Crystal Nix-Hines

Crystal Nix-Hines is an attorney, diplomat, and storyteller whose career bridges public service, media, and the arts. She is currently a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in Los Angeles, where she focuses on class action litigation, internal investigations, data privacy and security, complex business disputes, intellectual property, and environmental litigation. She returned to the firm in 2017 after her tenure in Paris, France as U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO. She initially joined the firm in 2008 and began her legal career as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and Sandra Day O’Connor, and to William Norris of the Ninth Circuit.

Ambassador Nix-Hines built an early foundation in journalism at The New York Times, sharpening the reporting and narrative skills that continue to inform her public-interest work. She later extended that craft to entertainment as a Hollywood screenwriter, with credits on network television series including Alias, The Practice, and Commander in Chief.

In addition to her legal practice, Ambassador Nix-Hines contributes her leadership to philanthropy and civic life. She currently serves on the board and Executive Committee of the California Community Foundation, helping steward resources to strengthen communities across the state. She previously served on the board of Fulcrum Bioenergy and was a Trustee of Princeton University for nine years. 

Ambassador Nix-Hines earned a B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she graduated with honors and served as Supervising Editor of the Harvard Law Review.