Jiatong Oly Yu is a Legal Assistant in the Palo Alto Office of Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, a national law firm with offices in the District of Columbia, New York, California, and Tennessee. Oly graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College of Columbia University, where she majored in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Neurocriminology, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Before joining the firm, Oly gained legal and advocacy experience at Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), The Remedy Project, and Columbia University’s New York Small Claims Advisory Service (NYSCAS). Through this work, she developed a strong commitment to disability rights and public interest advocacy.

Oly’s academic experience shows her interdisciplinary interests in cognitive science and law. She has conducted research on home-based interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic, published a meta-analysis studying the influence of culture on personality, and served as a research assistant at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Mind and Morality. She also worked as a teaching assistant at Barnard College for courses in research methods and experimental psychology. These experiences together inspired her interest in integrating scientific research and interdisciplinary perspectives into legal practices.

Outside of her academic and professional work, Oly participated in mock trial and served on the board of the Columbia University American Sign Language Club. She is fluent in Mandarin and continues to study Japanese and American Sign Language.