Eleven UCLA School of Law professors, including leading scholars in civil rights, environmental law, international law, critical race studies, law and philosophy, human rights, health law and constitutional law, received appointments to endowed faculty chairs in 2020. Eight of the chairs are being filled for the first time.

Professor of Law William Boyd was appointed to the Michael J. Klein Chair in Law. A member of the UCLA Law faculty since 2018, he also holds an appointment in the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES). A renowned environmental scholar, Boyd has served as the project lead for the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force and is the founding director of the Laboratory for Energy and Environmental Policy innovation (LEEP). The Klein Chair was established in 2020 with the help of a generous donation from the Shapiro Family Charitable Foundation, with a focus on academics who have demonstrated excellence in energy or environmental law.

Distinguished Professor of Law Kimberlé W. Crenshaw was appointed to the Promise Institute Chair in Human Rights. A member of the UCLA Law faculty since 1986, Crenshaw is a founder of critical race theory. In scholarship that she produced at UCLA Law, Crenshaw devised the concept of intersectionality, which has become a mainstay in the analysis of law, gender and race. In addition to her UCLA Law appointment, she serves as the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia Law School and leads the independent African American Policy Forum. The chair was one of two that were created in 2017 with the $20 million gift that established the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law.

Distinguished Professor of Law Stephen Gardbaum was appointed to the Stephen Yeazell Endowed Chair in Law. A preeminent expert in comparative constitutional law and human rights, Gardbaum has been a member of the UCLA Law faculty since 1998. He served as a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow, and his 2013 book, The New Commonwealth Model of Constitutionalism, has drawn wide acclaim. Gardbaum also serves on the council of the International Society of Public Law. The chair was established in 2011 with donations from several alumni and friends of the school. It is named for Interim Dean Emeritus and David G. Price and Dallas P. Price Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus Stephen Yeazell.

Professor of Law Laura E. Gómez has been appointed to the Rachel F. Moran Endowed Chair in Law. Gómez began her teaching career at UCLA Law in 1994. She also holds faculty appointments in UCLA’s Departments of Sociology and Chicana and Chicano Studies, and previously served as interim dean of UCLA College’s Division of Social Sciences. Gómez is a co-founder and the current faculty director of UCLA Law’s Critical Race Studies program. Her nationally respected scholarship provides important insights into the role of Latinos in American society. The Moran Chair was established in honor of former UCLA Law Dean Rachel F. Moran, with whom Gómez worked as vice dean.

Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy Mark Greenberg has been appointed to the Michael H. Schill Endowed Chair in Law. He joined the faculty of UCLA Law and the UCLA philosophy department in 2004. Co-director of the UCLA Law and Philosophy Program, Greenberg is among the world’s leading legal philosophers and has produced several pieces of prizewinning scholarship. The Schill Chair was established with the help of a generous commitment from the Shapiro Family Charitable Foundation in honor of former UCLA Law Dean Michael H. Schill. It was previously held by Distinguished Professor Emeritus Eric M. Zolt.

Professor of Law Jill R. Horwitz has been appointed to the David Sanders Professorship in Law and Medicine. Horwitz joined the UCLA Law faculty in 2012 and currently serves as vice dean for faculty and intellectual life. She holds a courtesy appointment as a professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Horwitz is nationally known for her work in health law and nonprofit law. She served as the reporter for the American Law Institute’s first Restatement of the Law, Charitable Nonprofit Organizations. The Sanders Professorship was established in 2020 in honor of respected physician David Sanders, recognizing legal academics who have demonstrated excellence in the fields of law and medicine.

Professor of Law Timothy Malloy has been appointed to the Frank G. Wells Endowed Chair in Environmental Law. He joined UCLA Law’s faculty in 1998 and holds joint appointments in the UCLA Department of Environmental Health Sciences and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES). A leading expert in environmental law, Malloy holds several leadership positions in the field and is the faculty director of the UCLA Sustainable Technology and Policy Program, which he founded in 2009. The Wells Chair, which recognizes eminent academics in environmental law, was established to perpetuate the legacy of Frank G. Wells, a generous supporter of environmental activism who died in 1994.

Professor of Law Kal Raustiala was appointed to the Promise Institute Chair in Comparative and International Law. A scholar of broad impact, Raustiala has been a member of the UCLA faculty since 2000 and has been widely cited for his work on international law and intellectual property, with a recent focus on free expression in the digital age. He serves as the director of the Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA and is a former vice president of the American Society of International Law. 

Distinguished Professor of Law Richard H. Sander was appointed to the Jesse Dukeminier Professorship in Law. He is a nationally recognized scholar in social and economic inequality, dedicating substantial energy to issues surrounding housing discrimination, disparities in the legal profession and affirmative action in law school admissions. Sander has been a member of the UCLA Law faculty since 1989. The chair honors the memory of UCLA Law Professor Jesse Dukeminier and was funded by the estates of Dukeminier and his longtime partner, Dr. David Sanders.

Professor of Law Richard H. Steinberg was appointed to the Jonathan D. Varat Endowed Chair in Law. Also a professor of political science at UCLA, Steinberg has been a member of the UCLA Law faculty since 1996. He is an expert in international law and human rights, and he has served in leadership roles in a variety of organizations focused on global trade, international criminal law and economics. In 2019, he was appointed to the Trade and Environmental Policy Advisory Committee in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The chair is named for Dean Emeritus Jonathan D. Varat and was established in 2003 with gifts from a number of alumni and friends of the school. It was previously held by Distinguished Research Professor Carole E. Goldberg.

Professor of Law Adam Winkler has been appointed to the Connell Professorship of Law. Winkler, who joined the UCLA Law faculty in 2002, has built a national reputation in constitutional law and as a legal historian and has been featured in countless media appearances. His scholarship has focused on the Second Amendment and corporate constitutional rights, including two acclaimed books, Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America (W.W. Norton, 2011) and We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights (Liveright/W.W. Norton, 2018), which was a finalist for the National Book Award. The Connell Professorship was established in 1949 in honor of Michael J. Connell, a prominent Southern California philanthropist. It was previously held by Distinguished Research Professor Richard L. Abel.

UCLA Law has 67 full-time faculty members and 34 endowed chairs.

“These faculty members are among our most accomplished scholars and teachers,” says Dean Jennifer Mnookin. “We are pleased to be able to recognize their contributions in this way, and we are deeply grateful to the donors who made this possible.”