UC Irvine Law Students and Recent Graduates Earn Prestigious Public Interest Fellowships | | |
Five recent graduates have been selected for competitive post-graduate fellowships advancing housing rights, immigrant justice, civil liberties, employment law, and education equity — and three current students were awarded coveted summer fellowships in workers' rights — a testament to the school's enduring commitment to public service. Pictured L-R, top-bottom: Ava Ahlstrand, Hatchly Galindo Moreno, Samir Hafez, Olivia Mazzucato, Ahmad Shanaa, Elaine Chen, Melissa Inda, and Samir Venkatesh.
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Prof. Jane Stoever testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement on May 14. In the hearing, Prof. Stoever, who directs the UCI Initiative to End Family Violence and the Law School's Domestic Violence Clinic, underscored that immigrant domestic violence survivors must be able to safely access legal protection, police response, and community resources without fear of deportation.
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Global Program News: UC Irvine Law Appointed Maryam Meechka Zomorodian (’20) Executive Director of Global Programs
Maryam Meechka Zomorodian (’20) has been appointed the Executive Director of Global Programs, leading the Law School’s LL.M. Degree Program in American Law. Zomorodian succeeds Khary Hornsby, who was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in Lisbon, Portugal.
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Student News: Rising 3L Ray Zeng Won International Moot Court Championship, Earned Best Oralist Honors
Rising 3L Ray Zeng and teammate Han Pang (George Washington University Law School) won the championship at Legal Challenge IX, an international moot court competition focused on legal issues in the global games industry. Their team also earned the award for Best Memorandum for Claimant, while Zeng received the competition’s individual Best Oralist honor. As champions, Zeng, Pang and their team's mentor Tracey Tang (AnJie Broad Law Firm) were invited to attend Games Industry Law Summit XI in Berlin, Germany. Pictured (left-right): Ray Zeng, Han Pang, and Tracey Tang at the conference in Berlin.
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Accolades: UC Irvine Law's Tina Schindler Recognized with the Guiding Light Award by the Association of Academic Support Educators
Tina Schindler, Associate Director of Academic Skills, was honored with the 2026 Guiding Light Award from the Association of Academic Support Educators (AASE). Presented on May 20 at AASE’s annual conference in Las Vegas, the award recognized Schindler's exceptional mentorship, leadership, and contributions to law school academic and bar exam support.
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Clinic News: Community and Economic Development Clinic Helped Salinas Farmworker Community Purchase Their Mobile Home Park
Students in the Community and Economic Development Clinic assisted residents of Alisal Country Estates in acquiring their 82-lot mobile home park for $12 million, securing affordable housing and resident ownership for a predominantly Spanish-speaking farmworker community in Salinas, California. Pictured: CED Clinic team during a trip to Salinas to meet with the client.
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UC Irvine Libraries: Celebrating Pride Month
Explore a comprehensive list that contains access to books, films, music, research and news articles. Most material is open to the public and all are free to UC Irvine students, staff and faculty.
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Clinic News: Ninth Circuit Appellate Litigation Clinic Teams Argued Three Appeals Before Ninth Circuit Panels
Three teams from the Law School's Ninth Circuit Appellate Litigation Clinic recently briefed and argued appeals before Ninth Circuit panels, including 2026 graduates Victor Bao and Carlos Fairbanks in Medrano v. Acosta (supervised by clinic co-director Peter Afrasiabi), Meng Diao and Nicholas O'Rilley in Edmiston v. Pickens (supervised by Michael Seplow), and Nicholas Liu and Solon Tan in Buenrostro Rodriguez v. Blanche (supervised by clinic co-director Kathryn Davis).
Watch the oral arguments
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Center News: Korematsu Center and Immigrant & Racial Justice Solidarity Clinic Filed Amicus Brief in First Amendment Case Challenging Removal of Race and Gender Educational Materials in K-12 Schools
UC Irvine Law's Korematsu Center and Immigrant & Racial Justice Solidarity Clinic filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit urging the court to uphold a preliminary injunction against the Department of Defense Education Activity's removal of books and curricula on race, gender, and sexuality from K-12 schools serving military families. The brief, filed on behalf of Vet Voice Foundation and co-authored by clinic students, argues DoDEA's enforcement of Trump administration executive orders constitutes unconstitutional censorship that undermines military readiness and harms students.
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Faculty News: Dean Parrish Strengthens Ties with Legal Community in Korea and Taiwan
Dean Austen Parrish recently traveled to South Korea and Taipei, Taiwan, strengthening UC Irvine Law's global partnerships through engagements at the Judicial Research Training Institute, Seoul National University, Korea University (pictured right), and Soochow University School of Law. The visit built on the historic collaborative agreement between the Association of American Law Schools and the Association of Korean Law Schools, with Dean Parrish representing AALS at its first-ever international symposium focused on legal education and public interest.
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Faculty Roundup: Pathbreaking Scholarship and Intellectual Community
Read this month's compilation of UC Irvine Law faculty's groundbreaking work, including recent scholarship, conferences and influential leadership.
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Program News: Register for UC Irvine's New In-House Counsel Certificate Program, From Lawyer to Leader: Road to the GC Seat
Registration is open for UC Irvine Law and the Division of Continuing Education's new in-house counsel program launching in August. The 12-week online certificate program is designed for junior and mid-level law firm attorneys seeking in-house positions, and in-house attorneys seeking to advance into senior in-house leadership roles. Through live sessions and expert instruction from seasoned general counsel and corporate executives across industries, participants will build the strategic, managerial, and business skills needed to compete for — and succeed in — the general counsel seat. An application for California MCLE credit is pending approval.
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Prof. Robert S. Chang was quoted in The Guardian article, "Federal jury finds army veteran and two other ICE protesters guilty of conspiracy." READ
Prof. Veena Dubal's delivery of the Gruber Distinguished Lecture in Global Justice was highlighted by Yale Law School. READ
Prof. Omri Marian was quoted in the Bloomberg Law article, "Crypto Lawsuits Seek to Shape Tax Treatment of Newly Made Tokens." READ*
Prof. Carrie Menkel-Meadow's co-produced play "Ascent" was featured in a Spectrum News TV piece and article. WATCH
Dean Austen Parrish was quoted and highlighted in Law.com* and the ABA Journal article, "88 law school deans unite to support professional independence," regarding the Principles for the Independence of the Legal Profession. READ
Prof. Susan Seager was quoted in The Daily Journal article, "Court bars LAPD undercover officers' claims over photo release." READ*
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Prof. Katie Tinto was quoted in the USA Today article, "Crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried asks for pardon from Trump." READ
Prof. Ari Waldman was quoted in the Los Angeles Times article, "Disney accused of misusing facial recognition technology." READ*
Immigrant & Racial Justice Solidarity Clinic, with co-counsel in Vasquez Perdomo v. Mullin, filed a motion for preliminary injunction to stop the government's illegal and ongoing practice of warrantless arrests. READ
The Honorable Alison J. Nathan’s commencement address to the UC Irvine Law Class of 2026 was featured in the Law.com article, "What Federal Judges Told Law Grads at Commencements This Year." READ*
DignityInInk, an Instagram site of comics about justice, highlighted the story of Juan Rayford and DuPress Glass and honored the work of Annee Della Donna and the UC Irvine Law students who fought to overturn their wrongful conviction and bring them home. READ
*Requires subscription
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Faculty News: Dean Austen Parrish Featured in Episode of The Legal Department Podcast
Dean Austen Parrish joined host Stacy Bratcher, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Cottage Health, for a conversation about pivoting from a career in Big Law to academia. In the episode, they also discussed UC Irvine Law's upcoming certificate program, From Lawyer to Leader: The Road to the General Counsel Seat, launching August 2026.
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Ari Yampolsky '12 was ranked in Band 1 for Whistleblower Representation by Chambers and Partners.
Ginger Grimes '15 was recognized as an honoree in the "Lawyers on the Fast Track" category in the 2026 California Legal Awards and and was named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 X - The Next Generation list.
Laura Lively '17 started a new position as counsel at Cohen Williams LLP.
Disha Shenoy LL.M. '21 started a new position as an associate corporate counsel with AHEAD, Inc.
Christopher Steinke '21 started a new position as an attorney with Everett Dorey LLP.
Caleb Chin '22 started a new position as a labor and employment attorney at Snell & Wilmer.
Ian Mayr Tax LL.M. '23 started a new position as a tax associate at Polsinelli.
Jake Hermansen '24 started a new position as an investment funds associate at Kirkland & Ellis.
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Alumni, please join the UC Irvine Law Alumni LinkedIn private group! Launched by the Law Alumni Association Board & Council, this space is exclusively for UC Irvine School of Law graduates. Members can stay connected with fellow alumni, expand their professional networks, share and celebrate career updates and milestones, and keep up with alumni news and events.
Register here to join the conversation!
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UCI Law in NYC News: The Summer Program is in Full Swing
Led by Prof. Joshua Blank, UCI Law in NYC has kicked off its seventh year of immersive educational and cultural programming. Pictured (left-right): Edgar Wang '22, rising 3L Justin Choo, and Prof. Blank explore exhibits at The Frick Collection.
Learn about UCI Law in NYC
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>> June 28 | 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | UCI Law in NYC | Tour of the High Line
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>> July 7 | 3:30-5:00 p.m. | 16th Annual Supreme Court Term in Review
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>> July 12 | 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | UCI Law in NYC | NY Historical Society: Democracy Matters
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>> August 29 | Save the date! This year's alumni reunion will celebrate the classes of 2016 and 2021
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