Betelhem Gedlu is a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), where she brings together her expertise in intellectual property law and her deep commitment to human rights advocacy. At EFF, she works to ensure that technology upholds democracy, protects privacy, and fosters human rights.

With over a decade of legal experience, Betelhem’s career spans both high-stakes litigation and impactful nonprofit work. Before joining EFF, she served as an intellectual property and technology associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP. In these roles, she guided cases from discovery to resolution, drafting intricate legal briefs, preparing expert reports, and managing Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings. Her practice also touched on trademark and copyright issues, including handling cease-and-desist actions and DMCA takedown notices.

Betelhem’s dedication to human rights is evident in her leadership roles with Human Rights Advocates (HRA), where she has served as Communications Chair and Development Chair on the Board of Directors. Since 2019, she has coordinated the submission of amicus briefs to international courts and reviewed position papers for the United Nations. Her pro bono work includes assisting at immigration clinics, defending tenants in eviction cases, and supporting voting rights protection through national hotlines. Early in her career, she championed journalists’ rights as human rights defenders during her internship at the International Human Rights Clinic.

Betelhem earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where she specialized in Intellectual Property & Technology Law, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Addis Ababa University, where she graduated as the top female student in her department.

As an Ethiopian immigrant, Betelhem’s personal experiences with systemic repression inspire her relentless pursuit of justice, particularly for women and marginalized communities. Fluent in Amharic and English, and a member of the State Bar of California, she remains deeply committed to leveraging her expertise to build a more inclusive and equitable world.