UC Berkeley Law Alumni Newsletter, Inter Alia, January 2026

Alumni Newsletter | January 2026

(Clockwise from top left) Assistant Professor Ryan Sakoda, Professors Bertrall Ross, Joy Milligan Ph.D. ’18, and Kevin Washburn, Assistant Professor Jason Ferguson, Professor Brian Galle, and Clinical Professor Alina Ball are the latest in a transformational hiring wave. Illustrations by Ivan Canu

Reflecting on 2025: Looking Back at Memorable Stories From a Remarkable Year at Berkeley Law

Across the legal landscape, the school’s commitment to excellence, community, public mission, and leadership — as well as its entrepreneurial spirit and determined pursuit of justice — was on full display. Read more

Faculty, Staff, and 3L Student Honored at Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting

The New Orleans gathering brought laurels for Field Placement Program Director Sue Schechter, Clinical Professor and Environmental Law Clinic Director Claudia Polsky ’96, Instructional & Educational Technology Librarian Kristie Chamorro, 3L Virginia Frausto-Elizarraraz, and the late Professor Philip Frickey. Read more

For Whom the Bells Toll: 3L Simone Browne Finds Harmony Balancing Music With International Law

An accomplished performer who has toured worldwide, Browne serves as UC Berkeley’s interim carillonist — playing regular recitals, managing, and teaching in the Campanile studio while pursuing an international law career. Read more

'Voices Carry’: California Constitution Center Leader David A. Carrillo Takes the Helm of California Legal History

Carrillo, who runs the nonpartisan academic research center devoted to studying the state’s constitution and Supreme Court, has just become editor-in-chief of the book-length annual scholarly volume published by the California Supreme Court Historical Society and joined the society’s board of directors. Read more

Alumni Events

Virtual CLE - Pregnancy Criminalization with Mridula Raman

Thursday, January 29, 12:00 pm PT. Mridula Raman, deputy director of the Death Penalty Clinic at Berkeley Law, will discuss the fundamentals of pregnancy criminalization, the pre-Dobbs landscape, and recent developments in abortion criminalization. Register here

Public Interest Career Mixer

Wednesday, February 25. The Clinical Program is partnering with the Career Development Office to host a mixer for students planning to launch public interest, public service, and social justice careers. We would love for alumni currently working in public interest roles to join us and share your experiences with students. If you’d like to participate, sign up here.

Alumni Reunion Weekend 2026

Dates for Alumni Reunion Weekend 2026 will be announced in February. Please contact reunion@law.berkeley.edu with any questions.

Save the Dates - Admitted Student and Alumni Receptions

Registration opens in mid-February (all event times are 6-8 pm). Please contact alumni@law.berkeley.edu with any questions.

Washington, D.C.: March 24

New York City: March 25

Los Angeles: March 26

San Francisco: March 31

IABA Annual Reunion 2026

Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27. The IABA (International Association of Berkeley Law Alumni in Europe) Annual Reunion will take place in Venice, Italy, in September. Registration and more information will be announced soon. Please contact alumni@law.berkeley.edu with any questions.

Volunteer

Berkeley Law Alumni Admissions Outreach Volunteers Needed

We are seeking J.D. alumni, particularly those who graduated between 2015 and 2025, to help us with student recruitment so that we continue to enroll the most qualified and diverse class of 1L students. Graduates who are interested in volunteering, please contact Veronica Alexander at valexander@law.berkeley.edu

Media Highlights

Opinion: Bush v. Gore in Retrospect

“What, if any, is the lasting legacy of Bush v. Gore, which was decided 25 years ago, on Dec. 12, 2000?,” writes Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. “It is a case that never has been cited in a majority opinion and thus seems to matter little in the law. Rather, the decision’s largest significance may be from the widespread perception that the justices were simply motivated by their own partisan preferences as to who should be the next president.” Read more

Trump Orders ‘Blockade’ of Sanctioned Oil Tankers Leaving, Entering Venezuela

American presidents have broad discretion to deploy U.S. forces abroad, but Trump’s asserted blockade marks a new test of presidential authority, said international law scholar Elena Chachko of UC Berkeley Law School. Read more

Visit the Media Highlights and News pages to view recent headlines and happenings, and read the latest issue of Berkeley Law's Transcript magazine.

Lifelong Learning

Berkeley Law Executive Education provides our alumni community with cutting-edge content, tangible value like MCLE-accredited certificate programs, and the opportunity to learn from the best. Alumni always receive a discount on all programs.

Commercial Contract Fundamentals

Modernize your transactional toolkit

Start 2026 by opening the door to more lucrative and complex corporate work! Master why limitation of liability provisions break down (and the carveouts that fix them); how to negotiate intellectual property clauses without torpedoing the deal; the questions to ask during due diligence that reveal deal-killers early; assignment and change-in-control provisions that protect your interests; and how AI is changing commercial contracts and what you need in every agreement now. New course access starts on January 19. Sharpen Your Contracts Expertise

GenAI for the Legal Profession: Power User Edition

Stop prompting. Start leading.

New for 2026! Our Generative AI for the Legal Profession course has been refreshed on the premise that sustainable advantage comes not from the tools you have, but from the habits you form. You will learn the human-in-the-loop workflow: critically assessing output quality, navigating hallucinations, and leveraging AI results to amplify your own strategic thinking. By moving from prompting to active, iterative conversation, you will learn to extract value even when AI falters, and to maximize its impact when it succeeds. New course access starts in February. Make AI Your Super Power

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LinkedIn Alumni Group

If you'd like to continue networking with Berkeley Law alumni, please join our private alumni group on LinkedIn.

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