Alumni Update: Harmony Gbe '10

Harmony Gbe was born and raised in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, but calls Maryland her stateside home.  She graduated from Dartmouth in 2010 with a B.A. in Government and Sociology, and a minor in French.  After graduation, Harmony served as a litigation paralegal in the Pro Bono Practice at Hogan Lovells in Washington, DC.  In that capacity, she assisted attorneys handling wrongful conviction cases, compiled asylum applications, coordinated staffing for legal aid clinics and free public information sessions, and taught monthly workshops designed to familiarize high school students with the legal system through mock trials, roundtable discussions, and interactive case studies.  Harmony continues to devote significant time to impactful pro bono matters.  In fact, she was part of a pro bono team that was recognized by one of the most prominent non-profit legal organizations in Los Angeles for representing an indigent client, a vulnerable Los Angeles resident who had been fraudulently led to sign over the title to his home.

Harmony earned her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.  During law school, she served as a judicial extern in the Eastern District of Virginia – known nationwide as the "Rocket Docket" – and in the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District. Harmony also interned in the Business & Legal Affairs department of a major Hollywood film studio, where she handled global licensing disputes and facilitated content distribution across international platforms.  Harmony recently served as a law clerk in the Central District of California and now works as a Senior Associate in Hogan Lovells's Los Angeles office, where her practice focuses on class actions, complex commercial litigation, media and entertainment employment matters, and internal investigations.  Harmony was recognized this year as one of the Top 40 under 40 attorneys in Los Angeles by the National Black Lawyers. 

Studying Government at Dartmouth allowed Harmony to hone her ability to think critically and creatively about complex legal issues.  She is incredibly thankful for the wonderful professors and mentors who guided her during her time at Dartmouth and beyond, including Professor Linda Fowler who encouraged her to speak up in class which helped build her confidence, as well as Professor Sonu Bedi who first sparked her interest in pursuing a career in law by demonstrating how influential lawyers could be in advocating for the voiceless and protecting the greater good.  Additionally, Harmony owes many of her leadership and project management skills to the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows Program.

Harmony appreciates Dartmouth's esteemed Government faculty for inspiring her to always give her best inside and outside of the classroom, and now the courtroom.