Evan Sippel-Feldman ’04 embodies a unique blend of legal expertise and unyielding dedication to LGBTQ+ rights. He is a seasoned in-house technology counsel, with expertise in data and artificial intelligence (AI). After graduating from Claremont McKenna College with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, Evan matriculated at the University of California, Irvine School of Law and earned his Juris Doctorate in 2014. He is a member of the State Bar of California.

Currently, Evan works at Accenture as Senior Legal Counsel, serving as the North American legal lead for applied intelligence and supervising a team of international attorneys. In his role, Evan supports Accenture’s Data and AI business, advising on governance, legal compliance, and business strategy.

Before his role at Accenture, Evan was Senior Counsel at Vanguard where he authored their first legal/ethical AI framework, addressing data health, bias, transparency, explainability, and data minimization. Evan's professional work extends beyond the boardroom. While at Vanguard, he was appointed to co-chair the company’s Pro Bono Committee and was selected as one of two attorneys to serve as a Fellow for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.

Evan has been deeply involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy since 2008 when he joined the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), becoming its second full-time employee. AFER sponsored federal litigation challenging California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. Despite resistance, Evan and his colleagues pressed forward, believing in nationwide marriage equality. Their trial highlighted the history of marriage, discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, and biases in Proposition 8's campaign. The case ultimately restored marriage equality in California, setting an important precedent. While full national marriage equality had to wait for the Obergefell case years later, Evan and his colleagues take a lot of pride in the outcome and in pushing the national dialogue ahead.  

Evan continues to prioritize pro bono work in his legal practice. Recent examples include supporting immigrants, helping a woman with a wrongful foreclosure action remain in her home, serving as a member of the then-newly established Orange County Lavender Bar Association, helping a non-profit group attain 501(c)(3) status, helping incarcerated individuals petition for clemency, and many others.

For Evan, one particular highlight was partnering with the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF), which has a name change project. Evan created a partnership between in-house attorneys and TLDEF to pair attorneys with low-income transgender individuals who are changing their names – this process is expensive and can be difficult and intimidating to manage. Evan's team of attorneys was able to support all the clients in need who were on TLDEF’s waitlist.

These experiences have always informed and been central to Evan’s work as an attorney. As evident from his professional experience, combating bias in AI and data is part of Evan’s legal responsibility. Working with historically marginalized groups and ensuring that we listen empathetically to others’ experiences helps Evan identify bias and expand the circle of people who belong.