’s commitment to policing its platform against real world harm, including illegal wildlife trafficking, at the White House, UN Crime Congress, and National Geographic. Working at Etsy taught me that businesses can be successful while doing good, and that millions of diverse individuals could come together for a common cause.
In 2018, I moved my family back to Chicago and have continued to work in trust and safety policy development and strategy roles at Google, Cameo, Spring, and most recently, Snap. Working with my brilliant cross-functional coworkers, as well as external experts in child safety, civic integrity, and human rights, I am proud to be part of the fight to keep the internet safe and welcoming for everyone.
What can I do for you?
I realize that not all companies have the resources to hire an in-house content moderation counsel. If you need help navigating this space, I am happy to have an informal chat or provide consulting.