Lou Dargan

Lou Dargan is a seasoned human rights lawyer and advocate currently serving as the Head of Strategic Litigation Development at Grata Fund.

With a background that spans across various regions, Lou has extensive experience in areas such as reproductive justice in the US, transitional justice in Sri Lanka, and exposing child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Australia.

Prior to her current role, Lou worked at the South Asian Centre for Legal Studies in Colombo, focusing on securing reparations for victims of human rights abuses during the Sri Lankan civil war.

Her academic achievements include completing an LL.M at New York University as an International Law and Human Rights Fellow, where she actively participated in the Reproductive Justice Clinic advocating for the rights of pregnant and parenting women.

Lou also has a strong foundation in commercial law, gained from her tenure at Clayton Utz's litigation and international arbitration practice, before transitioning to human rights work.

Additionally, she has served in various capacities such as a senior legal officer at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, a tipstaff to Chief Justice Allsop, and as a pro bono research assistant at UN Women.

Lou Dargan's educational background includes a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in politics from Macquarie University, where she was awarded the University Medal in law and ranked first in her graduating class.

Moreover, Lou has added international exposure to her education through exchange semesters at Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and Universiteit Utrecht.