UC Law SF Starts Academic Year with New Faculty, Expanded Roles, and Student Achievements
- UC Law SF welcomes new faculty members with expertise in environmental and land-use law, family law, bar preparation, and more.
- Six UC Law SF professors and staff members are stepping into expanded roles to strengthen legal writing instruction and courtroom advocacy programs, support first-generation law students, and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
- Three faculty members were recently awarded distinguished professorship titles, recognizing them for excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service.
UC Law San Francisco is kicking off a new academic year with new faculty hires and expanded roles for some existing staff and faculty. The College also is recognizing some of its most accomplished professors and celebrating other achievements, including a professor’s historic entry into law enforcement and students sharpening their legal skills in public-interest internships across the country.
New Faculty Members
Two new professors have joined the full-time faculty, enriching the College’s academic landscape and reinforcing its commitment to student achievement.
Moira O’Neill ’06, a legal scholar and former research professor at the University of Virginia, brings expertise in land-use law, climate and housing policy, and state and local governance. Her research has helped drive reform in San Francisco’s housing approval process. At UC Law SF, she’ll teach courses in environmental, land-use, and property law.
Heather Varanini, a seasoned academic support professional, joins UC Law SF as a professor of practice. She will teach bar preparation and academic skills courses for the Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP), drawing on nearly a decade of experience helping students succeed through a student-centered, goal-oriented approach.
Ralph Richard Banks, a Stanford law professor and founding director of Stanford’s Center for Racial Justice, serves as this year’s Wiley Manuel Visiting Scholar and Professor with the Center for Racial and Economic Justice (CREJ) at UC Law SF. Banks is a Harvard Law graduate and co-author of two leading casebooks on family law and racial justice. He will teach a spring seminar on race, meritocracy, and education.
Familiar Faces Take on New Roles
Several UC Law SF educators and professionals are stepping into expanded leadership roles, strengthening the College’s commitment to advancing academic excellence.
Elizabeth McGriff ’96, assistant dean of the Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP), has taken on an additional role as assistant dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. A UC Law SF alumna and advocate for educational access, McGriff has led LEOP since 2017 and served as a key advisor to campus leadership. Her career includes practicing law in public and private sectors, directing diversity pipeline programs at The Bar Association of San Francisco, and teaching. In her expanded role, she will continue strengthening efforts to support diversity, equity, and inclusion at UC Law SF.
Ernest Hammond III, who co-teaches AI Law as an adjunct professor at UC Law SF, now also serves as director of the College’s First Generation Program. A first-generation college graduate himself, Hammond brings deep mentoring experience and a passion for empowering students who are the first in their families to attend law school. In addition to his teaching, he serves as associate general counsel at Meta, where he advises on AI, privacy, and IP issues. At UC Law SF, he will lead programming focused on mentorship, professional development, and community building for first-gen students.
Professor of Practice Jackie Dailey ’13 is the new Director of Moot Court, where she leads the upper-division appellate advocacy curriculum, the UC Law SF Appellate Project, and Moot Court competition teams. A former Moot Court coach and legal writing instructor at the College, Dailey also brings valuable industry experience from her time as a managing director at KPMG, advising private-equity clients on merger and acquisition tax law matters. She blends deep institutional knowledge with real-world insight to help students become effective appellate advocates.
Professor of Practice Angie Gius, who joined the faculty in 2019, has been named Director of Legal Research and Writing (LRW). In this role, she oversees LRW curriculum, selection and mentorship of LRW adjunct faculty, and oversight of student teaching and research assistants, among other duties. Gius previously taught at NYU Law, was a clinical teaching fellow at Georgetown, and clerked for a federal judge in New York. At UC Law SF, she has played a key role in the first-year writing program and guiding students to develop core lawyering skills.
As part of the team working with Gius to steer LRW instruction, Professors of Practice Mimi Glumac and Nehal Khorraminejad also recently stepped into new roles as associate directors of LRW.
Distinguished Professorships Awarded
Three faculty members—Professors Dave Owen, Reuel Schiller, and Jodi Short, and —were recently elevated to the rank of distinguished professors, one of the highest honors the College can bestow. The professors are leaders in the fields of environmental law, legal history, and regulatory compliance, respectively.
“The faculty voted to elevate Professors Owen, Schiller, and Short not only because they are among the country’s top scholars in their respective fields but also because they are among our most committed and skilled classroom teachers and institutional citizens,” said Provost & Academic Dean Morris Ratner.
Law Professor Makes History
Visiting Professor John Myers, who’s been teaching criminal law and procedure at UC Law SF since 2017, made California history—by becoming the state’s oldest police rookie. This summer, at age 78, he graduated from a police academy in Stockton, fulfilling what he describes as “a calling” since childhood and “the last thing” on his bucket list. He now serves part-time as a police officer at the University of the Pacific, likely making him the most knowledgeable officer in the state when it comes to criminal law.
New Name, Same Important Program
UC Law SF’s legal education program for non-lawyers has a new name: the Master of Legal Studies (MLS). Formerly the Master of Studies in Law, the MLS equips professionals across industries—healthcare, finance, engineering, human resources, and more—with a strong foundation in legal principles. Designed to fit demanding schedules, the program can be completed in one to four years, offering working professionals a practical way to deepen their understanding of the law.
Legal Skills in Action
This summer, UC Law SF students applied their legal skills as interns at nonprofits and government agencies nationwide, defending tenants, advancing renewable energy policy, supporting federal investigations, and aiding clients with HIV/AIDS. Made possible by donor-supported grants and fellowships, these internships let students make a difference while building essential legal skills. Read more about their work.
Welcoming Students
UC Law San Francisco welcomed over 500 new students this fall, including 389 JD and 150 master’s students from diverse backgrounds and careers. Learn more about the JD Class of 2028 and view snapshots from the start to the academic year here.