Kirstin Dunham is senior legislative counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice. Dunham has extensive experience in the federal legislative and executive branches. She served as a political appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Obama administration. As an attorney advisor in the Office of Legislative Affairs, Dunham responded to House and Senate oversight and investigations. She also staffed senior officials at congressional hearings and briefings.
In the Senate, Dunham served as legislative counsel to Sen. Bill Nelson (D–FL), and as chief counsel to Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D–MN) on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Most recently, she was senior counsel at the Alliance for Justice/Alliance for Justice Action Campaign.
Earlier in her career, Dunham was an associate at Hogan Lovells US LLP. She began her legal career as a fellow at the National Veterans Legal Services Program.
Dunham received her JD from Stanford Law School, where she was an articles editor on the Stanford Law Review, and her BA from Yale University, magna cum laude.