January 2022
Faculty Members Earn AALS Honors
Blake Emerson, Laura E. Gómez, and Aaron Littman received section awards at the 2022 meeting of the Association of American Law Schools. Gómez, who holds the Rachel F. Moran Endowed Chair in Law, earned the Clyde Ferguson Award from the section on minority groups. Her award recognizes a professor who has achieved excellence in public service, teaching, and scholarship. Emerson, an assistant professor of law, was recognized with an Emerging Scholar Award from the administrative law section. Littman, a Binder Clinical Teaching Fellow, was honored with the Criminal Justice Junior Scholar Award from the criminal justice section. The honorees join UCLA Law Distinguished Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, whose Triennial Award for Lifetime Service to Legal Education and to the Law was announced last year.
Mnookin Co-Writes Book on January 6
Fourteen law deans have collaborated to create the new book Beyond Imagination? The January 6 Insurrection, which examines that event “from a legal perspective, in hopes of moving the nation forward towards healing and a recommitment to the rule of law and the Constitution.” UCLA Law Dean Jennifer L. Mnookin, an authority on the law of evidence, contributed the chapter “Reflections on the Post-2020 Election Challenges: On the Critical Importance of Good Faith and Evidence,” asking what it means to bring good faith to engagement with the law and the legal system.
Emmett Institute Welcomes Nichols
Mary Nichols, one of the country’s foremost environmental attorneys, has joined the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment as distinguished counsel. Nichols will support the institute’s mission to create and advance legal and policy solutions to climate change and other environmental challenges and to train the next generation of leaders. "Mary is an environmental hero of the first rank," says Professor William Boyd, faculty co-director of the Emmett Institute. "We are fortunate to have her join us in what is clearly a make-or-break moment for the climate."
Trial Team Dominates Fall Season
With wins in five national trial advocacy competitions, UCLA Law’s A. Barry Cappello Trial Team finished 2021 with its most successful fall season ever. The squad is ranked No. 1 in the country and was the only one to prevail in more than one tournament, leading some to say that it accomplished the most dominant fall in the history of law school trial advocacy competitions.
Inlender Joins Immigration Center
Talia Inlender, one of the nation's leading immigration lawyers and an expert on the rights of people held by immigration authorities, has joined the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) as its inaugural deputy director. In 13 years at Public Counsel, she defended incarcerated immigrants and served as supervising senior staff attorney with the Immigrants' Rights Project. Her work at UCLA Law includes teaching the Immigrants' Rights Policy Clinic with Distinguished Professor Hiroshi Motomura, CILP's faculty co-director.
CRS Program Welcomes New Staff
UCLA Law's Critical Race Studies program added two key staff members this month. Taifha Alexander (pictured, left) is the Project Director for CRS's new initiative tracking attacks on Critical Race Theory and anti-racist education, training, and research, and Alicia Hawkins (pictured, right) has joined the program as its inaugural Communications Specialist. Alexander, who holds a LL.M. degree from UCLA Law, has previously worked in UCLA's Graduate Division as well as at Wofford College. Hawkins joins the law school from previous stints in filmmaking and digital storytelling at Temple University and Muckleshoot Tribal College.
In Memoriam: David J. Epstein '64
Long before he gave back to UCLA School of Law in a historic act of generosity that led to the naming of the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy in his honor, this distinguished member of the Class of 1964 stood out for his excellence in service, practice, philanthropy, and engagement. “David was passionate about making sure that ordinary people got their due and that corporations and institutions treated them with dignity and fairness,” says UCLA Law Dean Jennifer L. Mnookin.
In Memoriam:
Judith Welch Wegner '76
The first woman to serve as dean of the University of North Carolina School of Law and a former president of the Association of American Law Schools, Wegner died on December 3.
Alumni on the Move
- Fred Slaughter ’99 is nominated to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
- Jason Pu ’99 is appointed HUD regional administrator for Region 9 by President Biden.
- Magdalena Reyes Bordeaux ’97 is sworn in as a bankruptcy judge in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
- Ann McMillan ’84 is named president of the law firm of Caplin & Drysdale.
- Andrew Brunsden ’07 becomes deputy commissioner for legal affairs and general counsel at the New York City Department of Investigation.
- Lorena Gonzalez ’98 joins the California Labor Federation as its head.
- Jeff Diener ’01 joins BakerHostetler as a partner.
- Jennifer Grock ’06 joins Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo as partner.
- Kamran Mirrafati ’04 rejoins Seyfarth Shaw as partner.
- Bernard Resser ’79 joins Barton as a partner.
- Molly Madden ’11 is elevated to partner at Sklar Kirsh.
- Jesse Levin ’09 becomes partner at Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro.
- Christopher Pasich ’14 is elevated to partner at Pasich LLP.
- Jessamyn Vedro ’11 is promoted to partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
- Katie Viggiani ’09 is made partner at Morrison Foerster.
- Leslie Ryland ’89 is elevated to principal at Schaffer Family Law Group.
- Jack Schaedel ’95 joins Jackson Lewis as principal.
- Minh Merchant ’98 joins Aspira Women’s Health as general counsel and corporate secretary.
- Michele Martell ’87 is named licensing and legal counsel of entertainment studio Mighty Coconut.
- Shawn Westrick ’04 becomes in-house counsel for crypto company Stakefish.
- Robbie Hurwitz ’05 is hired as the general counsel of the hypersonic transportation startup Hermeus.
- Julie Goldstein ’05 is named president of the Bucks County Bar Association in Pennsylvania.
- Cindy Villanueva ’10 is elected vice president of Los Abogados in Arizona.
- John De La Merced ’14 is promoted to senior counsel at Stubbs Alderton & Markiles.
- Daniel Dingerson ’04 is elevated to counsel at Davis+Gilbert.
- Lee Kaplan ’16 joins Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson as an associate.
Visit our alumni website to read the latest news and submit your update.
Join Us for These Events!
Terrific events are always happening at UCLA Law. You are invited!
February 3 — More than Private Prisons: The Role of Privatization in The Prison Industry
February 3 & 4 — Promise Institute: Emerging Issues in International Criminal Law
February 10 — Lowell Milken Institute-Sandler Prize for New Entrepreneurs Spring Meetup
February 11 — The Rooney Rule Revisited: Considerations for Today's Corporations
February 26 — Promise Institute Annual Symposium
March 29 — JOLT and ITLP Career Day
April 13 — U. Serve L.A. 2022
September 30 — UCLA Law Women LEAD Summit 2022
Reunion 2022 is coming this Fall! Stay tuned for details or contact hamm@law.ucla.edu for additional information.
Visit the UCLA Law events page for more events and information.
Kimberlé Crenshaw writes an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times on Martin Luther King and critical race theory. Jon Michaels writes a Washington Post opinion piece on the impact of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Texas abortion law. Joanna Schwartz pens an opinion piece in USA Today on qualified immunity for police. Lara Stemple writes in Slate on Ghislaine Maxwell and female sexual predation. Máximo Langer co-writes an article in the Washington Post on universal jurisdiction. Hiroshi Motomura appears on NPR’s “All Things Considered” to discuss noncitizens’ voting rights. Kimberlé Crenshaw is featured in a Washington Post Magazine Q&A on critical race theory. Jon Michaels co-authors an essay in Time on the economic and labor impact of a Roe v. Wade reversal. Carole Goldberg is quoted in the Tulsa World on the Supreme Court and tribal lands. Lindsay Wiley is quoted in Time on President Biden's vaccine mandates at the Supreme Court. Lynn LoPucki is quoted by Indiana Public Broadcasting on discharging USA Gymnastics from bankruptcy. Alex Wang is cited in an article by Voice of the People on U.S.-China cooperation on climate change. Scott Cummings’ research on L.A. sidewalk vendors is cited in a Los Angeles Times editorial. Doug Lichtman talks to Insider about a legal battle between Nike and Adidas. Adam Winkler speaks with the San Francisco Chronicle about California’s large-capacity gun magazine ban. Diana Winters talks to the Wall Street Journal about the regulation of salad dressing. Diane Birnholz comments on the Elizabeth Holmes verdict in Buzzfeed News. Steven Bank appears on the GOAL News “All of US” podcast to talk about labor negotiations and equal pay in women’s soccer. James Salzman talks to the BBC about cutting-edge conservation actions. Kal Raustiala appears on Cheddar News to discuss the Miramax-Quentin Tarantino dispute over Pulp Fiction NFTs.
One More Thing: UCLA Law Magazine
Have you seen the newest UCLA Law magazine? In it, you can hear from the incoming president and director-counsel of the NAACP LDF, Janai Nelson '96, and meet three of our amazing Achievement Fellowship scholars. You can discover our latest innovations in experiential education or catch up with your favorite professors, classmates, and programs. It's all in there!
Like, share, repeat.
Follow us and keep up with everything at UCLA Law.
