Kate Westmoreland

Position / Title: 
Non-Residential Fellow
Contact: 
westmoreland.kate@gmail.com
415-529-0798

Kate Westmoreland is a lawyer and policy advisor with over eight years experience advising government and the United Nations on law enforcement cooperation, cybercrime and human rights. She is an expert in the domestic and international aspects of international legal cooperation, having negotiated treaties on extradition and mutual legal assistance as well as advising the Australian Federal Government on cybercrime policy.

Kate is particularly familiar with the ins and outs of sharing evidence between countries; the practicalities, legalities and the politics. Her advice is based on practical experience working with law enforcement, prosecutors and diplomats to manage requests for assistance. She worked on recent changes to Australia’s laws on telecommunications interception and data retention for domestic and foreign law enforcement, as well as conducting the first comprehensive review in almost 10 years of Australia’s model treaties on mutual legal assistance, extradition and transfer of prisoners.

Kate has great depth to her knowledge of issues of transnational crime, having advised on issues of corruption, prisoner transfer and people trafficking. She worked at the International Labour Organization in Bangkok on the Project to Combat Trafficking in Children and Women where she led a project to develop regional guidelines on migrant recruitment. Kate also worked at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advising on the Australian Government’s approach to combating trafficking in persons.

Now based in the San Francisco Bay area, Kate’s research is particularly focused on the issues emerging from sharing of online records between countries. Kate has written on the human rights implications of sharing evidence across borders through mutual legal assistance and law enforcement cooperation. She also explores these themes in her blog katewestmoreland.wordpress.com. Education Master of Laws (International Law), Australian National University Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours), the University of Queensland Bachelor of Arts (International Relations), the University of Queensland Admitted as a barrister and solicitor to the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory