Welcome Back: Spring 2023
Welcome back! As we begin a new year, we can reflect fondly on Fall 2022’s achievements and look forward to more big things for UC Davis School of Law.
Spring 2023’s full schedule of events will culminate in the Class of 2023 commencement on May 13. We are pleased to announce that the new Chief Justice of California, Patricia Guerrero, will deliver the keynote speech.
On January 19, we will hold a reception for new Supreme Court Associate Justice Kelli Evans ’94, previously a Superior Court Judge who has dedicated her career to the public good.
We wish retired Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye ’84 the best in her new role leading the Public Policy Institute of California. We currently are rescheduling an event in her honor at the law school for later in the spring.
Great news on the jobs front: So far, more than 90% of the Class of 2022 has secured full-time, long-term legal employment. This is the highest rate for any class six months after graduation since at least 2008.
We are thrilled about three new additions to the law faculty next fall. Professor Vikram Amar, University of Illinois College of Law Dean and former UC Davis Law Senior Associate Dean, will rejoin our faculty. In addition, an expert in public international law and human rights, Professor Chimène Keitner, the Alfred & Hanna Fromm Chair in International and Comparative Law at UC College of the Law, San Francisco, will join the faculty. Currently the Director of Legislative Initiatives at NYU Law’s Policing Project and a former public defender, Professor Nila Bala will join the faculty to teach evidence and other courses.
Faculty Recognition
UC Davis Law faculty figured prominently at last week’s annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in San Diego. Participants included Senior Associate Dean Afra Afsharipour and Professors Karrigan Börk, Andrea Chandrasekher, Eric Fish, Courtney Joslin, Donna Shestowsky and Brian Soucek. Professor Shestowsky is incoming chair of the executive committee for the Section on Alternative Dispute Resolution. Associate Dean Afsharipour (Comparative Law) and Professors Soucek (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity), Raquel Aldana (International Human Rights), Carlton Larson (Legal History, Law and the Humanities) and Mary Ziegler (Legal History) serve on executive committees of AALS sections. I chaired the Deans Forum committee that planned a full day of programming for law deans, spoke on two panels at the conference, and was honored to receive the inaugural Michael A. Olivas Award for Outstanding Leadership in Diversity and Mentoring in the Legal Academy.
Faculty books published in 2022 or forthcoming: Professor Courtney Joslin, Social Parenthood in Comparative Perspective (NYU Press) and Sexuality, Gender & the Law (Foundation Press); Professor Leticia Saucedo, Race, Gender and Contemporary International Labor Migration Regimes: 21st Century Coolies? (Edward Elgar); Professor Aaron Tang, Maybe in Error, But Never in Doubt: How Overconfidence Broke the Supreme Court--And How We Can Fix It (Yale University Press); Professor Mary Ziegler, Dollars for Life: The Anti-Abortion Movement and the Fall of the Republican Establishment (Yale University Press), Reproduction and the Constitution (Routledge), ROE: The History of a National Obsession (Yale), and Research Handbook on International Abortion Law (Edward Elgar).
September’s “After the Decision: The Fall of Roe v. Wade and What Comes Next” panel discussion with Professors Katherine Florey, Elizabeth Joh, Courtney Joslin, Aaron Tang and Mary Ziegler drew an audience of more than 300 people. On March 24, Professor Ziegler will lead a King Hall conference on reproductive rights with scholars and state lawmakers. Professors Florey, Joh, Joslin, Tang, Ziegler, Lisa Ikemoto and Carlton Larson have helped lead the national commentary following Roe’s overruling. Faculty also commented for the New York Times, Washington Post and other top outlets on a wide variety of legal issues, from Elon Musk and Twitter to police robots, and more. Be sure to check out UC Davis Law’s podcast, Justice Defined, which offers in-depth interviews with King Hall faculty.
Professor Peter Lee was elected to the American Law Institute, joining 22 current or emeriti UC Davis Law faculty in the prestigious law reform organization.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The law school’s emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion continues to draw national attention. PreLaw Magazine ranks UC Davis No. 3 in the nation, No. 1 in California, on its “Top Schools for Racial Justice” list. A study of women’s historical representation in law schools ranks Davis No. 1 for students, No. 3 for faculty.
In September, leading scholars from across the nation gathered at King Hall for the second annual Workshop for AAPI and MENA Women in the Legal Academy. Senior Associate Dean Afra Afsharipour and Professor Lisa Ikemoto served on the planning committee.
Our Racial Justice Speaker Series included talks in the fall by ACLU President and NYU Law Professor Deborah Archer (Barrett Lecture); UC Davis Law Professor Leticia Saucedo; Rutgers Interim Dean (and former UC Davis Law Professor) Rose Cuison-Villazor; and Duke Law Professor Veronica Martinez. The Spring schedule includes: Feb. 1: UCLA Professor and Thomas E. Lifka Chair in History Kelly Lytle Hernández; March 1: UC Davis Sociology Professor Bruce Haynes; March 15: University of Pennsylvania Professor Serena Mayeri (Bodenheimer Lecture); March 22: Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund President and General Counsel Thomas Saenz; and April 19: Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Interim President and CEO Wade Henderson.
On Monday, January 16, King Hall will host the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and Celebration. Please join us in a blood drive, fundraising for a local school, and a naturalization workshop co-sponsored by the Immigration Law Clinic and UC Immigrant Legal Services Center. Lunch will be provided. RSVP for the MLK Day service here.
Vibrant Intellectual Life
After cracking the top 20 in the Washington & Lee national law review rankings, the UC Davis Law Review held the successful symposium “The ‘E’ in ESG.” Thanks to faculty advisor Professor Al Lin and senior symposium editors Natasha Kang and Casey Loosbrock for leading the organization of the symposium. Besides Professor Lin, Senior Associate Dean Afra Afsharipour and Professors Amelia Miazad and Menesh Patel participated in the discussion.
Directed by Professor Peter Lee, the new Center for Innovation, Law, and Society kicks off its programs with a January 30 faculty discussion. October’s “Clean Water Act at 50” conference highlighted the California Environmental Law & Policy Center’s fall calendar. The California International Law Center hosted talks in the fall by Liliana Ferrer, Consul General of Mexico in Sacramento, and Congressman John Garamendi. The Aoki Center for Critical Race & Nation Studies, among many other lectures and activities, held its annual critical perspectives on the first year curriculum in the fall. The series will continue in the spring.
Exams and Registration
Congratulations, Class of 2025, on completing your first semester! Thank you to our law faculty, Senior Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Emily Scivoletto, Registrar Rebekah Grodsky and Assistant Dean of IT and Faculty Support Steven Schwarz and their teams for a smooth exam period and spring registration.
Curriculum Additions
Innovative new courses include Art and Cultural Heritage Law; Biodiversity Law; Business in Society; Critical Perspectives on Equal Protection; Taxation of Business Entities; Voir Dire Skills; Transactional Lawyering Skills and Contract Drafting for Tech. Thanks to Senior Associate Dean Afra Afsharipour, who helped make these offerings available.
Alumni Achievements
Thanks to U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba and Superior Court Judge Lawrence Brown ’89 for delivering the oaths to the class of 2022 bar passers at our December Swearing-In Ceremony. UC Davis Law’s 82% bar passage rate was seven points higher than the state average for ABA-approved law schools.
Congratulations to just-sworn-in Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria ’11 (D-Fresno), and re-elected Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher ’07 (R-Yuba City), and to newly appointed Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Stephen Lau ’02. Judge Shama Mesiwala ’98 was elevated to the California Court of Appeal (Third District). On February 22, the law school will celebrate Sister Simone Campbell ’77, recent Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, upon her visit to the campus.
Health and Wellness
As we start the new semester, masks and regular COVID-19 testing remain encouraged.
Resources and people are available for support and assistance, including the UC Davis student health and counseling center. Information on campus health and safety protocols is available here.