Laura West is an Adjunct Professor of Law and teaches a course on Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, and Surveillance Law. Professor West is currently an Associate Counsel at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, primarily advising the agency on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and security matters. Professor West also serves as Special Adviser to the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Law & National Security. Her current research focuses on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data privacy.

Professor West previously served in the military as an Army judge advocate, retiring from active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2024. She last served as the Solf-Warren Chair and Professor of the National Security Law Department at the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia. In her role as Department Chair, she taught courses on public international law, national security law, cyber and information operations law and policy, intelligence law, and emerging technologies.

During her military career, Professor West served as deputy chief counsel of national security law at U.S. Cyber Command, where she advised on operations and intelligence law for the execution of the global cyberspace mission. Among other assignments during her career as a judge advocate, Professor West served as the regimental judge advocate (general counsel) of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). Professor West deployed to combat zones as an intelligence officer with Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, working strategic intelligence operations. She also deployed as a judge advocate with Regional Command East (1st Infantry Division), serving as the primary legal adviser for international and operational law in the eastern region of Afghanistan.

Professor West received her commission as a distinguished graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2004 and entered active duty as a military intelligence officer. She was accepted to the Army Funded Legal Education Program, graduating law school and transferring to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in 2010. Professor West is admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the Army Court of Criminal Appeals and the Supreme Court of Virginia.