End-of-Year Message 2023/24
To the King Hall Community
As 2023/24 concludes, we celebrate the achievements and enduring community spirit of our law school. Congratulations to the J.D. and LL.M. classes of 2024! In challenging times, our students let their voices be heard.
We started the year by welcoming the remarkable J.D. Class of 2026. 61% are students of color, 63% are women, and 22% identify as LGBTQ+. First-generation college graduates make up 27% of the class. UC Davis Law just placed No. 2 in the nation in a historical ranking of student diversity.
Constitutional law expert Professor Vikram Amar rejoined our faculty in the fall and delivered an incisive Barrett Lecture in the spring. Other new faculty members, Professors Chimène Keitner and Nila Bala, brought extensive knowledge and real-world experience to our students.
This spring, Professor and Chancellor’s Fellow Irene Joe received the Distinguished Teaching Award, the Law Review’s Sue Walther Jones received the inauguralOutstanding Staff Award, and custodian Maureen Dommer was recognized for her great work and community spirit.
Students selected Berkeley Law Professor Khiara Bridges who will deliver the keynote address and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan will attend commencement on May 10. Professor Elizabeth Joh and graduating students Jake Kim and Michaela Anang also will speak. Professors Irene Joe and Aaron Tang will serve as faculty marshals.
Student Success
By March, nearly 92% of the Class of 2023 had secured full-time employment. The school will fund nearly 80 students to work in public services over the summer. The law school will provide summer bar exam support to the Class of 2024.
Congratulations to Alumni Association Award recipient and outgoing Law Students Association President Brenda Quintanilla, and inaugural recipients of the King Hall Community Engagement Award: 3Ls Riss Aguilar, Stefanie DeCillis, Meena Morar and Benjamin Ylo and LL.M. graduate Ugomma Mwin. Tomorrow’s Public Service Graduation will recognize 3Ls’ nearly 40,000 public service hours!
Other student highlights include:
- The Black Law Students Association and Martin Luther King Jr. Day Working Group organized the fifth MLK Day of Service and Celebration. On that day, our community, among other things, worked at Fourth and Hope, a shelter in Woodland.
- The Latinx Law Students Association honored 3L Fernando Torres with its Lorenzo Patiño Award for community service at the Patiño Banquet. BLSA, APALSA and Filipinx Law Students Association also held elegant banquets. The Native American Law Students Association will hold its first annual banquet Friday at the Gorman Museum.
- The UC Davis Law Review held a festive Hopkins Reception. Cullen Conboy and Cole A. Gray received Hopkins Writing Awards.
- Neumiller Moot Court Competition finalists Yenna Ahn, Hyein Kim, Alexandria Marxand Sinporion Phuong impressed us all with their stellar advocacy before an illustrious panel of judges.
- Students elected Elisabet Lindskog ’25 LSA president for 2024/25.
- 3Ls Laith M. Adawiya, Annabel R. Dolan, Cobi-Sota S. Furdek, Julia Sarah Gordon, Kaden Kenaga, Sarah B. Levett, Hannah Sierra Mathieson, Jay Edward Maloney, Brenda Quintanilla, and Tycho N. Toothaker were selected to the Order of Barristers as the best trial and appellate advocates.
- Our LL.M. program celebrated 25 years. LL.M. students created a new student organization.
Outstanding Lectures and Events
Last fall, the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District heard oral arguments in King Hall. In the spring, C-SPAN visited the law school to record a lecture by Professor Mary Ziegler. Boston University Law Professor Aziza Ahmed delivered the Bodenheimer Lecture on Family Law. October marked the launch of the UC Labor and Community Center of the Greater Capital Region, co-directed by Professor Leticia Saucedo. A UC Davis Law Review symposium featured SAG-AFTRA’s Duncan Crabtree-Ireland ’98, lead negotiator in the 2023 Hollywood actors’ strike. UC Davis Law hosted the California Law Pathways 2024 Law Summit.
The Racial Justice Speaker Series continued for the fourth year with Wajahat Ali '07, Daily Beast columnist; Professor Jasmine E. Harris, Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania; Nicole Santamaría, El/La Para TransLatinas; Professor Aziza Ahmed, Boston University, Professor of Law; Professor Vikram Amar, UC Davis Distinguished Professor of Law; and Morning Star Gali, a member of the Ajumawi band of Pit River Tribe.
The Center for Innovation, Law, and Society, Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies, California International Law Center, and California Environmental Law & Policy Center brought an array of experts to UC Davis Law to talk about pressing issues of the day.
Faculty Achievements
Our faculty appear in top law reviews and leading news outlets. Other achievements include:
- The American Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion Center honored Professor Raquel Aldana among prominent Hispanic/Latino/a/x activists and legal trailblazers. Aldana and Aoki Center Co-Director Dean Kevin R. Johnson are editing a UC Press book series on critical race theory.
- Professor Karrigan Börk received the 2024 Morrison Prize from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
- UC Davis News and prominent media outlets spotlighted Professor Jack Chin’s research on Woodland’s historic Chicago Café, the longest Chinese restaurant in continuous operation in the United States.
- Professor Katherine Florey was elected to the American Law Institute.
- The California Lawyers Association Environmental Law Section honored Professor Rick Frank with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Professor Courtney Joslin received the UC Davis Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award.
- Professor Donna Shestowsky received three awards for her alternative dispute resolution work.
- In the news day after day on reproductive rights issues, Professor Mary Ziegler joined a committee of scholars selected to help guide the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
Alumni Recognition
Saul Garcia ’92, Brock Hammond ’01, Stephen Hicklin ’88, Chrishna Martinez ’99, Richard Miadich ’02 and Miguel Valdovinos ’96 were appointed as Superior Court judges. The new Superior Court courthouse in Sacramento has been named after retired Chief Justice of California Tani Cantil-Sakauye ’84.
Projects and Transitions
Work was completed on the first-floor gender-inclusive restroom, Wellness Room, and North Plaza upgrades. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Eric Burns is our new psychologist. Welcome Eric! Congratulations to Alyssa Thurston, who was appointed Mabie Law Library director. Former Department of Water Resources senior counsel, David Sandino, will direct UC Davis Law’s new Small Farmer Clinic, which is created with a new California Water Resource Board grant.
Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations Karen Charney will retire after 14 years at the law school and 21 years at UC Davis. Faculty Support Administrative Assistant Linda Cooper retires after nearly 22 years. We wish them the very best and thank them for all that they have done for King Hall!
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Thanks to all for all that you do. Good luck with exams. See you at commencement!