Hillary Forden, J.D.

Hillary Forden is a lawyer and development practitioner with more than 15 years of experience in rule of law development, post-conflict justice, and criminal law, including over 10 years of experience managing multimillion-dollar programs for the U.S. government, public international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations.

Prior to joining The Carter Center, Forden consulted on Department of State and USAID-funded anti-corruption and legal education projects, including for the Friends of the Public Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan. As a senior technical advisor for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI) Asia and the Pacific Division from 2018 to 2021, Forden managed projects to counter money laundering and terrorism financing; prevent and respond to child sexual abuse; and advance business and human rights in South Asia. Between 2014 and 2018, Forden worked for the Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Section at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the INL Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan in Washington, D.C., where she managed and advised on projects to increase access to justice for survivors and those at risk of experiencing gender-based violence and trafficking in persons in Afghanistan. She has previously managed rule of law development projects for the International Development Law Organization in South Sudan and the United Nations Development Program in Sudan. Before focusing on rule of law development, Forden held legal positions with international and domestic courts and tribunals.

Forden holds a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a member of the State Bar of California.