Karen Musalo is the Bank of American Foundation Chair in International Law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
She is a widely published expert on refugee law issues, and was the lead attorney in Matter of Kasinga, the precedent decision in the U.S. that established that fear of female genital could be the basis for a claim to asylum.
For more than two decades, Professor Musalo has been involved in every major landmark case involving gender violence and the right to refugee protection. She was the first U.S. attorney, beginning in the 1980s, to partner with mental health professionals in her representation of traumatized asylum seekers.
Professor Musalo is the founding director of the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, which is internationally known for its research and legal advocacy and for its program of expert consultation to attorneys around the world.