UC Davis Law to Host Olivas Writing Institute

UC Davis School of Law will hold the Third Annual Michael A. Olivas Writing Institute on June 20-21, 2024 at Martin Luther King Jr. Hall. Twenty legal scholars, ranging from recent law graduates and junior faculty, will convene to receive input on their recent scholarship from a supportive intellectual community. The workshop seeks to grow the new pipeline of law professors and advance the scholarly endeavors of young law faculty who bring diverse experiences and perspectives into the classroom and to their research. 

The late Professor Michael Olivas dedicated his career to diversifying the legal academy by supporting and mentoring faculty of color. Honoring his legacy, the Michael A. Olivas Writing Institute provides a venue for giving constructive feedback on drafts of scholarship of junior legal scholars. 

Kevin R. Johnson - Dean, Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law, Professor of Chicana/o Studies, and Co-Director of UC Davis Law's Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies - will provide welcome remarks to kick off the event on June 20, followed by a reception and dinner at King Hall. In 2023, Dean Johnson received the Association of American Law Schools’ inaugural Michael A. Olivas Award for Outstanding Leadership in Diversity and Mentoring in the Legal Academy.

On Friday, June 21, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies, Raquel Aldana, and University of Hawai’i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law Assistant Professor, Emile Loza de Siles, will deliver keynote addresses in the morning. Later that day, participating scholars will present draft papers during hybrid in-person and virtual format concurrent sessions. Each presenter will receive feedback from commentators and participants. 

Funding for the Third Annual Olivas Writing Institute comes from the Mabie/Apallas Public Interest Chair. The institute is co-sponsored by the UC Davis Law Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies. The organizing committee members include:  

Raquel Aldana (UC Davis Law) 
Stella Emery Santana (FIU Law) 
Jonathan Harris (Loyola Law School) 
Kevin R. Johnson (UC Davis Law) 
Ediberto Román (FIU Law) 

More information can be found here.