Nira Geevargis Recognized Nationally With Inaugural Award for Mentorship

The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Clinical Legal Education Section Externships Committee has honored UC Law San Francisco Professor Nira Geevargis with its inaugural Mentorship Award. The peer-nominated award recognizes Geevargis’ commitment and dedication to the externship community and was formally presented at the AALS Clinical Conference in Baltimore on April 28. 

In nominating Geevargis for the award, University of Baltimore School of Law Professor Neha Lall praised her national leadership in clinical education and said that her efforts have empowered “externship faculty to take on leadership roles in the broader clinical legal community, helping to build a more inclusive and supportive environment for externship teachers.”

Geevargis is UC Law SF’s Director of Externship Programs and sits on the Executive Committee of the AALS Clinical Section—the largest section in AALS—and is the co-chair elect for 2026. She co-teaches the annual AALS Clinical Section’s Teaching Methodologies Committee’s Externships Case Rounds and has co-published an article on rounds—a structured discussion where one student presents an experience for class reflection. The article includes a toolkit for professors to help implement rounds into their classes, an example of what Lall describes as Geevargis’ “constant innovation in the classroom and willingness to share her teaching methods and tools.” 

She also leads the College’s popular Corporate Counsel Externship Program, which places second and third-year students in top-tier corporate counsel offices. The experiential learning program equips students with the skills and experience to become practice-ready attorneys. The Fall 2025 Corporate Counsel Externship Program is partnering with 16 business and non-profits—leveraging UC Law SF’s access to the Bay Area’s technology and innovation ecosystems.  

As a first-generation college graduate, Geevargis’ career has been shaped by the advice and guidance offered by mentors. These experiences have informed her teaching philosophy and approach to mentorship, topics she discusses in a Q&A: 

You’ve devoted much of your career to making clinical education and experiential learning better. What does it mean to be recognized with this inaugural award by your peers? 

I’m incredibly honored and deeply humbled by this recognition. The clinical faculty community—and especially those working in externships—are some of the most collaborative and generous colleagues I know. I see this award as a reflection of how much I value and enjoy working alongside people who care just as deeply about externships and our students as much as I do. 

As a first-generation student, I had to figure out so much on my own, with the guidance of some truly extraordinary mentors. That experience instilled in me a deep commitment to making things easier for others. I don’t think people should have to reinvent the wheel, though we should always evolve and strive to be better. For example, when I create a class that resonates with my students and me, I’m always eager to share it with professors around the country. I love workshopping it with them—learning from their insights in the process. 

Because I’ve relied so heavily on mentors to help me navigate my education and career, I feel a strong responsibility to pay that forward. Supporting others in the legal community is both a duty and a joy. 

My own journey into externships began, admittedly, for less-than-lofty reasons. I was a student at UCLA Law, my husband was at Stanford Law, and we were just trying to avoid spending three years apart, so we did full-time externships near each other’s law schools for a semester each. And those externships changed both of our lives. For me, law school finally made sense once I was at my placement. I even returned to work there after graduation. That experience further deepened my passion for social justice and showed me that I could be good at practicing law. 

It also planted the seed of a dream—that one day, I might become an externships professor, with the privilege of guiding my students through those transformative moments when the light bulb flickers on and everything they learned in the classroom suddenly clicks into place.

How do you approach student mentorship? And how has your mentorship impacted a student’s college experience? 

Mentoring students means sharing my expertise, listening, advocating, helping them find the path that’s right for them, and always reminding them that they have someone in their corner, cheering them on.   

One of my most meaningful moments (which I’ve received permission to share) as a professor came during a conversation with a student who was struggling to keep up with class deadlines. As we talked, we both grew emotional—recognizing a shared tendency to take on too much just to prove we belong. She realized she’d overcommitted that semester, and together, we found ways to reset her mindset and adjust her schedule. 

She was in one of our highly coveted externship programs and doubted whether she deserved to be there. I reminded her that every student had earned their place, including her. With a few thoughtful changes and deep reflection, she found her footing and thrived. Her placement supervisors have become lifelong mentors. 

That experience reminded me how much can lie beneath the surface. Our shared vulnerability gave her space to rediscover her confidence, and I was so proud to later see her speak on a student panel—fully owning the strength we had all seen in her from the beginning.

How do you approach mentorship with fellow externship professors and directors? 

My approach is simple: Be available, really listen, cheer people on, collaborate to find solutions, and always offer what I can. I often send my materials to colleagues with a note that says, “Call me—I’ll help you figure it out.” I’m also quick to jump on a call with professors across the country to talk through challenges, brainstorm ideas, or offer support.  Because truthfully, people have done that for me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of those who came before me. And every time someone has shown up for me, it’s helped me grow into a better teacher and a stronger advocate for my students who are, after all, the heart of why we do this work. 

One person in particular who shaped my journey is Emeritus Professor Nancy Stuart, the former externships professor at UC Law SF and the College’s first Dean of Experiential Learning. Though a few people removed from my direct predecessor, she was instrumental in helping me find my footing when I first stepped into being an externships professor. Professor Stuart has supported me through professional challenges and personal heartbreaks—she even held my hand at a conference after my beloved grandmother passed away a couple of years ago. 

No one could ever be Nancy Stuart, but I do my best every day to show up for others the way she has shown up for me. Because at the end of the day, isn’t that what life is about? 

How has your mentorship impacted a colleague’s career? 

I’m incredibly proud of the materials we’ve developed to support professors in incorporating case rounds into their externship courses.  In partnership with my colleague, Professor Megan Bess at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, I lead annual trainings that prepare faculty to facilitate rounds in their own seminars while also fostering a collaborative space to work through common challenges. Unlike students in a clinic, externship students are not all working under the same umbrella of confidentiality, which makes structuring rounds more complex. Contributing to the design and scholarship behind this practice has been both meaningful and impactful. Each year, we guide faculty through the process of running rounds, allow them to experience it firsthand, and offer ongoing support through follow-up conversations to help them reflect, troubleshoot, and refine the approach in their own classes. 

It’s deeply meaningful to hear from professors year after year that the experience created powerful moments for their students—moments that sparked curiosity, fostered problem-solving, and built a sense of community within the group. 

You’re a first-generation college and law school graduate. How has your journey shaped your interest in the law, and in clinical education specifically? 

UC Law SF has done a remarkable job of building a true sense of community and support for first-generation students through our First-Generation Program and the Legal Education Opportunity Program—something that simply didn’t exist when I was in law school. Back then, I didn’t even know there was a name for what I was experiencing. At times, it felt isolating.

I was lucky, though, because I had a friend in law school whose mom worked at Hallmark and whose dad made crowns for teeth. My mom sold cosmetics at Macy’s, and my dad is a hairdresser, so I always joked that I got the better discount. Still, there weren’t many spaces where we could acknowledge our unique journeys, experiences, or challenges. It just seemed like there were a lot of people whose parents knew how to help them navigate the path ahead—that likely wasn’t true, but it was my perception as someone who felt like an outsider. 

That said, I’m incredibly proud of my parents and their careers. They taught me the value of hard work and resilience, and that has shaped everything I do. Before one of the biggest arguments of my career, my mom gave me some great professional advice: “Make sure you put on lipstick first.” And honestly? She was right. I still do it before big moments (before my promotion celebration, before the mentorship awards ceremony) and every time, I think of her. 

There are so many students out there whose parents’ jobs look nothing like the paths they’re pursuing. I want them to know this: being a first-generation college student gives you a fire, a hunger, and a sense of urgency that is your superpower. 

It has also been announced that you have received our school’s version of clinical tenure at UC Law SF. What does this promotion mean to you?

The celebration for the promotion was incredibly moving—truly an unforgettable experience. The promotion process itself involves extensive review, especially of one’s teaching, and it’s a journey that demands so much heart. We pour our souls, our energy, and yes, sometimes even blood, sweat, and tears into our externship programs and seminars. To have that dedication recognized and celebrated by my faculty colleagues was profoundly meaningful. I’m a crier by nature, and this moment was no exception—it genuinely touched me. 

What made it even more special was knowing that I teach at a school where clinical education, including externships, is deeply valued. Our staff and faculty care so much about our students, and our students themselves are extraordinary. Seeing all of that, the care, the commitment, the community, honored so openly was a moment I’ll never forget. It was a day for the ages. And beyond that, hearing my students’ praise in response to my promotion has been the icing on the cake.