Faculty News

Five professors, including Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, also made lists of the most-cited faculty in their fields.

Mallika Kaur ’10 and Lindsay Harris ’09 co-edited How to Account for Trauma and Emotions in Law Teaching, which makes the case for engaging — and even encouraging — emotion in the classroom and the courtroom.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky analyzes the U.S. Supreme Court’s most recent monumental term with Cornell Law Professor Michael Dorf and CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic.

Jessica Whytock, who has more than 20 years of experience, says she’s excited to continue innovating in a rapidly changing landscape.

Obasogie wants to bring the discredited theory out of hiding through a national conversation to confront the past and prevent its repetition in modern science. 

Latina law faculty share experiences and strategies for collective and professional development for Latinas, who comprise just 1.6% of tenured and tenure-track law professors.

Renowned corporate law attorney Kenton King ’87, health policy leader Tam Ma ’11, esteemed Professor Eric Rakowski, and public interest powerhouse Ann Brick ’75 receive Berkeley Law’s top honors.

Davis won the law school’s Rutter Award for Teaching Excellence, while Holmquist was recognized for “sustained excellence in teaching” with a Distinguished Teaching Award, given to five professors across the Berkeley campus this year. 

Edley led the school from 2004 to 2013 and spearheaded a significant expansion of its faculty, research centers, student public interest grants, and physical space.

Roth, a groundbreaking scholar of criminal law and evidence in an increasingly technology-driven world, is the first Barry Tarlow Chancellor’s Chair in Criminal Justice.

In Legal Briefs: The Ups and Downs of Life in the Law, Hecht details his brushes with Nixon over four episodes — divulging some details publicly for the first time. 

The new Berkeley Center for Private Law Theory event drew scholars from across the globe for a two-day event discussing scholarly works in progress. 

The groundbreaking empirical research features interviews with 50 federal judges and teases out trends and potential new practices for hiring a wider mix of clerks.

Chien, whose research spans innovation, intellectual property, and the criminal justice system, is the ninth faculty hire for the school this year.

Top scholars from around the world describe her massive impact on digital copyright law, intellectual property, cyberlaw, and information policy, and her enormous influence on colleagues in those fields.

A world-renowned scholar, Dagan will guide the center’s work investigating how we define our property, contract, and tort rights — and how that defines us as a society.

In their new book, Graphic: Trauma and Meaning in our Online Lives, Alexa Koenig and Andrea Lampros draw lessons from experts and the center’s own work to protect students’ mental health.

Before the Movement explores how Black people worked within the laws of property, contracts, and more to assert their rights — even while other parts of the legal system offered discrimination, hostility, and violence.

“The quality of any educational institution is largely determined by the quality of its faculty and we simply could not have had a better year in our hiring,” Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says.

Alumni connections led Tam to a partnership run by to the Jessica Vapnek ’91, faculty director of the International Development Law Center at UC College of the Law, San Francisco.

Our stellar early-career professors are making their mark across a wide swath of academic fields.

Former San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin to pursue meaningful change as the founding executive director of Berkeley Law’s new Criminal Law & Justice Center.

From high-level national and state appointments to major honors demonstrating far-reaching legal expertise, our educators were recognized for their outstanding leadership, research, and analysis.

The bankruptcy scholar “goes above and beyond to ensure his students feel supported in their academic pursuits,” 2L Tara Kay says.

The executive director of Berkeley Law’s California Constitution Center leads the agency that studies problem areas in state law and proposes reforms, over 90% of which become law.

Drawing on their primary jobs as lawyers, advocates, and policymakers, our part-time teachers often become a beloved addition to the student experience. 

As Ukrainian law enforcement officials and NGOs prepare for war crimes trials, their efforts to collect evidence are guided by digital-age legal standards developed at Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center.

A recent conference brought together experts to discuss whether regulations are needed and what they might look like.

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.

A cross-campus partnership aims to help promote responsible innovation while building a community for academics and practitioners. 

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.

The renowned civil procedure scholar says he’s “thrilled and humbled” by the opportunity to help shape the next evolution of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 

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

The current U.S. Supreme Court majority, Bridges argues, only remedies racism against people of color when it encounters something that resembles the pre-civil rights era, from poll taxes to eugenics.

The Barry Tarlow Chair in Criminal Justice will honor the renowned defense attorney’s legacy and create a new faculty position awarded to a tenured professor.

The book project was an intellectual as well as a physical journey for Abrams, who needed to add new skills to her research toolbox to pull it off.

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. 

Released today, Worse Than Nothing provides a deep legal and historical analysis and argues that the increasingly popular method for understanding the Constitution is unworkable. 

The faculty director of Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center continues to help people worldwide search for an answer to the agonizing question, Where is my child?

“We had an extraordinary year in hiring,” Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says, including two senior scholars, three junior faculty, and a clinical professor.

Chair of the California Privacy Protection Agency, Urban illuminated the arc of privacy awareness — and importance — to Americans amid technology’s expanding reach.

Beginning Aug. 15, Plaut will oversee building, supporting, and maintaining UC Berkeley’s faculty in close collaboration with deans, department chairs, and Academic Senate colleagues.

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

Atkinson says she’s thrilled to get the award, which recognizes an early-career academic who shares Ginsburg’s passion for justice.

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

Obasogie says he is “thrilled and grateful” to be one of this year’s 180 recipients of the prestigious fellowship.

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.

Actors and legal giants share the spotlight in a spirited performance of Romeo, Juliet, and the Case of Friar Laurence.

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

Kerr, who studies computer crime, criminal procedure, and criminal law, is the school’s newest faculty chairholder. 

Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky takes center stage with actors, opposing counsel, and a judge in a unique Shakespeare production.

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.

“Eleanor is precisely the type of life-long evidence scholar, teacher, mentor, and role model who is deserving of the Wigmore Award,” one nomination reads. 

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

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. 

“Borderlines” and a blog series on human rights broadens the reach of Berkeley Law’s hub for international law. 

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

Farber says failing to strike the right balance between curtailing executive power and enabling its use when needed carries major consequences.

Fifteen professors, including Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, also made lists of the most-cited faculty in their fields.

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

Professor Osagie K. Obasogie aims to build bridges between the law school and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, where he has been a professor since 2016. 

With nearly 80 million refugees and displaced people worldwide, the school’s wide-ranging research identifies core concerns and sensible solutions.

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

Chacón, who specializes in immigration and constitutional law, and education scholar Glater further bolster a faculty on the rise, with nearly two dozen hires in recent years. 

Berkeley Law Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon created the program with history Professor Ethan Katz and Berkeley Hillel Executive Director Adam Naftalin-Kelman.

A recent U.S. Patent and Trademark Office regional director, Stacy brings public sector leadership, private practice success, and law school teaching experience to his new post.

The documentary, which airs May 31, unpacks the horrific events that killed at least 39 people and destroyed a thriving Black district — and how they were nearly erased from history.

Her herculean efforts to help the law school make Zoom learning work earned her UC Berkeley’s new Extraordinary Teaching in Extraordinary Times award.  

A recent event and a special tribute issue of the California Law Review celebrate Sugarman’s indelible mark on the school and his fields. 

Kay, a Berkeley Law icon, began work on the book telling the story of the 14 women who preceded her as law professors at ABA-accredited schools in 1989.

Chancellor Carol Christ, hailing the Berkeley Law professor’s work and commitment to truth, reform, and justice, says Zimring “embodies the very best” of the university.

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. 

Professor Amanda L. Tyler’s collaboration with Ginsburg puts the late jurist’s trailblazing career back in the spotlight.

Fifteen books published in 2019 and 2020 were highlighted at a recent event, including work by Ian Haney López, Franklin Zimring, and Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. 

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

Professors Catherine Crump and Rebecca Wexler translate some of their scholarly work on electronic evidence and surveillance technology into policy guides.

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

Chemerinsky received the Association of American Law Schools’ Deborah L. Rhode Award for his efforts to further encourage pro bono work for students. 

Serving more than 125 students from 14 countries, the course probed the many ways in which the pandemic has undermined equality across the world.

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.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to crush workers, especially the lowest earners, the Center for Law and Work puts them in the spotlight.

“The Fire and the Forgotten” will air on PBS in May, on the centennial of what’s known as one of the worst incidents in American history of racial violence against Black people.

Kuraj teams up with Professor Daniel Farber to assess the vital implications of gene editing for environmental purposes.

Berkeley Law experts describe what to expect — depending on who wins the presidency and which party controls the Senate — from health care and the environment to immigration and criminal justice.

A message that emphasizes common interest in economic fairness across all races is essential to neutralize racially divisive messages, the Berkeley Law scholar and author says. 

Berkeley Law professor and prominent tax expert Mark Gergen dissects recent revelations about the president’s tax returns.

A special slate of one-credit classes is helping first-year students and professors get to know one another during an unprecedented semester.

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.

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.

Professor Christopher Tomlins digs deeply into the persona of the Virginia slave Nat Turner and examines the legacy of the 1831 rebellion he led.

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 professor and former dean Christopher Edley, Jr. joins three others in describing the historical and current factors impeding progress, and how to surmount them.

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.

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

A new podcast further raises Kerr’s public profile, which he’s twinned with his prominent scholarly work for much of his career.

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

How the Berkeley Law community is staying connected long-distance. 

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

The role brings a renewed focus on teaching for Hoofnagle, a renowned privacy expert and a faculty co-director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology. 

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.

In a new Yale Law Journal paper, Professor David Singh Grewal offers a timely blueprint for putting the themes of power, equality, and democracy at the center of legal scholarship. 

Part of a Berkeley Conversations panel, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Professor Bertrall Ross describe how the pandemic may alter the landscape before, during, and after Election Day.

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. 

In a new paper, Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon explores a hot topic in corporate law. 

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

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.

Colleagues, former students, and peers gathered for a special conference to celebrate more than 40 years of pioneering work in law and economics. 

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.

Before a packed crowd of students, three prominent scholars deftly analyze the impeachment process and place the current trial in historical context. 

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.

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

A distinguished group of international scholars, attorneys, and judges probed the lasting influence of Judge Noonan’s rich contributions to law, history, ethics, and religion.

Berkeley Law’s dean asserts that for racial discrimination claims in contracting to move forward, they need only show that race was plausibly a motivating factor in the defendant’s decision.

Ian Haney López lays out a research-based blueprint for building a new, multiracial political coalition to combat the use of race to divide the electorate.

Longtime Berkeley Law faculty member Henry Hecht says Congress is unlikely to open an impeachment inquiry.

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

The school’s new faculty bring top credentials and a huge range of practice-area and doctrinal expertise.

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

The former California Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit judge continues to defy expectations. 

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.

Taught in Spanish by lecturer Fernando Flores, ‘Representing Spanish-speaking Clients’ focuses on language, culture, and emotional intelligence. 

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

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

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

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. 

The pioneering initiative, which provides timely training and flexible options, is the first of its kind to capture the intersection of law, business, and leadership.

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

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

Professors Mark Gergen and Alan Auerbach give mixed reviews to the sweeping bill and predict eventual corrective action.

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

Stern aims to show how the nation’s new judicial transparency is changing its practice of law.

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

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.

In her new book, Professor Amanda Tyler looks at the erosion of U.S. citizens’ legal rights during wartime.

Expert policymakers, attorneys, and scholars will gather at Berkeley Law November 3 to explore the doctrine’s growing importance.

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

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

Catherine Fisk ‘86, an expert in labor law and legal history, is Berkeley Law’s newest faculty member.

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

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

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

Angela Onwuachi-Willig and three colleagues fuel effort to eliminate such policies in a growing number of American schools.

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

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

Linos will study an urgent global challenge: the European refugee crisis.

Charles Denton, Janice Kosel ’71 and Antonio Rossmann are honored for their service to the law school.

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

The brief explains why Congress gave the agency broad, flexible authority to respond to evolving threats.

Professors Melissa Murray, Kenneth Bamberger, Christopher Tomlins, Sonia Katyal and Angela Onwuachi-Willig were feted at a recent ceremony.

Professor Zimring’s latest book reveals unsettling truths about police shootings in the U.S.

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

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

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

Professor Lauren Edelman ’86 shows how symbolic anti-discrimination policies are increasingly seen as proof of compliance with civil rights laws.

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

Berkeley Law fetes its faculty authors and their most recent books on legal theory, ocean law, juvenile justice and more.

Renowned business law experts Jill Fisch and Zenichi Shishido are among Berkeley Law’s six visiting professors this semester.

Angela Onwuachi-Willig and Tejas Narechania cite the school’s collegial culture and collaborative environment as major selling points.

Karen Tani’s book traces New Deal welfare programs across four decades.

In a new law review article, Professor Albiston argues that paid family leave will only work if it offers job security, as well as wage replacement.

Professor Kristin Luker, recipient of many accolades, is most proud of her work founding the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice at Berkeley Law. She will be honored at a conference celebrating her scholarship on April 1. 

Law professor Melissa Murray has been named interim dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law. Her appointment, which begins today, was decided with broad input from Berkeley Law faculty, students and staff following the March 10 resignation of former Dean Sujit Choudhry.

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

Students hail her dedication and interest in them both as people and budding lawyers.

Herma Hill Kay, former dean of Berkeley Law and professor for more than 50 years, has received the Association of American Law Schools’ 2015 Triennial Award for Lifetime Service to Legal Education and the Law.

The renowned civil liberties lawyer and six other top scholars bring proven teaching skills and wide-ranging expertise to Berkeley Law’s classrooms.

A new book by Professor Christopher Kutz, On War and Democracy, examines the moral rationale democracies often cite to wage war. 

Berkeley Law’s renowned criminal law experts forecast the impact of President Obama’s recent set of executive orders promoting gun safety reform.

Consumers are easily fooled by ads masquerading as editorials, according to a new paper, yet they’re proliferating online at a rapid rate.

Justin McCrary and other Berkeley Law scholars are using new search technologies and various efficiency models to improve the study, analysis, and predictive quality of their work.

A Korea Law Center conference delves into key issues facing both countries in corporate governance, technology law, administrative bureaucracy, and more.

A professor of public policy and political science, as well as law, Farhang is eager to forge interdisciplinary projects with Berkeley Law and other campus units.

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

This intensive five-nation study delves inside corporations to examine how privacy officers actually do their work with surprising findings.

Supreme Court justices rely on Berkeley Law scholars in deciding issues of solitary confinement, same-sex marriage, income taxation, and housing discrimination.

Berkeley Law’s New Business Practicum is trying to change that equation. Since 2007, the practicum has been the law school’s engine of startup development in the Bay Area, bringing together two groups: entrepreneurs who need early-stage legal advice that they can’t afford, and students who need opportunities to practice.

Working with the Goldman School’s Steve Raphael, Professor Justin McCrary helped to build a new website for the California Attorney General with extensive information on arrests, violence against officers, and deaths in custody. Although there are still gaps, thanks to their work California now has the most comprehensive and user-friendly system in the nation for providing this kind of information.  You can check it out here: http://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/

An award-winning scholar and a Berkeley Law professor since 2006, Murray aims to expand the center’s work as its new faculty director.