Berkeley Law Alumni Newsletter, Inter Alia, April 2023

Inter Alia | Alumni Newsletter | April 2023

Our Community

Spring Into the New Issue of Berkeley Law's Magazine

The latest issue of Transcript, our biannual magazine, has been mailed to alumni and friends. To get a sense of today's Berkeley Law and its remarkable community, you can read the digital version with interactive elements or the magazine PDF. The main feature spreads describe our Death Penalty Clinic’s profound impact on clients and students for over 20 years, and the influence of our exceptional junior faculty. In between them, a dynamic photo essay celebrates our graduates' bar exam success, student life, 1L small mods, and our Brains of Berkeley Law series on Instagram. Other articles highlight amazing students and alums; new programs, courses, and research center leaders; huge faculty honors; and more. We're grateful to everyone who shared their stories, and for being able to showcase their inspiring work.

What's New?

3L Spencer Perry Unpacks His Long Journey in the Legal Fight for Marriage Equality

Perry assesses the Respect for Marriage Act, and how his family’s experience with the marriage equality issue fueled his interest in Berkeley Law and career aspirations. Read more>>

Berkeley Law Obtains Gift for New Chair, Annual Conference Focused on Constitutional Interpretation

The legacy donation from Tom Clark ’72 will create the Thomas David and Judith Swope Clark Chair in Constitutional Law. Read more>>

State Service: David A. Carrillo ’95 Discusses Chairing the California Law Revision Commission

The executive director of Berkeley Law’s California Constitution Center leads the agency that studies problem areas in state law and proposes reforms, over 90% of which become law. Read more>>

From Tort Law to Cheating, What Is ChatGPT’s Future in Higher Education?

As Berkeley Law Professor Chris Hoofnagle summed up the task for his class: Try to “beat it.” Read more>>

Shakespeare Trial 2023: A Witches' Brew

Sunday, April 30, 1:00 pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley. You are the jury in this interactive trial based on Shakespeare's classic tragedy, "Macbeth," featuring Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Professor Bernadette Meyler (Stanford Law). The facts will be brought to life by actors from UC Irvine’s New Swan Shakespeare Festival. Advance tickets: $20; tickets at the door: $22 (plus fees). This event will also be streamed live. Contact: Nancy Donovan, ndonovan@berkeley.edu. Register here>>

Alumni Events

Ecology Law Quarterly Banquet

Thursday, April 27, 6:00 pm. Join the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment and the students of Ecology Law Quarterly (ELQ) for an unforgettable evening at the ELQ Banquet. This year State Senator Nancy Skinner will be honored for her exceptional leadership on environmental issues. Come and network with fellow alumni, support our amazing students, and celebrate the accomplishments of a true environmental champion! Register here>>

Silicon Valley Chapter Wildflower Hike - Save the Date

Thursday, May 4. More details coming soon.

Berkeley Law Silicon Valley: Urban Debate League Event

Saturday, May 20, 10 am-12 pm. The Berkeley Law Silicon Valley alumni chapter, the Silicon Valley Urban Debate League (SVUDL), and SVUDL Board member Prof. Mark Lemley '91 invite you to participate in a morning of coaching and training low-income high school students as they prepare for their upcoming moot court competition. Register here>>

IABA Annual Reunion

June 9 to June 11. The IABA (International Association of Berkeley Law Alumni in Europe) Annual Reunion will take place in Italy, in Stresa, on Lake Maggiore. Information Packet for 2023 IABA Reunion Weekend>> Registration Form>>

Los Angeles Alumni Chapter Happy Hour - Save the Date

Thursday, June 8. The Los Angeles chapter is also currently planning a hike to be held in August. More details coming soon.

Virtual Supreme Court 2022-23 Term in Review with Dean Chemerinsky

Thursday, July 20, 12:00-1:00 pm PT. Dean Chemerinsky will provide a virtual analysis of the current term's most important decisions via Zoom Webinar. Register here>>

Alumni Reunion 2023, September 22-23

This fall we are looking forward to gathering with alumni of all class years in Berkeley. Event registration and program details are expected in summer. We’d like your feedback regarding the program. Please take a few moments to complete the survey>> Email reunion@law.berkeley.edu with questions. We can’t wait to celebrate with you this fall!

Volunteer Opportunities

Alumni Volunteer Mentors Needed For Early Interview Week/On-Campus Interview Prep

We are looking for 150 volunteers to mentor rising 2L students this summer, as they prepare for Early Interview Week in August. The time commitment is one 30-minute conversation in June and a second 30-minute conversation in late July. Interested? Please contact Erin Dineen at edineen@law.berkeley.edu.

Media Highlights

Opinion: No One, Including a Former President, is Above the Law

“The indictment of a former president of the United States is unprecedented,” writes Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. “But Donald Trump is unprecedented. There is much to be worried about in setting a precedent for the criminal prosecution of a former president. But it would be much worse to conclude that anyone, including the president, is above the law.” Read more>>

Copyrights Are Murky for Laws Referring to Outside Safety Codes

Berkeley Law Professor Erik Stallman '03 noted that Judge Gregory Katsas seemed to want to bifurcate the standards into different groups: Incorporated standards that impose a clear legal duty are more likely to be fair use, while those that are just explanatory may fall on the side of stronger copyright protection. Read more>>

‘No Reward for Loyalty’: Gig Companies Winning Fight to Classify Drivers as Independent

“No question there are a lot of minimum labor law standards in California, and I understand why employers find them onerous to comply with, not to mention expensive,” said Berkeley Law professor Catherine Fisk '86, who wrote a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of a group of California labor and employment law professors opposed to Prop. 22. Read more>>

Visit the Media Highlights and News pages to view recent headlines and happenings.

Online Enrichment Programs

Free webinars on hot topics in business, law, and civil justice. Learn more and subscribe>>

Sustainable Capitalism & ESG

Launches next week on April 17 | Self-paced Online Executive Course

Our popular course demonstrates how to integrate environmental, social, and governance considerations into business strategy through a combination of focused lectures and case studies, curated readings, in-depth interviews with business leaders, and optional weekly discussions and networking forums. Learn more and register>>

General Counsel Institute: Going Beyond Legal

Next Week - April 18, 19 & 20 | 8:30 am - 12:30 pm PT | Live Virtual Program

$90 Alumni rate is available for the full program pass. This multi-day, virtual program for in-house attorneys will bring together a wide range of executives from the C-suite and beyond to discuss how they work with in-house legal professionals. Learn more and register>>

Executive Summer Courses

Quarter 1 Starts May 16 | Live Classes On-campus & Online

Lawyers can participate in single courses in the areas of business law, technology, international and comparative law, and bar subjects, or a package of courses culminating in a certificate. Courses are three weeks in length and run during the LL.M. executive track summer semester from mid-May through mid-August. Learn more and apply>>

Corporate Finance Fundamentals

Cohort Launches June 12 | Self-paced Online Executive Course

Learn how to apply financial information analysis and corporate valuation in a variety of corporate settings and throughout the legal practice. Learn more and register>>

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