Life as Dean (2008-24)

This week, the Aoki Center on Critical Race and Nation Studies hosted Professor Richard Kim of the Asian American Studies Department at UC Davis. Professor Kim discussed the case of a Korean immigrant wrongfully convicted of murder and later exonerated.  It was based in part on the book Without Justice: The Prison Memoirs of Chol Soo Lee (2017).

Professor Kim talked about how political activism brought attention to the Chol Soo Lee case and helped secure his exoneration.

Students experienced a treat in hearing an expert about the case.  

King Hall's LSA President Jason Wong shared the information below about reestablishing the chapter of the Native American Law Student Association at King Hall:

The new Renewable Energy Law Society student group held its first event this week. Alum and adjunct professor John McKinsey '99 moderated the discussion.

Panelists included:

On March 31, we honor legendary farm labor organizer and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, whose mission parallels UC Davis Law’s own.

Leader of the United Farm Workers union, Chavez died in 1993 after spending decades trying to better the lives of exploited, endangered agricultural workers. Chavez’s influence is all around us – in the Yolo County farm fields where Chavez improved working conditions; at the state Capitol, destination of the famous 1966 march from Delano and its smaller but passionate reprise last year, and in our law school’s programs and people.

As anyone understands, the global pandemic has greatly complicated legal education and the practice of law.  As a law school dean, I can attest to the fact that just keeping law schools operating over the last two years has been no easy feat.  As the pandemic shows nascent signs of subsiding, law schools still face roughly the same challenges that existed before the shutdown of U.S. society in 2020.  One of the most formidable challenges no doubt will continue to be legal education’s pursuit of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This week, the Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies offered the discussion "Rediscovering Mexico: Stories and Experiences with Advance Parole." Certain  noncitizens with uncertain immigration status can leave the United States and return through what is known as parole.  

There are exciting events coming up in April for our First Generation Advocates program. This initiative promotes diversity and maximizes the academic, professional, and personal success of students who are the first from their families to earn a college or professional degree as well as students from low-income backgrounds.

Thursday, April 6  |  First-Gen Alumni Panel  |  3-4 p.m. in room 1301

The School of Law hosted a full house for the Immigration and Farm Labor conference on Friday, March 17.

Organized by Agricultural and Resource Economics Professor Emeritus Phil Martin, the conference examined immigration and farm labor issues in California and U.S. agriculture.

Professor Martin and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean Helene Dillard provided the welcome. I spoke at the conference about immigration reform possibilities in Congress.

It was an informative day.

As the academic year winds down, there is a flurry of energy and activity at UC Davis School of Law.

We had a fantastic time playing in the King Hall Legal Foundation’s 14th Steve Boutin Invitational Golf Tournament on a marvelous, sunny Friday at Wildhorse Golf Club in Davis.

I played on a team with my college friend, Leo O'Farrell, Professor Irene Joe and UC Davis Law men’s head basketball coach Jim Les. We had a record-breaking round. Professor Joe had two amazing putts in the 30-foot range! 

The annual Lorenzo Patiño Banquet organized by the Latinx Law Students Association was again a stunning success. 

With us to celebrate on Saturday at the beautiful Tsakopoulos Library Galleria in Sacramento were Chancellor Gary May and his wife, LeShelle, as well as Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan.

Each year, the celebration of graduates is a wonderful gathering of students, faculty, staff, friends and family.  

The Aoki Center & HSI speaker series wrapped up for the year on Tuesday with an important talk by UC Davis Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Diversity and Professor Luis Carvajal-Carmona, “Advancing Cancer Health Equity Through Community-Focused Research.”

It was a busy lunch hour at King Hall on Tuesday. The Latinx Law Students Association, as part of its culture week, held a panel of LaLSA alums to talk about law school and potential careers.

Thank you to Jessica Martinez ‘19, Magaly Zagal ’18 and Kendra Rivas ’21 for taking the time to share your experiences with current students.

On Monday, the Latinx Law Students Association held the first of its culture week events.

The speaker, Edher Zamudio, was introduced by LaLSA president Leslie De La Torre ’24. Zamudio is an academic services professional and committed community activist.  An immigrant from Peru, he talked about his immigration experience.