Masha Hansford is a partner in the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice. A former Assistant to the Solicitor General at the Department of Justice, Masha has extensive experience advocating before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts of appeals, and litigating complex civil and criminal cases in federal and state courts. Representing clients in their highest-stakes matters, Masha is known for her strategic insight and persuasive advocacy.
During her time in the Solicitor General’s Office, Masha argued 9 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court—including the social-media state-action case Lindke v. Freed and the $326 million bankruptcy-remedies case U.S. Trustee v. John Q. Hammons—prevailing in eight of the nine. Masha has briefed approximately 100 matters before the Supreme Court, including several significant bankruptcy matters, and she received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for her work at the Justice Department. Masha has also played a leading role in formulating appellate strategy in federal courts of appeals on a wide range of issues, including bankruptcy, administrative law, criminal law, and constitutional challenges. Earlier in her career, Masha served as a law clerk to D.C. Circuit Judge David S. Tatel and D.D.C. Judge John D. Bates.
Prior to her government service, Masha’s work was recognized by the National Law Journal, which named her a “D.C. Rising Star,” and by Super Lawyers, which repeatedly selected her as a “Rising Star.”
Masha received her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she served as president of the Stanford Law Review and received the Best Oralist award in the Kirkwood Moot Court competition. She received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Harvard College.
