Melissa Hooper is a lawyer and policy expert with more than 20 years of experience working on democracy, rule of law, justice and accountability, human rights, civic engagement, transparency, investigations, oversight, and efforts to counter kleptocracy and authoritarianism. Her work has included litigation in state and federal courts, amicus briefing, habeas cases, civil rights and immigrant rights impact litigation, complex international investigations, and policy advocacy on democracy, foreign policy, sanctions, and restrictions on civil society. She has worked across borders with lawyers, activists, and civic leaders in contexts including Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Central America, Mexico, Hungary, and Poland, drawing on those experiences to address rule of law challenges in the United States. She is admitted to practice law in California and Washington.