B.S., Emory University; J.D., University of Miami School of Law
Fara Gold currently serves as an attorney advisor for the Office on Violence Against Women of the United States Department of Justice, where she spearheaded the development of DOJ’s Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen Our National Response to Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence and serves as an expert on prosecuting gender-based violence. Prior to that, Professor Gold served in DOJ’s Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division as a Special Litigation Counsel and Senior Sex Crimes Counsel for almost 14 years. There, Professor Gold traveled throughout the country, investigating and prosecuting bias-motivated crimes and law enforcement misconduct cases, and developed national expertise in prosecuting civil rights offenses involving sexual misconduct. She has led investigations that have garnered national attention, including the first case prosecuted under the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act. From 2022-2023, Professor Gold served as Senior Counsel on Sexual Misconduct to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division where she played an integral role in the Deputy Attorney General’s efforts to root out sexual abuse within the federal Bureau of Prisons. Professor Gold has received several honors for her work including: The Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service (2014) (DOJ’s highest honor) and the Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contributions by a New Employee (2012); the DOJ OIG Collaboration Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Inspector General (2023); the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence (2021); and the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service(2020). In addition, Professor Gold has published several articles about investigating and prosecuting sexual misconduct, and she conducts trainings throughout the country. She also previously served as an Associate Adjunct Professor at American University’s Washington College of Law and in 2024, she was chosen as a Wasserstein Fellow at Harvard Law School.
Prior to joining DOJ, Professor Gold served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Broward County State Attorney’s Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Professor Gold received her law degree magna cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law, and her undergraduate degree from Emory University as a member of the Emory Scholars’ Program.