Alumni News

Across the country and around the world, our graduates are steering firms through some of the most turbulent waters in decades.

Students and colleagues hail the Berkeley Law professor, one of just five campus-wide winners this year, for his tireless preparation and passionate dedication. 

2Ls Julia Bennett, Elle Mahdavi, and Fatima Ladha won for best oral argument and best brief, and Bennett was named best oralist. 

Tijani leaned on the training and entrepreneurial spirit she gained at Berkeley Law in launching Firm for the Culture.

A recent celebration of 39 works that probe compelling issues across and beyond the legal landscape highlights the faculty’s far-reaching expertise. 

Students logged more than 28,000 collective pro bono hours last year, and about 95% of 1Ls have done pro bono work this year.

The program’s steady growth has greatly expanded the number of competitions, networking opportunities, and tournament triumphs for Berkeley Law students.

One of the most prestigious roles for recent law school graduates, the fellowship offers extensive work on Supreme Court cases.

Ignoring conventional wisdom a smart move for Class of 2013 trio now running their own firm.

Faculty member Henry Hecht uses a pragmatic approach — and a strong network with Berkeley Law grads — to help students maximize their skills.

Renowned panelists, including former Fox News hosts Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky, offer guidance for litigators, advisors, investigators, and HR professionals.

The school’s 95.4% pass rate among first-time takers is the highest mark of any law school in California. 

A Berkeley Law graduate, professor, and two students team up to help a domestic violence victim and improve California law. 

The gift from Ruth Greenspan Bell ’67 and her husband Joseph Bell will fund scholarships and programming at Berkeley Law’s environmental law and social justice centers.

The Life Sciences Project is a new place to explore intellectual property, innovation, and regulatory issues across a broad range of products and technologies.

The next president of the Environmental Law Institute, Diamond greatly expanded the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment’s programming, expertise, and impact. 

Elected to a three-year term by her fellow judges in February, Donoghue discusses the court’s role in shaping international law.

Accomplished lawyers Linda Tam ’00, Margaret Wu ’96, and Urmila Taylor boost an already formidable legal writing teaching corps.

Stephen Johnson ’83, American Airlines’ executive vice president of corporate affairs, talks to Berkeley Law students about turning turmoil into innovation. 

Given annually to a recent Berkeley Law graduate, the fellowship at UC Legal offers valuable experience in issues faced by public and nonprofit entities.

Berkeley Law’s flourishing program welcomes eight supervising attorneys and three teaching fellows to help expand project capacity and learning opportunities. 

Led by Afghan refugees who are also alumnae, the initiative will help Afghans seeking to leave the country and preserve evidence of human rights abuses committed by the Taliban.

Savvy students power the Atticus Project, which is blazing a new tech path of accelerated accuracy and efficiency in the legal profession. 

Berkeley Law’s Policy Advocacy Clinic leads the way in abolishing harmful juvenile fees nationwide, with five states eliminating fees this year alone.

Berkeley Law alumnus Stuart K. Gardiner ’73 provides funding to help the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment identify, analyze, and elevate new climate solutions.

The searing new essay collection fixes a keen and critical eye on some of the most complex issues of our time, processed through the lens of her own experiences.

The Student Association of Berkeley Law’s incoming co-president relishes her time as a judicial extern for Chief Justice Steven González ’91.

Two graduates play leading roles at the States United Democracy Center, which works to advance free, fair, and secure elections.

VanSickle was the lead reporter of a year-long investigation, conducted by four organizations, into the harms caused by police dog bites.

A dozen Berkeley Law community members, including nine students, are honored for their exemplary efforts providing legal help. 

Students, faculty, and alumni reflect on the remarkable life of Reynoso, the first Latinx justice on the California Supreme Court and a revered civil rights advocate.

Berkeley Law second-year students Rachel Wilson, Karnik Hajjar, and Emily Roberts best more than 50 other teams at the annual U.S. Patent and Trademark Office event.

Present and past students hail Ross, a faculty member since 2010, for his dedication to teaching both inside and outside the classroom.

A longtime leader in Berkeley Law’s tech-law clinic and center, Urban will help the innovative agency protect consumers’ privacy rights over their personal information. 

Berkeley Law’s Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic prods California courts to remove copyright restrictions from the state’s jury instructions.

A $250,000 gift from Orrick and the family of its chair Mitch Zuklie ’96 unlocks a $1 million anonymous gift to help expand the Environmental Law Clinic’s impact and reach.

The gift will enable Berkeley Law’s renamed Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies to expand the many ways it engages students, faculty, and the broader community.

The meeting drew from the legal, academic, and policy realms to discuss how to make police more accountable.

Robin Wetherill ’18, winner of the agency’s annual award for most outstanding new lawyer, and five other alumni work to protect American consumers.

Another school milestone went virtual as more than 150 alumni were sworn in, swapping the traditional champagne toast for living room laptops.

Alums Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo and Caroline McKay and former fellow Narayan Subramanian land key jobs at the White House and Department of Energy.

The founder of No One Left Offline says “the internet is the new electricity — without it, you’re in the dark.”

A three-year effort by the Human Rights Center and the U.N. Human Rights Office advances the use of digital information to pursue justice against atrocities.

Industry giants tackle racial justice in sports, music industry changes, and other timely topics at Berkeley Law’s annual Sports and Entertainment Conference. 

During her one-year assignment at UC Legal, Tiongson strives to honor the legacy of Christopher Patti, UC Berkeley’s former chief campus counsel.

Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and tech-law expert James Dempsey assess the legal wrangling over the Trump administration’s attempted ban of the Chinese apps.

The joint UC Berkeley/Americorps initiative sends recent graduates to work in farm and forest communities across California to build resilience and mitigate climate change.

Governor Newsom signs a whopping seven bills that focus on protecting residents’ civil, financial, and environmental rights — all driven by Berkeley Law clinics and centers.

The executive director of Berkeley Law’s Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, Trepczynski discusses race hierarchy and its far-reaching implications.

Five Berkeley Law professors describe Ginsburg’s enormous influence and the colossal implications of rushing to confirm her replacement before the presidential election.

Berkeley Law students with young children praise the school’s leadership and Student Parents Group for providing much-needed support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Part of a livestreamed Berkeley Conversations event, professors john a. powell and Claudia Polsky ’96 describe why environmental harms disproportionately affect people of color.

Two Berkeley Law professors and two other UC Berkeley scholars describe how race has created different forms of criminal justice in the U.S.

“Precisely the kind of legal scholar the moment demands,” Asad Rahim earned his Ph.D. at Berkeley Law’s Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program.

Three Berkeley Law graduates at the National Center for Youth Law play key roles in a court ruling ordering the release of detained children in federal immigration custody. 

Savala Trepczynski ’11, executive director of Berkeley Law’s Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, says white people working to overcome their own fears and uncertainty is essential for bridging the racial divide.

LL.M. students praise Berkeley Law’s commitment to academic excellence and community building amid COVID-19.

From price-gouging on essentials to outright theft, students in Berkeley Law’s Consumer Advocacy and Protection Society have been uncovering fraud and swindles all over the country—and fighting back. 

Professors Catherine Albiston ’93 and Catherine Fisk ’86 explain how the lack of paid leave in the U.S. reflects a growing inequality among Americans stoked by the COVID-19 crisis.

Faculty members Stavros Gadinis and Amelia Miazad ’02 remain hopeful that companies will continue to value “doing well by doing good” through the coronavirus pandemic. 

Former doctor and current Berkeley Law healthcare regulation authority George Horvath ’14 unpacks the technical, legal, and policy issues that led to paltry early testing in the U.S. 

After working on his case for 2½ years, Alex Copper ’20 and Sydney Royer ’20 from Berkeley Law’s Post-Conviction Advocacy Project help a San Quentin prisoner gain his release. 

The timely 10-week online executive education course for attorneys helps fill a glaring void in legal training.

New book offers a how-to guide for mining online information to increase accountability in the courts and the public eye.

The principles provide concrete guidance for city staff to better protect residents’ personal information.

The Oakland effort has ignited a national call for greater housing rights.

Through a new partnership, the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice is taking student-led interest groups to law schools around the country.

Tyler is widely revered for her commitment to teaching—and to her students’ aspirations. 

Hannah Braidman ’21, Daina Goldenberg ’20, Alex Lyons ’20, and Paul von Autenried ’20 best more than 50 other law school teams at the ABA Student Trial Advocacy Competition in labor and employment law.

As general counsel of the House of Representatives, Letter is at the center of a hyper-partisan impeachment showdown.

The school’s wide-ranging efforts include its California Constitution Center co-sponsoring a summit that assesses current data, pipeline programs, and judicial clerkship hiring.

As the heart of the VC industry has moved north and east, the school has become a leader in teaching the intricacies of venture capital law to students, investors, and entrepreneurs.

Fueled by her love of mentoring and eagerness to diversify the legal profession, Grayce Zelphin ’11 is Berkeley Law’s first director of judicial clerkships.

In-person interviews done in Ciudad Juárez are the backbone of a brief supporting an asylum seeker’s appeal.

A recent conference probes how consumer protection law can alleviate mounting criminal legal debt fueled by the expanding privatization of our jail and prison systems.

Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic students urges the court to reject Georgia’s bid to claim copyright in its official annotated legal code.

From Dean Erwin Chemerinsky to pro bono program leaders to students, members of the school community work to help DACA recipients.

The clinic is monitoring enforcement of a law that bars California counties from charging fees to parents and guardians of youth in the juvenile legal system.

Founded by Berkeley Law students, the organization now supervises two of the school’s student-led initiatives.

More than 50 researchers, public defenders, journalists, activists, and impacted young people probed the role of GPS tracking in juvenile court.

More than 25 second- and third-year students attended Berkeley Law’s inaugural First Generation Professionals Private Sector Institute.

The new fellowship will help Berkeley Law compete with other top law schools in attracting outstanding J.S.D. candidates.

Scholars Rebecca Wexler and Andrea Roth prompt a California congressman to introduce a federal bill that would make the algorithms more transparent to criminal defendants.

The fellowship’s second recipient is eager to help the university advance its commitment to diversity and social justice. 

Demi Williams ’12, Liên Payne ’13, Jazmine Smalley ’13, and Titilayo Tinubu Ali ’13 veer outside the conventional lawyer path in unique and gratifying ways.

Thanks to the initiative of two Policy Advocacy Clinic students, Nevada families will no longer have to pay thousands of dollars for everything from food to a public defender when they have a child in the juvenile delinquency system.

Expanded programming, a new scholarship fund campaign, and a strong veterans law practicum signal meaningful momentum. 

The June 19 event featured a diverse set of judges who described some of the major challenges facing those who serve on the bench.

The nation’s top-ranked environmental law program ramps up an already robust set of climate initiatives.

The Berkeley Law event assessed the movement’s progress and identified strategies for combating sexual harassment and violence.

Adrian Kinsella (J.D. ’15, LL.M. ’19) celebrates the journey that took him from Afghanistan to Berkeley Law, and now Sacramento, helping many along the way.

Sebastien Wadier ’20 and Jenna Zhang ’20 won the event’s best brief and best oral argument awards. 

McWilliams shared her remarkable career journey during a lunchtime presentation to Berkeley Law students.

The new quarterly roundtable series provides valuable insights and concrete tips for women in the business law sector. 

Students describe Bradt, a leading expert on federal multidistrict litigation, as a “brilliant instructor” and an “invaluable mentor.” 

The collaborative program, with students from five UC law schools, offers an immersive semester working at a government agency, nonprofit, or advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.

Led by Berkeley Law students, the initiative provides support for key law-school skills, mentorship, and community-building sessions.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky emceed the annual gathering to celebrate books written by the school’s prolific faculty over the past year.

A Berkeley Law educator since 1961, Buxbaum has helped navigate many hot-button campus issues over the past several decades.

Jordan Bock ’17, Matt Rice ’16, and Anuradha Sivaram ’14 will clerk for Justices Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas, and Sonia Sotomayor respectively.

Rachel Gonzalez ’94 discusses moving in-house from Big Law and the challenges of working for an iconic global company. 

Growing military and veteran students and programming increases diversity while debunking stereotypes.

Kahn played a key role in California court rulings that improved care for inmates with mental health conditions and reduced prison overcrowding.

The expanding student-run program helps to incorporate new businesses led by low-income and minority founders.

The International Human Rights Law Clinic and Human Rights Center fight injustice through litigation, policy suggestions, advocacy, research, and science-based investigations.

The collaborative program provides legal, financial, and supportive services to preserve tenancies and prevent evictions.

Kurt Kurzenhauser ’19, Elizabeth Hall ’20, and their business school teammates shine in a compelling final-round negotiation.

The event signals how companies are increasingly prioritizing positive societal contributions along with shareholder profits.

The center’s new executive director describes its priorities and challenges in a Q&A. 

A Berkeley Law conference explores the proposition’s major impact on legal education, minority students, and campus racial dynamics.

Filed by the East Bay Community Law Center and four partner organizations, the suit also addresses other harmful policing practices on public housing property.

Caron, who spent 26 years at Berkeley Law, held leading roles as a professor, scholar, dean, arbitrator, and judge.

Both taught by Professor of Legal Writing Lucinda Sikes, the students each received a $2,500 prize and a certificate.

Judges confer with students in one-on-one meetings, classroom visits, and panel discussions.

The report explains how these districts have expanded in number and power while excluding the homeless from public spaces. 

Brenda Munoz ’19, Kiki Tapiero ’20, Elvia Lopez ’19, and Katie Gonzalez ’19 spent a week conducting intakes and providing guidance.

Patti, who died last year, worked at UC’s Office of the General Counsel and as Berkeley’s chief campus counsel.

Frank Partnoy, Seth Davis, and Erik Stallman ’03 have begun teaching at the school, with Rebecca Wexler to join next year.

Inspired by his daughter’s experience at the clinic, Ken Stevens helps fund its clinical supervising attorney position. 

The program provides paid law-related internships and classes that integrate a legal curriculum with life and leadership skills.

A Berkeley Law clinic’s yearlong effort prods the South’s first court to stop charging administrative fees to families of youth in the juvenile system.  

Tyler is one of 26 Berkeley Law faculty members of the institute, which helps clarify the law and improve how it’s administered.

It aims to increase business law opportunities for female students through programs, mentoring, and connections. 

The coveted two-year fellowship supports promising lawyers who develop innovative projects serving low-income populations.

Clinic leaders, faculty scholars, and student advocates work to level the playing field within America’s legal institutions.

Jordan Diamond joins effort to maintain healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and recommend law and policy reforms.

They were honored with the annual Young Alumni Award, Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award, and Citation Award, respectively.

More than 40 percent of those who secured clerkships worked last summer in public-service positions.

Friends share fond memories of Choper during a heartwarming ceremony dedicating Classroom 130 in his name.

At a recent Berkeley Law conference, managers, lawyers, scholars, and HR professionals discuss the movement’s global progress and challenges.

The director of Berkeley Law’s Policy Advocacy Clinic is honored for his effective, community-driven teaching and research.

Berkeley Law’s New Business Practicum expands its Spanish services in person, over the phone, and on the air.

Symposium examines the history and enduring challenges of the longtime safeguard against unlawful detention.

Past clerks pay it forward by providing strategies and insights for other veterans who want similar experience. 

A prominent international law scholar, judge, and arbitrator, Caron taught at Berkeley Law for 26 years.

Graduates at the Southern Poverty Law Center gain victories in areas such as debtors’ prisons, immigration, and voting rights.

Launched by a major gift from renowned litigator Elizabeth Cabraser ’78, the center is the first of its kind among top-tier law schools.

Lawyers, researchers, and advocates discuss best practices and strategies for abolishing these regressive charges nationwide.

They funded a well that serves a poor community in Pakistan and bears the name of the late son of Mustafa Farooq ’16. 

Chetan Gupta ’16 LL.M. and Professors Paul Schwartz, Kenneth Bamberger, and Deirdre Mulligan are recognized for their seminal privacy scholarship.

From his days as a young law student living on Blake Street to his time as the mayor of San Francisco, Ed Lee was deeply connected to UC Berkeley’s community.

An ardent protector of the underprivileged, Pregerson spent 50 years on the bench, 36 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Daylong conference tackles issues including police tactics, race relations, violent crime, and the marijuana legislation debate.

The New Business Practicum and a fledgling course are providing vital help in the Central Valley and a potential career option for students.

The annual award honors the top briefs submitted by first-year students in a hypothetical case.

Berkeley Law launches a new program at The Hague for students pursuing a career in international law.

After 37 years on the federal bench, Henderson takes on a new role as a distinguished visitor.

Colantuono plans to help increase transparency and improve relations with the state legislature.

Record number reflects concerted effort by faculty, staff, and alumni to help offset the lack of racial diversity in America’s judicial chambers.

Through various deans and challenges, Tom has continually delivered exceptional and engaging students to Berkeley Law.

Abbye Atkinson, Adam Badawi ’03, and Joy Milligan begin their new positions this week, with Frank Partnoy to join the school in 2018.

Education advocates at Berkeley Law collaborate with local public defenders to help vulnerable minors.

From YouTube and Google X to Lyft and Kitty Hawk, Estrada has helped usher in a host of transformative technologies.

Six recent graduates who received the prestigious two-year fellowship will serve low-income populations in California, Texas, and New York.

The Los Angeles prosecutor steered a multi-agency effort that led to a major award from the Anti-Defamation League.

A growing roster of student participants and volunteer coaches yield impressive results.

The clinic has earned a national reputation for diligent, effective work on behalf of indigent capital defendants.

A new major grant fuels momentum for Policy Advocacy Clinic to extend its work on the issue.

Six Berkeley Law alums and one student selected for the prestigious program learn their offers will be honored despite announcements of a governmental hiring freeze.

Human Rights Center works to coordinate and improve the response to gender-based violence in Greece’s refugee camps.

The book documents the court’s compelling history and far-reaching impact on California’s cultural, socio-economic and political landscape.

More than 300 people will convene Jan. 30 for a forum co-sponsored by the law school’s Berkeley Center for Law and Business.

Mark Feeser ’07 and Van Swearingen ’08 each score major court triumphs that have significant implications for prisoners.

Berkeley Law’s California Constitution Center to co-present a daylong conference on the state Supreme Court.

Starting in July, Miller will clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas and Kentfield for Justice Ruth Badger Ginsburg. 

Experts convene at Berkeley Law to tackle wide-ranging challenges facing the coast.

A new report highlights the flaws in the “welfare family cap,” a policy that denies additional cash aid for babies born into families already receiving financial assistance.

The initiative’s busy first year dramatically expands student training opportunities.

Laura Lane ’96 and Lindsey Quock ’17 stop an apparent push to drive low-income Chinese immigrants out of their rent-controlled building.

Alumni and faculty experts will tackle the future of juvenile courts, the state of the U.S. Supreme Court and law’s role in encouraging entrepreneurship in the startup world.

Llanes and 11 other members of her class were selected for coveted opportunities to launch their social justice careers.

Internships and classes at Berkeley Law offer meaningful experience and integrate a legal curriculum with life skills and leadership development activities.

“In most cases, we just turn our backs and leave them to suffer the consequences of wrongful conviction for the rest of their lives.”

By creating more opportunities for hands-on learning, Berkeley Law gives its students an edge.

What started as a before-school enrichment program evolved into a meaningful connection between Berkeley Law and one of its neighboring public elementary schools.

Court ruling grants the widow and daughter of one of the accused’s murder victims the right to participate in his criminal proceedings.

With generous funding and programmatic support, Berkeley Law sets the public interest standard.

Mindy Phillips ’15 and Whitney Rubenstein ’14 strive to improve the lives of vulnerable children through Equal Justice Works fellowships at EBCLC.

Alumni and friends fuel initiatives that provide hands-on experience, bolster core programming, and support the school’s public mission.

DeCarol Davis ’17, Jared Ginsburg ’17, Colin Jones ’16, and Jason Wu ’16 credit coaches Suzanne Jaffe ’12 and Emily Tienken ’12 for their national championship.

The Berkeley Law alumna, who begins her new position in January, is eager to “maximize the center’s impact” both on and off campus.

Michele Roberts ’80, John Phillips ’69, Eleanor Swift, and Tirien Steinbach ’99 are recognized for their talent, drive, and willingness to give back.

Jose Varela ’86, Cara Sandberg ’12, David Roberts ’74, and Tony LoPresti ’12 help Berkeley Law students navigate courses, clerkships, and careers.

FreeFrom seeks economic justice and opportunity for survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking through tort cases, policy reforms, and business support.

A longtime Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice, Polsky is crafting an ambitious yet practical agenda for the clinic’s launch.

Berkeley Law’s Transcript magazine spotlights 2014 graduates Emily Gladden, Anisha Gupta, and Chris Lau, who work at The Bronx Defenders and also live together.

Bryant Yang ’07 helps win release of a prisoner sentenced to life without parole under two new laws that reflect a changed approach to juvenile justice.