By Hannah Lynde Wittman
Berkeley Law’s Clinical Program welcomed eight new hires this year — seven supervisors and one fellow — deepening its commitment to clinical teaching and social justice law.
They join our faculty bringing diverse expertise in data science, immigration, criminal, family, and transactional law, strengthening the program and expanding its reach. Their work supports innovative offerings, including two new clinics — the Global Rights Innovation Lab Clinic and the Social Enterprise Clinic — and a new opportunity for first-year students in the Policy Advocacy Clinic, all aligned with the program’s mission to advance racial, economic, and social justice.
Death Penalty Clinic
Lisa Romo ’87, Clinical Supervising Attorney
Romo joins the Death Penalty Clinic as a clinical instructor, bringing more than 35 years of experience in capital post–conviction defense. Recently retired from the Office of the State Public Defender, she had a distinguished career as a capital defense attorney, serving as the first director of systemic issues litigation and the first racial justice attorney, where she developed resources and training for defenders and played a leading role in statewide litigation under California’s Racial Justice Act (RJA).
Recruited for her expertise in RJA litigation, Romo is excited to mentor students in this critical area. “The students bring such a fierce anti-racism lens to this work, which is so inspiring,” she says.
Global Rights Innovation Lab Clinic
Valentina Rozo Angel, Data and Technology Clinical Supervisor
Rozo Angel co-led the design and launch of the Global Rights Innovation Lab Clinic (GRIL) alongside Professor Laurel E. Fletcher. She brings deep expertise in data-driven human rights work and transitional justice. Rozo Angel previously served as analytics lead at Colombia’s Truth Commission, where she directed a 30-member team to produce quantitative evidence and build the commission’s data portal and dashboards. Her team collaborated with the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace to analyze over 100 datasets estimating victims of conflict-related abuses. Rozo Angel consulted for HRDAG, ICT Africa, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights. She also held research roles at Dejusticia, Yale University, and the University of Essex.
Rozo Angel values the power of collaboration in advancing human rights. “I have seen how powerful it is when people from different disciplines join forces to create change,” she says. “GRIL is where my passions for data, human rights, teaching, and learning intersect. I am continually inspired by the opportunity to teach and learn from students of diverse fields as we engage with inspiring clients on pressing human rights issues.”
Policy Advocacy Clinic
Samantha Lee, Clinical Supervisor
Lee joins the Policy Advocacy Clinic (PAC) with a background in public defense and policy reform. As a public defender with Brooklyn Defender Services and within its Family Defense division, she represented parents in child abuse and neglect cases. Later, at Pregnancy Justice, she worked on local, state, and national policy initiatives to end pregnancy criminalization and separate health care from punitive systems. Lee also clerked for Judge Anne E. Thompson in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
She joined Berkeley Law to foster collaboration and help the next generation of lawyers approach advocacy differently. “I appreciate PAC’s dedication to digging into the day-to-day details of the criminal legal system and identifying solutions that truly impact people’s lives,” Lee says. “I’m excited to bring students into coalition-based advocacy, broaden their view of career paths, and develop policy skills to change the systems that keep people in poverty.”
Social Enterprise Clinic
Jeremy Chen, Clinical Supervising Attorney
Chen joins the newly launched Social Enterprise Clinic after more than a decade of private practice advising social enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and community businesses. As a transactional lawyer, he brings real-world expertise to the classroom, guiding students in the practical skills of transactional law.
Chen relishes the opportunity to make a broader impact through teaching. “I have dedicated my career to working on issues of racial and economic justice, and continuing that work through teaching is an honor and a joy,” he says. “It’s exciting to see students gain experience and hone their skills as they help design businesses that advance their clients’ social missions.”
East Bay Community Law Center
EBCLC Education Justice Clinic and Youth Defender Clinic
Marian Avila Breach ’25, Brian Lewinstein Youth Justice Fellow
Avila Breach returns to the East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) as a fellow after two years of clinical education at Berkeley Law. She previously worked with EBCLC’s Clean Slate Unit during her 1L summer and served as a student board member during her 2L and 3L years. Avila Breach also led EBCLC’s La Alianza Workers’ and Tenants’ Rights Project and spent two semesters advocating for justice at Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Clinic. Beyond law school, she volunteered as a Spanish interpreter for asylum cases and taught at Mt. Tamalpais College inside San Quentin State Prison.
Avila Breach believes education is a powerful tool for justice. “I hope to help law students hone their skills as advocates while learning how to show up as lawyers in our community,” she says. “I’m looking forward to engaging with students and staff passionate about ensuring equal access to education and expanding the concept of what justice for youth can look like, well beyond both the physical and the intangible confines of delinquency law.”
EBCLC Immigrant Youth Defenders Clinic and Immigrant Community Justice Clinic
Hanna A. Haile, Staff Attorney and Clinical Supervisor
Hanna A. Haile represented unaccompanied minors and youth in the foster care system in immigration matters at Catholic Charities of the East Bay before joining EBCLC. Prior to that she has also held roles as a post doctoral associate and lecturer at McGill University School of Law and consultant with the World Bank. As an immigrant herself, her personal journey from Eritrea has profoundly shaped her passion for and commitment to immigrant rights.
Valuing experiential learning and the opportunity to mentor future advocates, she says, “I believe we learn best by doing. I’m excited to provide students with opportunities to engage directly with clients and transform theory into tangible advocacy. It’s rewarding to witness their professional and personal growth as they start to rethink their previously held assumptions, beliefs, and understanding about the populations that we serve.”
EBCLC Immigrant Youth Defenders Clinic and Immigrant Community Justice Clinic
Athena Johns, Staff Attorney and Clinical Supervisor
Johns brings extensive experience handling immigration cases, including U visas, adjustment of status, asylum, and naturalization, through her volunteer work and pro bono practice at large law firms. She first partnered with EBCLC in 2021 on a temporary basis and joined full-time as a staff attorney in 2022. In her new role as clinical supervisor, Johns mentors students in the Immigration Clinic.
“As a clinical supervisor, it’s gratifying to see students build meaningful connections with clients over the course of an immigration case and witness the impact this work has on their lives,” she says. “I appreciate the injection of energy that clinical students bring to the fight against policies that are harming immigrants. It has been immensely valuable to have the benefit of the perspectives and unique talents of the future cohort of attorneys.”
EBCLC Immigrant Youth Defenders Clinic and Immigrant Community Justice Clinic
Abigail L’Esperance, Co-Director and Clinical Supervisor
L’Esperance has advocated for Bay Area immigrants for more than 25 years. She previously served as director of the immigration program at Catholic Charities East Bay and worked as an immigration attorney in private practice. L’Esperance brings extensive real-world experience to her role at EBCLC, where she now co-directs the Immigration Unit and mentors students in direct legal services.
“I have witnessed the profound impact that advocates can have on individuals’ lives by assisting them in navigating systems that often aim to exclude and penalize them,” she says. “Additionally, I have observed the emotional strain that this kind of work can impose on those dedicated to supporting the most vulnerable members of our communities. As the Immigration Unit co-director and a clinical supervisor, I aspire to collaborate with my team and students to set the standard of a direct legal services model that is at once effective, compassionate, and sustainable.”