About Us

About the Institute

The Honorable G. William and Ariadna Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law is an internationally-focused research and policy center at Berkeley Law. Through interdisciplinary collaborations and institutional partnerships, the Miller Institute addresses urgent challenges that demand innovative global approaches, including promoting the rule of law, climate and energy justice, anti-corruption, and human rights.

Our work is guided by Berkeley Law’s distinguished international and comparative law faculty and informed by the expertise of scholars and practitioners worldwide. The approach is collaborative, interdisciplinary, and strategic. Our initiatives and advocacy work target critical situations where we are uniquely equipped to promote lasting change.

The Miller Institute administers the Certificate of Specialization in International Law Program for Berkeley Law students that recognizes successful completion of a course of study focused on international law.


History of the Institute 

G. William and Ariadna Miller

G. William and Ariadna Miller

The Miller Institute is named as a tribute to the Honorable G. William Miller (’52) and his wife Ariadna Miller. 

A celebrated Berkeley Law alumnus, G. William Miller served as the US Secretary of the Treasury under President Carter and the 11th Chairman of the Federal Reserve. He was an officer in the US Coast Guard, and led a distinguished career in business and investment banking.

Miller was a lifelong supporter of Berkeley Law, serving on the school’s Campaign Cabinet. As national chairman of the Distinguished Professors Project in 1986, he helped raise $1.2 million to endow chairs honoring Berkeley Law professors. Miller was also the 1979 recipient of the Citation Award, the Berkeley Law Alumni Association’s highest honor, and was recognized with the UC Berkeley Foundation Trustee’s Citation in 1987.

He was deeply committed to enabling work to promote the rule of law as a means to ensure that nations share a set of values without sacrificing their individual cultures. The Miller Institute seeks to further his vision.