Social Justice and Public Interest

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

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and a panel of experts analyzed how the doctrine has evolved, and how changing it could increase accountability for officers and other government officials. 

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.

Among the Berkeley Law students who enjoyed rewarding summer work, Diarra found a great fit at Accountability Counsel, which helps communities harmed by internationally financed projects.

A whopping 17 offerings are available to students this semester that count toward Berkeley Law’s race and law certificate.

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

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. 

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

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. 

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

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. 

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.

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.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky moderated a discussion with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and civil rights lawyer Connie Rice about what needs reform. 

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

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.

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. 

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.

Five academics probed the many facets of the debate at a law school-sponsored installment of UC Berkeley’s ongoing discussion series, agreeing that this is a moment worth seizing to begin to repair the nation’s inequalities.

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.

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.

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

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says the total, second most among all law schools, “so reflects our public mission and commitment to public service.”

“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.

“Technology Law as a Vehicle for Anti-Racism,” a free-two day virtual symposium on November 12 and 13 aims to not just ignite a conversation about how to channel tech law and policy to serve the interests of racial justice, but to stoke the flames of action.

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.

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. 

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. 

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

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.

After coordinating programs to maximize representation, Pedral says completing the census by the September 30 deadline is vital for California’s future.

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

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

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.

Samson Lim ’21 turns adversity and physical hardship into a transformed perspective and remarkable success.

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.

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.