UC Berkeley Law Alumni Newsletter, Inter Alia, November 2025

Inter Alia | Alumni Newsletter | November 2025

Our Community

Professor Colleen V. Chien ’02 (center) with students in her Law and Governance of Artificial Intelligence course — the backbone of the LL.M. certificate program — including Otilia Phiri LL.M. ’25 (first row, third from left), Graham H. Ryan LL.M. ’25 (back row, third from right), and Janina Winz LL.M. ’25 (second row, just behind Chien).

As Innovative LL.M. Certificate in AI Law and Regulation Expands, Alums Describe ‘Incredible Experience'

Berkeley Law’s groundbreaking AI program for Master of Laws (LL.M.) executive track students is expanding — and drawing rave reviews from its first participants. The program’s first crop of graduates are already making an impact, advising tech firms, governments, and nongovernmental organizations on responsible AI policy. Read more>>

What's New?

Growth Factor: Vincent Joralemon ’24 Returns to Lead Surging Life Sciences Law & Policy Center

Joralemon is leading the program he once participated in, which spiked a research interest in a new generation of treatments based on psychedelics. Read more>>

‘Berkeley Made Doing This A Possibility’: Reidun Stromsheim ’82 Gives $1 Million to the Law School in Unrestricted Funds

Stromsheim, whose meandering path from nursing in Norway to law in Berkeley led to a successful career as a bankruptcy attorney, also gave $500,000 to the university’s Goldman School of Public Policy. Read more>>

Navajo Nation Supreme Court Visit and Inaugural Roundtable Give Students Prime Insights Into Tribal Law

Hosted by the Center for Indigenous Law and Justice, the events illuminated the role of Native nations’ sovereignty within America’s legal system and fostered appreciation for tribal rights to self-determination. Read more>>

A Collective Improvisation: Professor Christopher Kutz Explores Publics in Action in New Book

Drawing on his training as a philosopher, his experiences living in the United States and France, and on his nearly three decades as a faculty member at a public university, Kutz uses the analogy of musical improvisation to describe the way collective actions take shape. Read more>>

Alumni Events

Happy Hour in Austin, Texas

Thursday, November 13. 5:30 pm CT, Austin, TX. Join Shaina Palmer ’14 and fellow Berkeley Law alumni for an informal happy hour at Shaina’s home in Austin. Wine, soft drinks, and snacks will be served. Register here>>

Silicon Valley Alumni Chapter Dish & Donuts Hike

Saturday, November 15. 7:30 am PT, Palo Alto. Join Berkeley Law’s Silicon Valley Alumni Chapter for an easy-to-moderate 3.5-mile hike in the hills above the Stanford campus to The Dish. Many thanks to Karen Boyd ’96 and Josh Lipp ’92 for organizing and to Karen and Mary Keating ’84 for hosting us for coffee and donuts at the hike’s end. Register here>>

Honolulu Alumni Reception with Dean Chemerinsky

Thursday, December 4. 5:00 pm HST, Honolulu, HI. Join the dean for our annual networking event hosted by Terry O'Toole '71 and Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher. Register here>>

CA State Bar Swearing-in Ceremony

Tuesday, December 9. 4:30 pm PT, Berkeley, CA

Graduates who pass the California Bar Exam are invited to take the attorney's oath together on campus. Register here>>

LA Alumni Chapter Downtown Happy Hour

Tuesday, December 9. 5:00 pm PT, Los Angeles. Join our LA alumni community for a holiday happy hour downtown at Angel City Brewery. With gratitude to Noah Ickowitz ’17 for organizing this event. Register here>>

SF Alumni Chapter Happy Hour at High Horse

Tuesday, December 9, 6:00 pm PT, San Francisco. Join us in SF's Financial District for a happy hour and networking. A generous alumnus will be covering the first round of drinks. Register here>>

Media Highlights

Judiciary Panel Debates AI, Deepfakes as Shutdown Continues

Andrea Roth, a professor at University of California, Berkeley Law, who proposed some changes to the committee, warned that the use of the words “simple” and “scientific” could “create mischief and unnecessary litigation.” She also said the proposed phrase “machine-learning” was “both under and over inclusive,” as it may omit complex algorithms that merit scrutiny. Read more>>

Opinion: The Constitution is Clear When it Comes to Trump’s Tariffs

“The two tariff cases before the Supreme Court this week should thus be easy ones, including for the conservative justices,” writes Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. “But will they follow the law and their traditional approaches to it, or are they just a rubber stamp for Team Trump?” Read more>>

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

Lifelong Learning

UC Berkeley Law Executive Education provides our alumni with cutting-edge, flexible content and MCLE-accredited certificates, all at a discount. As the legal and business landscapes evolve, Berkeley Law is your career-long partner for staying ahead.

Commercial Contract Fundamentals

Master the New Complexities in Contracts

From AI-driven diligence to evolving IP carveouts, the “boilerplate” is anything but standard anymore. This self-paced certificate course is designed for practicing attorneys to sharpen their edge. It’s an efficient, MCLE-eligible way to master the modern clauses and negotiation tactics that open the door to more lucrative and complex corporate work. Sharpen Your Contracts Expertise>>

GC University

Lead Your Organization at the Strategic Level

Whether you are currently a General Counsel, aspiring to the C-suite, or a key outside advisor, this program is for you. We’ve moved beyond legal fundamentals to focus on the GC’s strategic role in M&A, crisis management, IPOs, and even behavioral science. Join a community of peers and learn the framework for becoming a true strategic partner to the business. Cohort 3 registration is now open. View the GCU Curriculum>>

Connect

LinkedIn Alumni Group

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

Make a 1x Gift

Make a Monthly Gift