King Hall Blog

Earlier this week, the UC Davis Law Students Association held its annual Custodial Appreciation event. On a balmy spring evening in the King Hall Courtyard, the LSA President Brenda Quintanilla Lopez '24 recognized each custodian, including Maureen Dommer.  Each custodian received a gift bag and certificate. 

Once again, I was touched by the kindness of our students and the recognition of some of the hardest-working people at King Hall. 

In our final talk in the 2023/24 Racial Justice Speaker Series, Project Director for Restoring Justice for Indigenous Peoples, Morning Star Gali, visited UC Davis School of Law. She fights for indigenous rights, treaties, traditional cultures, and sacred lands.

It is the season of banquets for UC Davis Law's amazing student organizations. Last Friday, the Filipinx Law Students Association held an amazing and elegant dinner at the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity in Sacramento. 

Last week, the Moot Court Honors Board held the final round of the 55th Annual Irving J. Neumiller Moot Court Competition. A great group of justices judged the competition: Associate Justices Ronald Robie and Louis Mauro of the 3rd Appellate District Court of Appeals in California, and Senior U.S. District Court Judges for the Eastern District of California William Shubb and John Mendez, along with U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley for the Eastern District of California. 

The UC Davis Law Review held its annual Hopkins Reception celebrating the graduating members and celebrating the new leaders. It was a warm evening at the new and elegant Gorman Museum of Native American Art.  

It's always busy over the lunch hour at UC Davis School of Law. On Thursday, I stopped by to hear Sofia Parino, our Career Services' Associate Director for Public Interest and Government, provide a workshop on a public interest fellowship, which can help kick off a successful career in public interest law.

I testified before the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Assembly Bill 1811, a bill introduced by Assemblymember David Alvarez that would allow lawful permanent residents to serve on juries. UC Davis School of Law alum Manuela Boucher-De La Cadena '19 prepared an excellent analysis for the Judiciary Committee. I was impressed by Assemblymember Alvarez’s presentation and enjoyed adding my thoughts in support of the bill.

This week, two UC Davis School of Law alums, Chris Gorman '14 and Justin Stacy '21, of the Silicon Valley law firm Fenwick and West came to campus to speak about their careers. Chris does corporate work while Justin is a litigator. Their program was titled "A Day in the Life" and they shared their perspectives on working at a prestigious law firm. 

Many students attended and learned a lot!

This week, a delegation of high level Ukrainian lawyers, judges, and government officials joined Professor Chimène Keitner's  international law class. The group, led by Jim Nolan, Esq, worked with the Rotary Club to bring the delegation to law schools and courts in the greater Sacramento area. 

Among the visitors was Mykola Masur, Justice on the Supreme Court of Ukraine. 

Speaking with admitted students.

In center, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor Afra Afsharipour, speaking with the potential Class of 2027.

Chancellor Gary May, in center, engaging with admitted students.

Last weekend, UC Davis School of Law welcomed the potential Class of 2027 for Admitted Students Weekend. We were excited to welcome hundreds of admitted students and their families to campus to learn about the King Hall experience. 

Last week, UC Davis School of Law hosted a conference on Immigration and Farm Labor. The conference featured experts on immigration reform and agriculture. Professor Philip Martin of the UC Davis School of Agricultural and Resource Economics has organized this event for several years.

The Moot Court Honors Board invites you to attend the final round of the 55th Annual Irving J. Neumiller Moot Court Competition.

The Competition final round will be held in the Kalmanovitz Appellate Courtroom at King Hall from 2 - 5 p.m. It will be followed by an award ceremony to celebrate this year's top appellate oral advocates and brief writers. I hope you will join us to watch King Hall's best oral advocates showcase their skills! RSVP here. 

The Latinx Law Students Association (LaLSA) had another great event during its Culture Week. UC Davis Chicana/o Studies Professor Susy Zepeda moderated a dialogue on recovering from the scourge of white supremacy. Her thoughtful and soothing approach struck a chord among our students. And me too!

Our students should be commended for organizing another great event for Culture Week.

There is always an intellectually stimulating event at UC Davis School of Law. This week, the Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies continued its paper workshop series with Professor Courtney Joslin discussing a fascinating paper on parenting and family law.

Dear King Hall Community,

On this day in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was tragically shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. As the nation grieved his loss, UC Davis Law students lobbied to have their new building named for Dr. King. A year later, King Hall was officially dedicated in memory of the civil rights giant.