PSRJ Democracy Initiative Presents: Training the Next Generation, a Conversation with Carrie Flaxman
Carrie Flaxman
Senior Legal Advisor at Democracy Forward
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - 12:10PM-1:00PM - Baker Hall 124
This year, the Program for the Study of Reproductive Justice (PSRJ) and its Democracy Initiative is hosting a speaker series focused on legal skill building and career paths for the next generation. We have the privilege of hosting attorneys with accomplished careers in Supreme Court and appellate advocacy, appellate clerkships, defending democracy, reproductive rights, gender justice, and beyond. Our inaugural event featured Carrie Flaxman, Senior Legal Advisor at Democracy Forward.
Carrie Flaxman joined Democracy Forward after nearly two decades as a litigator and legal advisor for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), where she most recently was PPFA’s Senior Director of Public Policy, Litigation, and Law. Over the course of her career, Flaxman served as lead counsel in a number of trial and appellate matters at the state and federal levels, winning victories that maintained and improved access to reproductive health care services against difficult odds. At Democracy Forward, Flaxman supported the organization in crafting legal strategies to advance the rights of all people and to stop attempts by state and local governmental actors to undermine our democratic values.
Flaxman began her legal career as a clerk for Judge Edward R. Becker of the US Court of Appeals of the Third Circuit, held positions at two national law firms where she handled complex litigation matters, and then joined PPFA. She later served as a consulting attorney for reproductive rights organizations before rejoining PPFA’s national office. Flaxman is a graduate of Yale Law School, where she was executive editor of the Yale Law Journal, and Princeton University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude.
We are grateful to Carrie Flaxman for sharing her expertise and insights, and to everyone who joined us for this important conversation!