On November 13, Dean Chemerinsky
argued before the Supreme Court
in
Comcast v. National Association of African American-Owned Media
. At issue: the legal standard for evaluating federal racial discrimination claims in contracting. Making his seventh argument in the Supreme Court, Chemerinsky represented Entertainment Studios Network, owned by African-American entrepreneur and entertainer Byron Allen, which asserts that racial bias fueled Comcast’s decision not to carry seven of the network’s lifestyle cable channels in violation of the 1866 Civil Rights Act (42 USC Section 1981). Pictured left with Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, on the steps of the Supreme Court following oral arguments.
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A pioneering scholar in the study of violent crime for half a century,
Professor Franklin Zimring has won the Stockholm Prize in Criminology
, the field’s top international honor. Zimring shares the award, compared to the Nobel Prize, with Duke University economist Philip Cook, who earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. "Their influence has guided an entire generation of gun injury scholarship, strengthening the evidence for governments to take more effective action against the massive suffering caused by guns,” said the awards committee.
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Grayce Zelphin '11 recently returned to Berkeley Law, as director of judicial clerkships. Grayce previously practiced as a litigator at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and then at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. She also clerked with federal judges Consuelo B. Marshall of the Central District of California and Ann Claire Williams of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Bar Admission Ceremony
On December 12, Berkeley Law celebrated over 75 alumni who recently passed the California Bar exam at our annual California State Bar Admission Ceremony. Presiding over the swearing-in ceremony was the Honorable Jon B. Streeter '81, Associate Justice of the California Courts of Appeal, 1st District, who administered the state oath. The Honorable Claudia Wilken '75, Senior District Judge of the United States District Court, Northern District of California, administered the federal oath. Dean Chemerinsky and Karen Boyd '96, president of the Berkeley Law Alumni Association, both offered congratulatory remarks. Congratulations to our newly admitted alumni on this milestone achievement!
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Shakespeare Trial: The Shylock Appeal
On Sunday, February 16, join us for a unique live-action legal drama in which Dean Chemerinsky and UC Irvine Law Dean Song Richardson will serve as opposing counsel in a mock trial based on Shakespeare’s
The Merchant of Venice.
Professional actors from the New Swan Shakespeare Festival’s production of
The Merchant of Venice
will bring the drama to life and the audience will serve as the jury.
The performance begins at noon, doors open at 11:30am. Tickets will sell out, get yours now!
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JAN 9: Los Angeles Alumni Chapter Recent Alumni Happy Hour
—
RSVP
FEB 11: Silicon Valley Alumni Chapter Event with Dean Chemerinsky
—
RSVP
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Support legal training, be a volunteer judge!
Over the course of each year, Berkeley Law's Advocacy Competitions Program organizes four internal competitions focused on transactional skills, appellate practice, or trial advocacy. Additionally, this year the law school is hosting a number of prestigious national trial competitions.
We need you to help make them happen!
If you are interested in volunteering to be a judge for any of the competitions below, please contact Competitions Coordinator Barbara Karvelot at
bkarvelot@law.berkeley.edu
.
If you are interested in sponsoring a competition, please contact Competitions Director Sarah Wright-Schreiberg at
sws@law.berkeley.edu
.
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Upcoming Competitions:
JAN 30-FEB 2:
National Trial Competition, Regionals — National, litigation/trial attorneys needed.
FEB 10-13:
Halloum Negotiations Competition — Internal, Berkeley Law 1Ls engage in business negotiations, transactional/corporate attorney judges needed.
FEB 21-23:
National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition — National, brief judges and oral argument judges needed.
Click here to learn more
.
MAR 3-5 and 10-12:
McBaine Moot Court Competition — Internal, 2/3Ls engage in appellate advocacy, federal judges needed.
MAR 18, 19, 30
:
Bales Trial Competition — Internal, 1L trial advocacy, litigation/trial attorneys needed.
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Name:
Neil Chamaki '22
From:
San Jose, CA
Why do you want to become an attorney?
I became really interested in being an attorney after working on the M&A team at Oracle and doing corporate finance at Serena & Lily. I went on to form a MedTech artificial intelligence company, Enabyl A.I., where I am CFO and a co-founder. Our goal is to make our precise fall prediction technology easily accessible for Parkinson's and ALS patients. I fell in love with the process of forming a startup and working closely with outside counsel to patent our technology and pitch to venture capitalists. I plan on working as a startup and venture capital attorney and one day start my own venture capital firm.
Why are you excited to be a Berkeley Center for Law and Business scholar?
I've worked incredibly hard as the founder of a non-profit, Assyrian Advisors, that helps underprivileged Middle Eastern youth with academic and career consulting. It's an honor to be a part of a scholarship program that recognizes students who care deeply about giving minority youth an equal opportunity to succeed.
Fun fact?
I love boxing. It's the best thing for relieving stress.
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GIVING IMPACT
Berkeley Law truly appreciates all of the philanthropic support it receives from its alumni, friends, faculty and staff, and the broader community. We strive to recognize each and every donor in the annual
Giving Impact Report
according to their preferences. The following names were omitted from or listed incorrectly in the 2019 publication. We are grateful to our donors for bringing this to our attention so that we can recognize their generosity and correct our records.
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Edwin A. Burgos '91 & Su Fei Koo
Kenneth '67 & Lori Goldman
Anne S. Hilleary '88
Albert H. Kramer '67
Lynn Marie McLean '86
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Norman '65 & Margrit Oberstein
George H. Wright (Ph.D.) '85
Marc A. Zeppetello '85
Kirsten Zerger '77 & Sanford Nathan
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Stay connected to your Berkeley Law community!
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Keep up with the latest news, events, and updates from Berkeley Law
via our social channels
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