Sara Ghafouri
General Counsel

Sara Ghafouri is the General Counsel for the American Forest Resource Council.  She oversees AFRC’s legal program and litigates on behalf of AFRC and its members, helping advance the goal of consistent and sustainable timber harvest from public forests throughout the West.

Sara began her legal career as an appellate clerk for the Honorable Lynn R. Nakamoto and the Honorable Robert Wollheim at the Oregon Court of Appeals, where she drafted opinions in administrative, civil, criminal cases.  She went on to practice as an associate attorney at Haglund Kelley LLP, a Portland-based law firm. During her time at Haglund Kelley, Sara focused her practice on complex civil litigation, environmental and natural resources law, and Indian law.  It was during her time at Haglund Kelley that Sara developed a strong passion for advocating for science-based, forest management on public lands, representing timber companies and timber associations, including AFRC, in project-defense litigation.

Sara graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School, cum laude, with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. During law school, Sara worked for an environmental nonprofit organization and helped litigate issues involving coal-fired power plants, landfills, and forest plan amendments. Immediately after law school, Sara served as a postgraduate extern for the Honorable S. James Otero of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, where she helped draft judicial opinions in civil cases involving trademark infringement, wage and hour, discrimination, and tort claims. Before attending law school, Sara graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.S. in biochemistry.

Sara is also active in Oregon and national legal organizations.  She currently serves as the Chair-Elect of the Executive Committee for the Oregon State Bar’s Environmental and Natural Resources Section.  Previously, Sara served as the Vice-Chair of Membership for the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, Forest Resources Committee; is a past President of the Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar, an organization focused on advancing the professional development of Asian Pacific American attorneys in Oregon; and is the past co-chair of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association’s Amicus Curiae Committee, a committee that submits amicus curiae briefs in significant cases pending before the Oregon Court of Appeals and Oregon Supreme Court.