Deirdre came to Defenders in 2025 after several years of work as an energy attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, where she challenged federal permits for gas pipelines and powerplants. 

In doing so, she has built up expertise with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Natural Gas Act, and the Clean Air Act. She has a particular love of statistics and data analysis in litigation. Before her time at SELC, Deirdre also worked as an attorney at EarthRights International, where she defended groups and individuals protesting the Line 3 pipeline project and helped bring cases against corporations that had committed environmental and human rights crimes overseas. Deirdre holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.