We are delighted to introduce UCI Law's 2024 Law Alumni Association Board. Pictured (top left to bottom right) are LAA's new officers:

🔹 President Eric Fanchiang ('17), Counsel at Crowell & Moring
🔹 First Vice President Anne Marie Nicholson ('21), Associate at Haynes and Boone
🔹 Second Vice President Christopher Lawrence ('21), Associate at Sheppard Mullin
🔹 New Alumni Officer Isabella Ordorica ('22), Associate at Crowell & Moring
🔹 LL.M. Officer Merve Kaner ('22), Associate at Demler Armstrong & Rowland
🔹 Secretary Kari Ferver ('21), Associate at Crowell & Moring


UCI Law and Korea University School of Law (KU Law) will collaborate on a slate of new partnership initiatives, including a new LL.M. scholarship opportunity for eligible KU Law alumni. The partnership will include new faculty research initiatives, a new externship program for students, and a continued commitment to hosting visiting professors and visiting scholars. The plans were reached following KU Law Dean Hwang Lee's recent visit to UCI Law.

UCI Law's first-time bar pass rate for the July 2023 California Bar Exam was 87 percent. The pass rate placed the Law School at No. 3 among California ABA accredited schools, above UC Berkeley (86 percent), USC (80 percent), and UC Davis (82 percent). Only UCLA (at 88 percent) and Stanford (at 94 percent) were higher.

UCI Law's first-time pass rate also placed the Law School higher than many out-of-state schools, including BU (72 percent), Columbia (86 percent), Duke (81 percent), Emory (69 percent), Georgetown (77 percent), GWU (60 percent), and Northwestern (83 percent), among others.

The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) House of Representatives voted in advance of the AALS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., to accept the nomination of Dean Parrish to serve as 2024 President-elect, effective January 6, 2024. As President-elect, Dean Parrish will serve on the AALS Executive Committee, the Officer’s Council, and the Dean’s Steering Committee.

In addition to Dean Parrish's induction as President-elect, several members of the UCI Law faculty and staff hold leadership positions, and were featured speakers, moderators and presenters at the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) 2024 Annual Meeting, in Washington, D.C., January 3-6, 2024. The theme of the conference was “Defending Democracy.”

Prof. Dalié Jiménez is the lead principal investigator on a project that was awarded $200,000 by the California Collaborative for Pandemic Recovery and Readiness Research (CPR3). Jiménez is also a co-principal investigator on a team that received $150,000 from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Christina Zabat-Fran ('12), a graduate of the inaugural J.D. class at UCI Law, was profiled in Orange County Lawyer Magazine's January 2024 cover story on her new role as the 2024 Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) President. She is the first graduate of UCI Law to serve in this important role.

For years, attorneys Annee Della Donna and Eric Dubin have guided UCI Law pro bono students as part of Innocence OC, providing critical pro bono representation to wrongfully convicted individuals who are either factually innocent or who have been wrongfully convicted under the kill zone theory.


Dean Austen Parrish, faculty and staff kicked off our UCI Law On the Road tour in Washington, D.C., hosting an evening reception that brought together alumni and Anteaters in Law. We were so thrilled to reconnect and celebrate the accomplishments of our East Coast alumni. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this exciting journey — with our next stop in San Francisco.


UCI Law faculty are top scholars, educators and active leaders in a vast array of fields. Read the latest about UCI Law's faculty, including recent scholarship, conferences and influential leadership across the world.
Q&A with Eric Fanchiang, UCI Law Class of 2017 and 2024 LAA President

Eric is counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Orange County office and is a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Group. His practice focuses primarily on antitrust litigation for both defendants and plaintiffs and on government investigations. He has experience across a broad range of industries, including technology, transportation, and digital media. Eric represents his clients on a wide range of antitrust issues, including standard setting, trade association policies, misuse of patents and trade secrets, and price fixing.
Q: How did UCI Law prepare you for your legal practice?
At my firm, we know that UCI Law produces students that are ready to practice. I think this is for two reasons. The first is Lawyering Skills. The way UCI teaches Lawyering Skills is definitely applicable to practice. The second is UCI Law’s emphasis on pro bono. No class can give you the actual experience of working with a client and working on real legal problems the way pro bono can.

Q: What do you like best about your work?
I love how challenging and intellectually stimulating it is. Antitrust law changes frequently and encompasses so many different issues. We have to keep up with economics, politics, and the law, all at the same time. 

Q: What was the best part about being a student at UCI Law?
My favorite thing about being a student at UCI Law was how open and welcoming my professors were. When I was in undergrad, most of my classes were big lecture hall style courses, so it was a shock to me coming to UCI Law and getting to know my professors so well. 

Q: How do you stay involved with the UCI Law community?
I’ve been on the LAA governing council since I graduated. It’s a really great way to stay connected with the school and a great way to feel like you’re giving back. It’s a relatively low time commitment, but very rewarding! Anyone who is interested should definitely consider running for a seat. 
Prof. Swethaa Ballakrishnen's article "Law School as Straight Space" and AALS Annual Meeting session on obstacles to gender equality in the legal academy were highlighted in Law.com. READ

Prof. Alex Camacho wrote an op-ed in The Hill and commented in a Center for Progressive Reform video commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. READ

Prof. Veena Dubal commented in Marketplace on the impact ride-hailing and delivery apps have had on the conversation around who counts as an independent contractor. READ

Prof. Dalié Jiménez, director of the Student Loan Law Initiative (SLLI) commented in Marketplace, USA Today and Inside Higher Ed on student debt developments. LISTEN

Prof. David Kaye was quoted in The Washington Post on allegations that the Indian government targeted Apple over its phone hacking notifications. READ
Prof. Jack I. Lerner commented in The Economist on the use of rap lyrics as trial evidence, including in the rapper Young Thug's ongoing RICO trial. READ

Prof. Omri Marian commented in Cointelegraph on the implications of new crypto tax reporting obligations. READ

Prof. Susan E. Seager commented in Los Angeles Press on a lawsuit filed by Press Freedom Project client Knock LA to obtain internal investigatory files from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. READ

UCI Law was ranked No. 1 for Asian students, No. 9 for Hispanic students, and No. 25 for Black students in preLaw magazine's Winter 2024 issue. The issue also highlighted the UCI Law and UCI School of Humanities 3+3 Program.  READ
Lauren Davis '12 was recognized as a Top 10 Civil Rights Trial Lawyer and Top 40 Under 40 Lawyer by National Trial Lawyers, following successful briefing and argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Jenny Hua '13 became Partner at Snell & Wilmer.

Christina Zabat-Fran '12 will be inducted as the 2024 President of the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) on January 18. She will be the first UCI Law alumna to serve in this role, the first Filipino-American president and the second Asian-American president in the bar's history.

Chris Lawrence '21 was recognized with a 2023 Bob Gerber Pro Bono Award from Sheppard Mullin.

January 12 » CLSC | Socio-Legal Studies Workshop: Jordan Grasso - They Haven’t Been Sued Yet: Hooked by Capitalism and Caught in Legal Netting
  • Jordan Grasso, Ph.D. Candidate at UCI School of Social Ecology, will present: “They Haven’t Been Sued Yet: Hooked by Capitalism and Caught in Legal Netting.” (Details)
January 15 » Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observance
January 19 » CLSC | Socio-Legal Studies Workshop: Swethaa Ballakrishnen - QueEr-CRT
  • Swethaa Ballakrishnen, Professor of Law at UCI Law, will present: “QueEr-CRT: The underlying interconnections between CRT and Queer Theory for empirical sociolegal scholars.” (Details)
January 20 » Martin Luther King Jr. Teach-in & Training Event
  • UCI Law is excited to bring together a community of justice-minded individuals for an in-person opportunity to learn and discuss current issues in public interest law. More details and announcement of speakers to come. (Details)
January 24 » Will AI Take My Law Job: Tips For Success In This Brave New World
  • Featuring speakers: Carrie Hempel (Moderator), UCI Law Clinical Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Community and Economic Development Clinic; Lily Li, Founder of Metaverse Law; Pratik Shah, Founder of Esquiretek, Associate Director of Litigation at Panish; Arjun Sivakumar, Litigation Partner at Brown Rudnick, OCBA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. (Details)
January 26 » CLSC | Socio-Legal Studies Workshop: Diego Rochow - Punishment and Criminal Procedure in Chile
  • Diego Rochow, Ph.D. Candidate at UCI School of Social Ecology, will present: “Detention in Flagrance, Legal Technicalities, and Punitiveness: Punishment and Criminal Procedure in Chile.” (Details)
January 29 » Battle of the Deans: Trivia Night!
  • What initially started as a friendly competition during trivia night between our UCI Engineering Alumni Society & the UCI Anteaters in Law Alumni Chapter has turned into an all out battle! Dean Egerstedt of UCI Samueli School of Engineering & Dean Parrish of UCI School of Law are turning up the intensity at our first ever Battle of The Deans: Trivia Night. Secure your spot now to witness this epic event and participate in the trivia yourself! (Details)
February 1 » UCI Law On The Road with Dean Parrish: San Francisco (Details)
February 2 » CLSC | Socio-Legal Studies Workshop: Sayid Bnefsi - Infliction of Precarity
  • Sayid Bnefsi, Ph.D./J.D. Candidate at UCI School of Humanities and UCI Law, will present: “Infliction of Precarity.” (Details)
February 7 » UCI Law On The Road with Dean Parrish: Orange County (Details)
February 8 » UCI Law On The Road with Dean Parrish: Los Angeles (Details)
February 9 » Celebration of Professor Dan Burk's Scholarly Contributions
  • This all-day event will feature panels of leading legal academics addressing Professor Burk’s work on patent law, the internet, intellectual property and gender, and intellectual property and social theory. (Details)
February 9 » CLSC | Socio-Legal Studies Workshop: Katya Moiseeva - Cannabis Legalization in California: A Critical View on Socio-Legal Change
  • Ekaterina (Katya) Moiseeva, PhD Candidate at UCI School of Social Ecology, will present: “Cannabis Legalization in California: A Critical View on Socio-Legal Change.” (Details)
February 15 » UCI Law On The Road with Dean Parrish: New York City (Details)
February 16 » CLSC | Socio-Legal Studies Workshop: Bryant Jackson-Green - Court Managed Policy Change: A Content Analysis of Correctional Health Care Consent Decrees
  • Bryant Jackson-Green, J.D./Ph.D. Candidate at UCI Social Ecology/ Law, will present: “Court Managed Policy Change: A Content Analysis of Correctional Health Care Consent Decrees.” (Details)
February 22 » ART & KRIMES by KRIMES
  • Join the UCI Law Criminal Justice Clinic; UCI Law Center on Law, Equality and Race; UCI Center in Law, Society, and Culture; UCI-LIFTED; and the Poetic Justice Initiative for a screening of ART & KRIMES BY KRIMES and discussion with system-impacted artists Asia Johnson and Adamu Chan. (Details)
February 23 » CLSC | Socio-Legal Studies Workshop: Chris Whytock - The Global Legal System
  • Chris Whytock, Vice Dean and Professor of Law at UCI Law, will present: “The Global Legal System.” (Details)
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