UCI Law Students Shine at 2023 Moot Court Competition Finals
Congratulations to all our 2023 Moot Court Competition participants, board and judges! At the oral argument finals, Kelsey Sutton (2L) won best oralist and Shannon Eagen (2L) was awarded runner-up best oralist. Thank you to our sponsor, Buchalter, and our wonderful Ninth Circuit panel of judges: Hon. Susan Graber, Hon. Morgan Christen and Hon. Roopali Desai.

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UCI Law ranked No. 22 in Law.com's Go-To Law School Hiring Report, which recognizes the top 50 law schools that sent the highest percentage of 2022 J.D.s into associate jobs at the nation’s largest 100 law firms.
Congratulations to UCI Law's Class of 2022! For our J.D. students, 90 percent are employed in jobs that require bar passage, prefer a J.D., or pursuing an advanced degree, within 10 months of graduation.

Our faculty are leading scholars and teachers in the nation, addressing the most important issues of our time. The 2023 Celebration of Books honored 19 books authored, co-authored, edited, or co-edited by UCI Law faculty.

Last week, UCI Law held the second annual EDI week with daily events designed to foster growth, learning and inclusivity for all of us. The events included an alumni panel presentation about EDI, student affinity group presentations on microagressions, alumni discussions on inclusivity and the importance of universal access, and OutLaw hosted a "Dress to Transgress" panel on various challenges to professionalism in the legal career.

On March 31, we hosted the MLK/César Chávez Teach-In for Justice event which included discussions of efforts by community organizers and activists to address racism and inequality in the U.S., as well as the future of legal movements, civil rights, human rights and the rule of law.


The University of California, Irvine has opened the new UCI Labor Center. The Center's mission is to provide timely and policy-relevant labor research, educate the next generation of labor and community leaders and advance labor and workers’ rights initiatives.

The Criminal Justice Clinic secured the release of its client, Don Cunningham, who had been serving a sentence of 277 years to life.

Since starting this work in 2019, this is the 16th successful case for the Criminal Justice Clinic's compassionate release and excessive sentences project.

With the help of UCI Law alumni, 18 UCI Law students traveled to Louisiana, Mississippi and Montana to provide pro bono legal services at a variety of locations, including the Louisiana Public Defender's Office, Disability Rights Mississippi, Mississippi Center for Justice, and the prosecutor's office in Billings, Montana.

Dean Parrish took UCI Law on the road to New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles over the past two months to connect with members of the UCI Law community and celebrate their successes.

UCI Law welcomed the future UCI Law class of 2026 to campus March 24-25. Our admitted students had the opportunity to meet alumni, representatives from student organizations, faculty and staff, and hear about the broad variety of opportunities available at UCI Law.

Co-sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA) at UCI Law and the UCI Law Korea Law Center, the discussion illuminated the different historical, institutional and cultural factors that have influenced the evolution of policing in the two countries.

Introducing "Coffee with the Dean," a new video series featuring Dean Austen Parish discussing the law school journey with UCI Law students. In the first episode, 2L Omar Rizk shares insights about his professors, classes, clinical experience and pro bono work.
Celebrating Earth Month!
Q&A with Nathan Wong, 2L

Nathan Wong is a second-year law student from Temple City, CA, and enjoys hosting dinner parties, thrift flipping, and surfing. At UCI Law, he is vice-chair for the Environmental Law Society, a Research Assistant for Professor Joseph DiMento, a member of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, a top 16 competitor in this year’s Moot Court Competition and one of UCI Law’s Environmental Scholars. This summer he will be working with Earthjustice in their San Francisco office.
Q: Why did you choose UCI Law?
I chose UCI law because of its reputation as an innovative, young law school and its emphasis on experiential learning, especially in public interest work. I wanted to go to law school to be an effective advocate for marginalized communities. Now, within my two years here, I’ve been able to work directly with clients to prepare asylum declarations, assist with research in the fight for clean air, and interview policymakers to develop solutions to advance fair housing and reduce transportation emissions. I’m excited to continue building upon these skills and experiences as I enter my third year.

Q: What’s your favorite class?
Aside from clinic, my favorite class so far has been Criminal Procedure with Professor Ji Seon Song. She does a great job of bringing light and enthusiasm to an often-heavy subject. I also enjoyed learning more about the law with the additional context of America’s history of policing and challenging the assumptions that shaped our 4th, 5th and 6th amendment jurisprudence.

Q: How has your experience been in the Environmental Law Clinic?
Being in the Environmental Law Clinic has really broadened my perspective on what it means to be an environmental lawyer. In my previous experiences, I thought that the field primarily revolved around working with communities, agencies, and environmental statutes. However, this semester, we’re using consumer law to hold companies accountable for greenwashing and to push for meaningful change in the way they address their climate impact. While learning how to conduct my own fact research, develop a theory of the case from scratch, and draft a complaint has its ups and downs, Professor Michael Robinson-Dorn has been helpful in guiding us through the process and talking through dense legal issues that we encounter. It has been really rewarding to think creatively about how to use other laws to solve environmental problems.

Q: What's your proudest accomplishment so far at UCI Law and what do you hope to accomplish in the future?
My proudest accomplishment so far was being honored as an Environmental Scholar. As the first person of color to receive the award, I’m proud to use the lessons I’ve learned so far and help mentor other 1Ls who are interested in pursuing environmental law. In the future, I hope to continue building a more diverse community within the Environmental Law Society and the legal profession broadly. After law school, I hope to work in environmental justice litigation and advance policies to help remedy disproportionate harm to minority and low-income communities.
Prof. Swethaa Ballakrishnen's article was published among The Texas A&M festschrift honoring Prof. Menkel-Meadow. READ

Prof. Mehrsa Baradaran commented in Yahoo News on the recent bank collapses hitting home for Black-owned banks as Republicans blame "woke" culture. READ

Prof. Alejandro Camacho spoke at the Lewis & Clark Law School 2023 Environmental Law Symposium on April 7. READ

Prof. Michele Goodwin reacted to a Texas judge appearing open to ordering a stop to the use of an FDA approved abortion pill on MSNBC's American Voices. WATCH

Prof. Dalié Jiménez talked to Business Insider about the student-loan lender SoFi filing a lawsuit to end the student-loan payment pause. READ

Prof. David Kaye was quoted in the International Bar Association on policies for hate speech and misinformation on big tech platforms. READ

Prof. Elizabeth Loftus was featured in the German publication Dossier in its cover story "Memory Deceives." READ

Prof. Rachel Moran spoke at the International Legal Ethics Symposium in Tokyo on March 11 and presented “From E-Commerce to Digital Courts: Emerging Ethical Challenges for the American Legal Profession.” READ

Prof. Carrie Menkel-Meadow's festschrift honoring the legacy of her work has been published by the Texas A&M Law Review, including her article, "Choices: The Many Routes to Justice and Peace with Dispute Resolution, Ethics, and Feminism." On May 10, Prof. Menkel-Meadow will give a presentation at the American Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Section Spring Conference, on the history of "A" dispute resolution. READ

Prof. Susan Seager commented in the Los Angeles Times article, "L.A. sues journalist, activist group to claw back photos of undercover officers." READ

Prof. Bob Solomon was quoted in CalMatters concerning a California program to fix mobile home parks. READ

Prof. Katie Tinto spoke at the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class Symposium on March 31 about decarceration and the role of law school clinics. READ

Kelly L. Galligan '15 co-authored an article in the Orange County Lawyer April 2023 Issue.

Nefi Acosta '16 was promoted to Sr. Product & Privacy Counsel at Strava.

Laura Lively '17 wrote an article for UCI News reflecting on her legal career path.

Jiaxiao Zhang '17 made Partner at Kirkland & Ellis. She will also be presenting at an April 12 UCI event titled, "5 Things Every Engineer/Programmer Should Know About Patents" hosted by UCI's Engineering Alumni Society and Anteaters in Law.

James Y. Kim '21 graduated from the Naval Justice School and is now certified by the Federal Government to practice law in courts martial.
April 10 » CLEAR | Sahar Aziz
  • The UCI Center on Law, Equality and Race welcomes Professor Sahar Aziz to discuss The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom. Comments by Professors Mario Barnes and Rachel Moran. Discussion moderated by Professor Dana Lee. (Details)
April 12 » UCI Graduate Tax Program Info Session - April 12, 2023 @ 12 p.m. (PST)
  • Featuring Prof. Victor Fleischer and Executive Director, Natascha Fastabend, this session will discuss innovative curriculum, commitment to students' success, on-campus tax interview program, tax practice mentorship program, and practical tax skills and employment placement. (Details)
April 17 » Fifth Annual UCI Law - Taylor Nelson Amitrano LLP Tax Symposium
  • The theme this year is Taxation of Crypto-Assets. The one-day virtual symposium will be attended by tax industry professionals, government officials and academic researches from all over the world. Approved for 5.25-hours of Continuing Legal Education Credit. (Details)
May 6 » UCI Law 2023 Commencement
  • We are excited to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2023 Class of UCI Law at the Commencement Ceremony taking place at the Bren Events Center. There will be a reception serving lite refreshments directly following the ceremony on the Ticket Terrace. (Details)

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