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Inter Alia | Alumni Newsletter | March 2023

Pathbreaking Groundwater Research by Center for Law, Energy & the Environment Team Goes National

California’s tremendous thirst for water poses a grave challenge to its future, from an everyday perspective and in the longer battle of combating climate change — and is a bellwether for the rest of America and the world. At Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), protecting existing resources while exploring innovative solutions for the future is a key component of its larger mission. Read more>>

Alameda County’s First Black DA, Pamela Price ’82, Details Her Path to Making History — and Change  

She aims to reduce gun violence and mass incarceration while rooting out racial, socioeconomic, and gender disparities within the county’s criminal legal system. Read more>>

From Prison to Promise: 1L Steven Hensley Describes His Unique Road to Berkeley Law

Overcoming incarceration, homelessness, and hunger, Hensley has made the most of a California State University program that helps people reintegrate into the education system. Read more>>

A Fulfilling Fellowship on Many Levels for the Law School’s Asian and Pacific Islander Community

Holding its annual gala Feb. 24, the Dale Minami ’71 Public Interest Fellowship connects API alumni, honors deserving graduates, provides financial support to deserving lawyers, and more.

Read more>>

Annual Advocacy Competition Offers Finalists Chance to Argue Before Elite Panel of Judges

The final round of the McBaine Honors Moot Court Competition — a jewel in an increasingly loaded crown of advocacy competitions — is March 20. Read more>>

Big Thanks for Big Give 2023!

A heartfelt thank you to our amazing alumni community for making Big Give 2023 a terrific success. On March 9, UC Berkeley's one-day annual fundraising campaign raised more than $511,000 for the law school to help us recruit talented students from all financial backgrounds, retain top faculty, fuel our vital training programs, and more. Berkeley Law had 629 donors — our highest total in five years and 25.5% more than last year — and finished No. 7 in both number of donors and funds raised among all participating campus schools and departments. Thank you for your wonderful support!

Voting, Race, and Religion: Is the U.S. Supreme Court a Threat to Democracy?

Several Berkeley Law professors weigh in on the Court’s role and the potential implications of some of its recent decisions. Read more>>

Alumni/Admitted Students Events - Help Recruit the Class of 2026!

Help us recruit the best and the brightest to Berkeley Law. Join us at the events below to meet admitted students and share your experiences and insights.

March 20: Philadelphia

March 21: Atlanta

March 21: Chicago

March 23: San Diego

March 28: Washington, D.C.

March 29: New York City

March 30: Los Angeles

April 4: San Francisco

April 13: Seattle

Save the Date! April 11: Boston

San Francisco Alumni Chapter Happy Hour

Thursday, April 6, 5:30 - 8:00 pm. Hosted by the SF alumni chapter, you are invited to a happy hour in the downstairs space at High Horse, 582 Washington Street, San Francisco. Register now >>

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>>

Save the Date! 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 early summer. We’d like your feedback regarding the program. Please take a few moments to complete this survey>> Email reunion@law.berkeley.edu with questions. We can’t wait to celebrate with you this fall!

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.

Volunteer Judges Needed for 2023 Bales Trial Competition

The Bales Trial Competition – Berkeley Law’s internal trial competition for 1Ls — is looking for trial attorneys and judges to serve as volunteer judges. The competition is an introductory-level tournament focused on criminal law. It is designed to introduce first-year students to trial advocacy. Preliminary rounds will be held in person on the evenings of March 21 and 22 and April 3 and 4. If you can join us for one of these rounds, please complete the registration form>>

Leadership in the Legal Profession

Apply Now | Launches April 11 | Live, Interactive Online Executive Course

Leadership in the Legal Profession is a business school-style course designed to help legal professionals lead in complex systems, engage with interpersonal intelligence, navigate uncertainty, and drive innovation. Participants meet online in small, selective cohorts to explore leadership with an expert facilitator. Take your leadership skills to the next level and advance your career. Learn more and apply>>

Sustainable Capitalism & ESG

Next Cohort Launches April 17 | Self-paced Online Executive Course

Our popular online executive 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

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

The General Counsel Institute is once again Going Beyond Legal. 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 — and are impacted by — in-house legal professionals. Learn more and register>>

Executive Summer Courses

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

Berkeley Law Executive Education offers lawyers the opportunity to 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 professional track summer semester from mid-May through mid-August. Learn more and apply>>