Experiential

Students worked with Bay Area Afghan evacuees, under the supervision of attorneys from Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay, to help them submit their asylum applications.

Honored at the annual public interest and pro bono graduation ceremony, the recipients exemplify Berkeley Law’s far-reaching work to help disadvantaged people and communities.

Part of the Pro Bono Program, the Berkeley Law Alternative Service Trips offer a school-funded opportunity to offer legal help to people in need.

Presented by Military Veterans at Berkeley Law, the event raised awareness of concerning issues and bolstered connections between veteran students and alumni and their supporters.

From co-leading our business law journal and Catholic affinity group to helping renters secure key housing rights, Whitthorne has made the most of his Berkeley Law experience.

Expert leaders dedicated to top-rate client representation and student training help the clinic become a national leader in serving people facing capital punishment.

In just its second year, Clean Energy Leaders in Law brings together students with diverse interests in energy and environmental law and policy. 

The final round of the McBaine Honors Moot Court Competition — a jewel in an increasingly loaded crown of advocacy competitions — is March 20. 

Antonio Ingram II ’14, Allina Amuchie ’13, Tyler Garvey ’14, and Shanita Farris ’16 credit the student group for pivotal support, networking, and community.

Violent videos should be viewed with care, says Alexa Koenig, a faculty expert on psychological trauma and resiliency at Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center.

Privacy experts Catherine Crump and Rebecca Wexler take on key posts with the White House Domestic Policy Council and White House Office of Science Technology Policy, respectively.

A whopping 18 courses are available to Berkeley Law students for the first time this semester, including 3 focused on emerging areas in the corporate sector.

Twelve Pack: A dozen Berkeley Law homepage stories from 2022 that illustrate the school’s excellence, community, and public mission.

A whopping 106 Berkeley Law students are participating in the program this semester, the most in Director Sue Schechter’s 16 years at the school.

The changes will enable more public interest-minded graduates to access the program, receive increased funding, and spend less of their own money on student loan expenses.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights recently considered the 2010 fatal beating of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, thanks to years of work from the International Human Rights Law Clinic. 

UC Berkeley ceramic artist and fellow veteran Ehren Tool helps Berkeley Law vets design mugs that connect with their formative military experience.

With basic rights in peril at home and around the world, the law school community is answering the call.

Berkeley Law’s growing Clinical Program adds 14 new hires to further its mission and train more students.

They’re working with an alliance of legal aid organizations, immigration law experts, a former judge, and affected veterans, under the supervision of Lecturer Rose Carmen Goldberg. 

With a long track record of working to protect election integrity, Wayment has elevated her advocacy for a more representative democracy while at Berkeley Law.

The student group Arts & Innovation Representation kicks off the platform with episodes addressing music sampling, international restitution, and COVID-19’s impact on live theater.

Eight visiting law school teams embrace the adrenaline ride of getting their case packet just 45 minutes before each round starts and careening through speedy mock trials.

“We can get loud, do the work, and continue to show up, even when it’s hard,” Jade Williams ’24 says. 

The Policy Advocacy Clinic is tackling restitution, a financial charge which saddles people with lifelong debt, adding to its nationwide work eliminating juvenile legal system fees and fines.

A change in leadership of Berkeley Law’s clinics arrives as the surging program adds faculty and plans to add more clinics.

Palmer’s work at the United Nations Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals helps prosecute war crimes committed within the former Yugoslavia.

Wu’s externship with a U.S. district court’s patent program enriches her understanding of technology and intellectual property issues and enlightens her career path.

Having grown up “with a ball at my feet,” Abunaw helps athletes and coaches obtain visas to train and compete in the United States long term.

Key research by Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic is helping courts and state legislatures tackle racial discrimination in jury selection across the country.

Having grown up in a poor area near the Florida-Alabama border, Bradley is relishing the chance to give back to his community.

IHRLC co-directors Roxanna Altholz and Laurel E. Fletcher and clinical students help the Fundación Para la Justicia file a criminal complaint against the Mexican attorney general’s office for illegal surveillance, among other assistance.

Sewit Beraki, Brandon Dailey, and Kavya Dasari finish atop 50 teams at The Negotiation Challenge, a prestigious annual event for top law and business schools worldwide.

This year’s award recipients stand out among extraordinary individual and collective commitment across the legal landscape to improve people’s lives.

Samuelson Clinic student Jennifer Sun ’23 and supervising attorney Megan Graham argue for more public access to surveillance records requests in Minnesota federal court.

A Berkeley Law student-led project details the legal mechanisms used by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s regime to exert increasing control over the arts.

Graduating with pro bono honors for her work with the Post-Conviction Advocacy Project, Garcia strives to understand the root causes of why people commit certain crimes.

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

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

Nilam Faqhir, Andrea Zachrich, and Miles Jasper, who was named Best Advocate, prevail at the annual event in New Orleans.

Deputy director of Berkeley Law’s Policy Advocacy Clinic, Campos-Bui is honored for her impactful work on the effects of criminal legal system fees and fines.

Berkeley Law is #9 overall in the latest U.S. News rankings, with a whopping nine specialty areas in the top 10 — including three ranked #1.

A new radio show about Texas’ abortion law strengthens the ties between the Human Rights Center and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Berkeley Law’s dean says the theme for his one-year term — how law schools can make a difference — is driven by the urgency of society’s problems.

In his four-plus years, Berkeley Law has expanded its financial aid, faculty ranks, clinical offerings, student diversity, and expenditures for students pursuing public interest careers.

The Samuelson Clinic’s Megan Graham has trained more than 1,000 public defenders in three years on how to litigate cutting-edge technology issues.

Four Berkeley Law students detail their memorable experience and how it shaped their career  trajectory. 

The International Human Rights Law Clinic found 225 credible incidents of online freedom of expression violations against human rights defenders. 

Professors Katerina Linos, Steven Davidoff Solomon, Abbye Atkinson, Elisabeth Semel, Laurel E. Fletcher, and Jeffrey Selbin are honored for their contributions to scholarship and legal education. 

LL.M. students and final-round competitors Laura Quazzo and Capucine Freydrich see the experience enhancing their legal careers.

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

A trio of students with military experience are stepping up to help the large community of veterans in the Bay Area. 

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. 

The initiative selects students admitted to top law schools to work in the public sector for a year before starting their legal education. 

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.

Holmquist’s far-reaching impact at Berkeley Law includes expanding academic support, practical legal training, curricular flexibility, and diversity and inclusion. 

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

McGurk relishes helping Blend, a digital lending platform that simplifies applications for mortgages, consumer loans, and deposit accounts, streamline financial services for consumers.

The gift, from Professor Pamela Samuelson and her husband, Robert Glushko, creates the Robert Glushko Clinical Professor of Practice in Technology Law. 

Six determined groups of students participated in this year’s Berkeley Law Alternative Service Trips, working with grassroots groups from Appalachia to Hawai’i.

Kelsey Peden ’21, Najia Humayun ’22, Christine Hulsizer ’21, and Simone Lieban Levine ’21 reap wide-ranging benefits from the unique Salzburg Cutler Fellow international law program.

The Education Advocacy Clinic at Berkeley Law’s East Bay Community Law Center provided key legal counsel to assist the Black Organizing Project’s determined, successful effort.

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.

Members of the student-led Political and Election Empowerment Project worked to ensure underrepresented populations don’t get watered down in this year’s redistricting, and also put in volunteer time at the polls.

Field Placement Program quartet gains international law skills while serving as student legal advisors for Afghanistan, Sudan, the Bahamas, and the Marshall Islands.

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

The list features eight first-time offerings and eight more one-credit classes that are available to upper-class students for the first time.

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.

Gov. Gavin Newsom partners with Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic on a historic amicus brief about racial discrimination’s impact on how capital punishment is imposed in California. 

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 Workers’ Rights Clinic caseload has surged since the pandemic sent a shockwave through the labor force. 

A federal lawsuit and proposed state legislation show the breadth of the clinic’s advocacy work. 

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.

A change in leadership of Berkeley Law’s clinics arrives as the thriving program welcomes its biggest class of in-house students and solidifies plans to expand.

The in-house clinical program welcomed seven new hires — six teaching fellows and one supervising attorney, expanding the growing program’s outreach to marginalized communities and individuals.

Research by the Policy Advocacy Clinic spurs Orange County’s decision to end collection and discharge $18.5 million in fees charged to families with children in the juvenile system before 2018.

Students in the Human Rights Center’s Investigations Lab scour digital content, leading to an Amnesty International report that documented 125 incidents of excessive force against protesters over 10 days.

A Berkeley Law student group works to develop a self-help litigation guide and other resources to help state prisoners avoid the coronavirus. 

Oscar Sarabia Roman ’21, Emma Nicholls ’21, and Gaby Bermudez ’22 honor the work of iconic Judge Thelton Henderson ’62 by advocating for marginalized people of color.

Three International Human Rights Law Clinic students helped draft a complaint with the United Nations on behalf of a British citizen tortured by Sri Lankan officials in 2016.

An eye-opening report from Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic shows that racial discrimination is a deeply ingrained part of jury selection in California.

Kiki Tapiero ’20 and Alex Copper ’20 win Berkeley Law’s Pro Bono Champion award while Safa Ansari-Bayegan ’20 and Miguel Soto receive its Eleanor Swift Award for Public Service.

Extraordinary 3Ls Savannah Reid, Bill Nguyen, and Camila Gonzalez wowed their supervisors, peers, and project partners en route to their awards. 

As the COVID-19 crisis grips the region, the center’s staffers are finding new angles for advocacy—and seizing the chance to shape the post-coronavirus landscape. 

Two Berkeley Law clinics give immediate financial relief to vulnerable families by persuading California to stop collecting government debt during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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. 

Led by a research center and a clinic, Berkeley Law’s students and faculty are leaping into action to help entrepreneurs weather the current economic storm.

As a UCDC Law Program extern at the House Judiciary Committee, Alex Thomson ’20 describes a “one-of-a-kind experience.”

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

As Berkeley Law’s admitted students weigh their options, its current students continue to inspire and amaze.

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

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

A flurry of new work, including an amicus brief in a hot-button Supreme Court case, shows the depth and reach of Khiara M. Bridges’ intersectional scholarship.

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.

Given to just three graduating law students each year, the E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship develops top indigent defense lawyers through rigorous training and strong support.

International Human Rights Law Clinic report finds that police indifference inflames trauma for families of Oakland murder victims.

Led by three dedicated 2Ls, the Reproductive Justice Project expands its substantive and geographic reach.

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

As technology transforms how criminal cases are prosecuted, the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic helps defense attorneys scrutinize the evidence presented against their clients.

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

Faculty, researchers, and students are influencing state regulatory and governmental changes that address climate change and help disadvantaged communities.

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.

New student-led group aims to advance the interests of animals through the legal system, particularly administrative law.

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

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

“Pre-O” gives Berkeley Law 1Ls a chance to learn to think like law students in a low-stakes environment. 

Ranked seventh nationally among U.S. law schools, the clinical program welcomes a supervising attorney and two fellows. 

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

Berkeley Law honors 26 students who earned the certificate in an increasingly vital area of law. 

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

Both displayed exceptional leadership and diligence as housing rights advocates.

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.

Four law firm-bound students describe the varied rewards of a semester working outside the Bay Area.

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

The Food Justice Project helps Berkeley students obtain monthly food benefits, and assists rejected applicants with their appeals.

Berkeley Law’s Pro Bono Program sponsors a transformative trip for 10 students over winter break. 

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.

Sarah Morando Lakhani ’19, Reynaldo Fuentes ’19, and Emma Mclean-Riggs ’17 will be funded for two years of focused public interest work.

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

Prison employees can monitor the contents of inmate email messages—including those to or from their attorneys.

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.

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.  

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.

Oscar Sarabia Roman and two Berkeley Law classmates were among 10 finalists chosen from more than 1,200 entries.

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.

Public- and private-sector panelists call for more prosecutor discretion, police accountability, and restorative justice programs.

The four students conducted research, recruited expert witnesses, and wrote detailed briefs to help an Oakland museum make its case. 

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

Working with Berkeley Law’s Post-Conviction Advocacy Project, Lee and Hadi painstakingly helped Chris Deragon prepare for his parole hearing.

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

A key driver of Berkeley Law’s surging business law program, Bartlett cites clarity, relevance, and inclusiveness as his top classroom priorities.

The students were hailed for their work ethic and legal acumen at Berkeley Law’s East Bay Community Law Center and Death Penalty Clinic, respectively.

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

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.

Known as a well-rounded and respected leader, she is believed to be the journal’s first female African American editor-in-chief.

The Homelessness Service Project and Berkeley Police Review Project hit the ground running to help community members in need.

From Geneva to Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., Berkeley Law’s full-semester “away” placements provide valuable hands-on experience.

Three Berkeley Law students were among those who gave TED-style talks at the center’s annual Fellowship Conference.

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

New course on blockchain technology could result in real-world business applications.

The International Human Rights Law Clinic aids in the investigation of the murder of a Honduran environmental activist.

Led by Professor Victoria Plaut, the lab highlights the implications of incorporating diversity and inclusion in businesses, legal institutions, and schools.

Highlights include new faculty, flourishing programs, high-impact research, and expanding student opportunities.

Berkeley Law faculty, staff, and students provide legal guidance and support to program participants and other undocumented immigrants.

New clinic report offers guidance on how to develop a water affordability program in California.

Renowned experts from government and academia illuminate emerging issues in the legal world.

New “Access to Entrepreneurship” program partners with Code2040 and Wilson Sonsini to help underrepresented founders find success in Silicon Valley.

A new report analyzes juvenile electronic monitoring programs across California.

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

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

Ted Lee ’59, Professor Stephen Sugarman, and Ann O’Leary ’05 receive awards for their exemplary work.

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

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

Law student leads city of Berkeley’s effort to close the wage gender gap.

A two-year standout at Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic, Tiet was honored for her work ethic and legal acumen.

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.

The International Human Rights Law Clinic says the World Bank’s internal watchdog does not have the authority to enforce its own social and environmental policies.

Clinic wins case against California state agency forcing it to release cell phone radiation guidelines.

The annual award honors a Berkeley Law educator who inspires students and demonstrates a deep commitment to teaching. 

The event tackled issues ranging from immigration and domestic surveillance to women’s rights and race relations.

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

Student leaders of the East Bay Dreamer’s Clinic provide legal and moral support while awaiting likely immigration policy changes.

Berkeley Law students help patients secure basic needs to stabilize their families’ lives.

A ruling by the Supreme Court of California in People v. Macabeo strengthens privacy rights and curtails unlawful police searches. 

“The Berkeley Effect” suggests that small actions can cause large, resonating effects. Here are just some of the ways that the Berkeley Law community helps make the world a better place.

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.

A slew of ballot propositions are on the state ballot, from repeal of the death penalty to legalization of recreational marijuana.

The Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic celebrates its 15th anniversary.

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

Berkeley Law supports 27 projects that give first-year students the chance to interact with clients right away.

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

Britton Schwartz and Ana Vohryzek will focus largely on water justice issues while supervising student projects.

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

The new course offers Estates and Trusts students an opportunity to work through their case studies in a real-world mediation setting.

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

Clinic students join legal battle to protect Californians’ Fourth Amendment rights.

Two Samuelson Clinic students recently filed an amicus brief to protect public access to archived TV news clips and political advertisements.

Veterans Law Practicum helps an army vet get his medical benefits from the V.A. in a multi-year battle.

Kaplan was honored for his extraordinary work with Berkeley Law’s Policy Advocacy Clinic and East Bay Community Law Center.

Led by Claudia Polsky ’96, the clinic’s inaugural group of students tackles projects geared to make a significant impact and spark meaningful reform. 

After its triumph in Alameda County, Berkeley Law’s Policy Advocacy Clinic aims to repeal county authority to assess and collect such fees statewide.

Berkeley Law’s International Refugee Assistance Project delegation provides case intake services and issues revealing report.

Signed by 14 Berkeley Law organizations, the Fisher v. University of Texas brief cautions against eliminating race and ethnicity as admission considerations.

Law students are increasingly hungry to work with clients as early as possible. While such opportunities are rare at most law schools until students reach their second year, at Berkeley Law—thanks to the school’s Student-Initiated Legal Services Projects—they can dive in almost immediately.

Led by Director Eliza Hersh ’05, Clean Slate has served nearly 10,000 people who face myriad obstacles because of their criminal records.

The program, Startup@BerkeleyLaw, offers students and others access to top experts, timely courses, and dynamic projects on emerging legal issues for startups.

Laura Lim ’17 wins first place and Peggy Ni ’17 takes third, marking the fourth time since 2010 that a Berkeley Law student has claimed the top prize.

The Henderson Center sponsored 10 current Berkeley Law students to attend the #Law4BlackLives conference hosted by the Center for Constitutional Rights on July 31, 2015 in New York, Hear the students share their experiences Sept 17, 12:45 p.m. in 132 Law Building. Event details are here. To reserve a lunch, please RSVP at: http://tinyurl.com/pp2b4zs.

After a successful pilot phase, the clinic will work to help increase social inclusion and mobility for unrepresented individuals and groups.