Transcript Spring 2019

Six Berkeley Law alumni have accepted posts in the administration of new California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Individually exceptional and collectively historic, three Berkeley Law graduates will clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court during the 2019-20 Term—the school’s highest single-year total.

Berkeley Alumni-In-Residence is a new program at Berkeley Law that welcomes students into the lifelong alumni fold as soon as they enroll at the school.

Ken Alex has been called California’s most influential environmental lawyer, a visionary, and former governor Jerry Brown’s climate whisperer. He is now joining Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment to spearhead Project Climate—a new initiative driven to transform top research into policy more quickly.

Legal education isn’t just about scholarship. At Berkeley Law, it’s also about action—especially on issues as urgent as global warming—with students driving vital climate work across campus.

In Oakland, Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment is a partner in EcoBlock, a public-private collaboration aimed at sustainable neighborhood redevelopment. “It’s taking an existing residential block and trying to retrofit it with cutting-edge energy and water efficiency mechanisms in a replicable and hopefully scalable way.”

Elizabeth Hall ’20 led airborne combat missions over Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, and later served as a legal officer at the Naval Academy. At Berkeley Law, Hall sees the growing presence of veteran students and programs enhancing the school’s collective learning environment.

Ken Cohen ’69 had a clear objective when he approached Berkeley Law about creating scholarships for military and veteran students: “I wanted to do something to increase diversity of thought in the law school.”

Nathan Keller ’19 deployed to Kuwait and Iraq as a Marine Corps infantry squad leader. Allison Murray ’19 patrolled the Arabian Gulf as a Coast Guard executive officer. Those overseas leadership experiences helped them deftly steer the Berkeley Journal of International Law.