The biggest challenge of our time is preserving our civilization now and for the future.
I believe we all have a role to play in stabilizing our climate, creating and sustaining human dignity, and building a better world for ourselves and our descendants.
I am a graduate of Stanford University (BA International Relations, BA Psychology, MA Sociology) and the New York University School of Law. I’m the Managing Partner of Comar Molle LLP and the Executive Director of Just Atonement Inc. I am now a PhD candidate at The Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies of Leiden Law School, studying how the international system will be changed and affected by climate change, with a focus on the law of self-determination of peoples.
How I overcame personal and professional challenges to walk a different path.
The year was 2010.
I was unfulfilled and unhappy working at a prominent U.S. law firm. I knew it wasn’t for me, but I didn’t know what I would do next. When I quit, I didn't have a larger plan in mind—all I knew is that I needed time off and wanted to make more time for meaningful relationships.
Opening up my own law practice was the toughest decision I ever made. I was afraid about the future, and afraid that if I failed, I would be ridiculed by other lawyers for trying to do things differently.
What guided me to make that decision was some sense that I could use my professional skills to hopefully make the world a better place.
As my practice grew, I took more interest in pursuing other passions in law—not just technology, but also international law—and taking up cases and matters that were important to me.
Soon, I looked around and realized how shaky everything. Societies were divided politically, almost violently so. The environment was at the point of collapse. I realized that the biggest challenge of our time was preserving our civilization from the grave challenges of the 21st century.
Now, I am dedicated to using my short time on the planet to improving things, now and for future generations. This type of mission gives me a real sense of purpose, one that I hope others can start to share.
Maybe the unique challenges you’ve faced are what give you the perfect skills to help build a better world this century.
I am licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts of California and New York and before the United States Supreme Court.
I also practice and make appearances at the United Nations in New York and in Geneva.
Curriculum Vitae
Some of my representative work:
Supporting passionate entrepreneurs and investors.
I’ve built a thriving tech law practice with offices in New York and San Francisco, working with incredible clients who are all passionate about positively impacting the world, and who are all walking unique paths of their own.
Litigating for a stable climate.
I joined forces with Amnesty International USA, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW), and the New York University School of Law’s Global Justice Clinic in the Juliana v. United States youth climate lawsuit, urging the court of appeal to permit a trial in the case (Amnesty International USA press release here).
Fighting against a cruel criminal justice system.
I secured the freedom of a prisoner who had originally been sentenced to a life sentence under former “3 strikes” laws in California (California v. Zimmerman, No. E059076 (Cal. 4th Dist. 2014)).
Supporting democracy worldwide.
I represented a South Korean political party that was facing dissolution by a former South Korean President (now in jail), seeking to preserve freedom of association and political expression in South Korea and before the United Nations (Matter of the Unified Progressive Party).
Advocating for international justice over the Iraq War.
I led a team of international lawyers in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against high ranking members of the Bush Administration, alleging that the planning and waging of the Iraq War was an illegal act of aggression under the judgment set at Nuremberg (Saleh v. Bush, 848 F.3d 880 (9th Cir. 2017), Wikipedia entry here),
Helping victims of sexual assault in the military.
I represented more than 15 armed servicemen and women who alleged deprivations of constitutional rights because of sexual assault they suffered while serving in the U.S. military (Hoffman et al. v. Panetta, et al., Case No. C12 05049 DMR (N.D. Cal. 2014)).
Assisting people with inhumane prison conditions.
I represented a former inmate at San Quentin State Prison who alleged that prison officials disclosed his HIV status to the general prison population, denied him his HIV medication, and then looked the other way as other prisoners assaulted and harassed him after they discovered his HIV positive status (Zeoli v. California, Case No. C12 05049 DMR (N.D. Cal. 2012)).
Training the next generation of human rights defenders.
I run and manage Just Atonement Inc., a legal non-profit whose purpose is to connect and train advocates to address threats to human rights, a livable planet, and the international rule of law. We run internship programs throughout the year for law students, and we’re working on a mentorship program as well. We have now trained dozens of new human rights defenders and are sponsoring important fledgling non-profits like Human Rights Pulse and Earth Refuge.