Life as Dean (2008-24)

Today the UC Davis Business Law Journal annual symposium took place at King Hall. It focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for attorneys in a variety of industries.

Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor Afra Afsharipour gave the welcome remarks and then attendees had the opportunity to listen to panels regarding AI and legal ethics, STEM, copyright, and more. It was great to learn about this cutting edge technology! 

I had the privilege of hearing Professor and Co-director of the Immigration Law Clinic, Holly Cooper, talk about Lucas R. v. Becerra, an unprecedented immigrant rights case. The case contested the federal government’s unconstitutional treatment of children in immigration custody. The UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic and Professor Cooper helped litigate the case to reach a successful outcome. 

Bill Mantle '74 sent me the picture above as he attended a UC Davis/Cal Poly basketball game over the weekend. Go Aggies!

Last week, I had the pleasure of presenting a paper at the UC Law Journal's Spring 2024 Symposium co-hosted by the Center on Race, Immigration, Citizenship, and Equality (RICE) at the University of California Law San Francisco.

A great group of UC Davis School of Law faithful joined me for lunch at the plush offices of Covington & Burling LLP in Palo Alto. Janet Stone Herman '84 graciously hosted the event. We had a stupendous group of alums there! I was able to tell the alums about the great first-year class, the amazing achievements of our faculty, incredible placement numbers for our students, and much more.  

King Hall alum Bill Mantle ’74 sent over this photo of the UC Davis Men's Basketball team playing against UC Santa Barbara. It was a great win for UC Davis. Go Aggies! 

The UC Davis women's basketball team had a huge 82-62 win over UC Santa Barbara on Thursday night. It was nice to see Black Futures Month highlighted on the scoreboard. Go Aggies!

Be sure to save the date for the 42nd Annual Lorenzo Patiño Banquet hosted by the UC Davis Latinx Law Students Association.  

This week, the Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies concluded its Critical Race Perspectives Program on the 1L Curriculum. Professor Aaron Tang spoke on Constitutional Law and the interpretation of the Constitution through historical analysis. It was a fascinating discussion. Students got quite a treat. Thanks, Professor Tang!

UC Davis School of Law Professors Brian Soucek and Raquel Aldana will participate in a UC Davis Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) workshop titled “Dialogues Across Difference" on March 5 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Student Community Center. Register today!

Save the date for the fifth annual Black Law Students Association Banquet at Our Place in Sacramento! The banquet is a celebration for graduating 3Ls and brings everyone together in honor of Black History Month. 

The event is on Feb. 23 from 6 to 10:30 p.m. There will be a dinner, drinks, lively dancing, a stole ceremony, and other exciting activities.

 Purchase your ticket today!

Last weekend, the Planning and Conservation League (PCL) held its 2024 California Environmental Assembly at UC Davis School of Law. The theme for the assembly was Life Beyond 1.5 Degrees: Hard Truths and Solutions. The PCL strongly believes we are falling short of enacting measures that will curb the climate crisis fast enough to avoid catastrophic impacts. 

On Thursday, January 24, I had the pleasure of catching up with some of our King Hall alums at the Orange County Alumni Lunch. We enjoyed a lovely meal at Avila's El Ranchito in Costa Mesa and reconnected with one another over laughs and great conversations.

 The first signs of spring at the Davis Arboretum! 

This week I received a warm 50th birthday invitation to celebrate King Hall alum Luis Alejo '01. On Thursday, Feb. 22, he is having a birthday fundraiser celebration in Salinas. He currently serves as chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and represents District 1, which includes most of the city of Salinas.

It's so great to see our alums doing great work! I am looking forward to celebrating him and all that he has accomplished.