UC Law SF welcomes new four new professors
- Steven Bazley, Aimee J. Carlisle, Mary Hoopes, and Shaun Ossei-Owusu join UC Law SF this year with backgrounds spanning entrepreneurship, criminal defense, judicial research, and interdisciplinary legal scholarship.
- They will teach courses including criminal procedure, civil procedure, ethics and remedies, as well as seminars on American legal education and race and on rights and firearms.
- Their expertise strengthens UC Law SF’s ability to prepare students to address complex legal challenges in an evolving profession.
UC Law San Francisco is welcoming four new faculty members this year with expertise spanning business law, criminal justice, civil procedure, immigration policy, and interdisciplinary legal scholarship.
Steven Bazley, Aimee J. Carlisle and Mary Hoopes join UC Law SF as full-time faculty members, while Shaun Ossei-Owusu joins the Center for Racial and Economic Justice (CREJ) as the Wiley Manuel Visiting Scholar and Professor for a one-year appointment during the 2026-27 academic year.
Among them, the professors have negotiated complex corporate transactions, represented clients who could not otherwise afford counsel, led nationally recognized research, and explored how legal institutions can better serve society. Those perspectives will inform their teaching and mentorship as they prepare students for the legal profession.
“One of UC Law San Francisco’s greatest strengths is that our faculty are experts and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines,” said Provost & Academic Dean Morris Ratner. “These professors bring their unique experiences and knowledge into the classroom, helping students become thoughtful, practice-ready lawyers.”
Steven Bazley draws on his experience as an entrepreneur and corporate attorney in his new role as director of the Startup Legal Garage.
After more than a decade helping companies navigate complex business deals, Steven Bazley is bringing his expertise in corporate law and entrepreneurship to UC Law San Francisco as professor of practice and director of the Startup Legal Garage. The program pairs law students with seasoned attorneys to advise emerging companies, giving students hands-on opportunities to counsel real clients and help startups grow.
Bazley, who earned a J.D. and L.L.M in international and comparative law from Duke University School of Law, previously practiced at Latham & Watkins and Raines Feldman, where he advised companies on major business deals and financial transactions. He plans to draw on his personal experience as both an attorney and entrepreneur to help students think strategically and creatively about solving complex challenges for emerging companies.
“I want students to know that their decisions and actions matter,” Bazley said. “In a world where computers can think, experiential education will be more important than ever to teach students the irreplaceably human skills of empathy, connection, and creative thought that will help them keep an edge over machine learning.”
Aimee J. Carlisle’s career as a public defender shapes her perspectives as a professor and scholar. She will teach criminal procedure and a seminar on race, rights and firearms.
Having spent her career representing people who otherwise could not afford legal counsel, Aimee J. Carlisle joins UC Law San Francisco as the C. Keith Wingate Visiting Assistant Professor with the Center for Racial and Economic Justice. She plans to bring lessons from her work on behalf of clients into the classroom while teaching criminal procedure and a seminar on race, rights and firearms.
Carlisle, who earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law, previously worked as a senior attorney in the criminal practice at The Bronx Defenders, which provides holistic representation to individuals in criminal, civil, family, and immigration cases, and as a deputy federal public defender in Los Angeles. Carlisle plans to focus her scholarship on racial justice issues, especially the intersection of criminal law and constitutional rights.
“The clients I represented as a public defender inspire me. Their stories continue to shape my research and remind me that legal issues profoundly affect real people and their communities,” Carlisle said. “I would like students to attain a strong knowledge of legal doctrine, gain a deeper understanding of how power and identity impact the law, and develop a richer understanding of justice.”
Mary Hoopes, who has led research on judicial decision-making and policy implications for immigrant workers, will teach civil procedure, ethics, and remedies.
Mary Hoopes joins UC Law San Francisco as an associate professor after building a career studying how the law shapes the lives of immigrant workers and asylum seekers. She will teach civil procedure, ethics, and remedies while continuing research on the real-world impact of courts and public policy.
Hoopes earned a Ph.D. in jurisprudence and social policy from UC Berkeley and a J.D. from Cornell Law School. Most recently an associate professor at Pepperdine University, she directed the Wm. Matthew Byrne Jr. Judicial Clerkship Institute. She also served as director of research at the Berkeley Judicial Institute, leading research on diversity in law clerk hiring, implicit bias in judicial decision-making, and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the courts.
Hoopes plans to continue researching the impact of federal policy on immigrant workers and factors that drive migrant decision-making. She hopes students leave her classes with sharp analytical and problem-solving skills, and a strong understanding of legal doctrine and how it operates in practice. She said, “I also hope they leave my class knowing that I will be their committed mentor and will be there to support their careers over the long term.”
Shaun Ossei-Owusu brings an interdisciplinary approach to the study of law, history, and society. He will teach a seminar on American legal education.
Shaun Ossei-Owusu
A scholar whose research examines the intersection of law, history, and sociology, Shaun Ossei-Owusu joins UC Law SF as the CREJ’s Wiley Manuel Visiting Scholar and Professor for a one-year appointment. Currently the Presidential Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, he will teach a Spring 2027 seminar at UC Law SF that critically examines American legal education. He will also present the annual Wiley Manual Lecture as part of CREJ’s spring symposium
Ossei-Owusu earned both his J.D. and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and has held fellowships and visiting appointments at Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, the University of Chicago, and the University of Southern California. His scholarship focuses on how local and federal governments meet their statutory and constitutional obligations to protect marginalized groups. He also works on issues tied to inequality and the legal profession. His first book, Law on Trial, was published by W.W. Norton in 2026. He is completing a book on the history of legal aid in America that will be published by Princeton University Press in 2027.
“I want students to develop a deep command of legal doctrine while also understanding how law operates on the ground: who it benefits, who it fails, and how it might be improved,” Ossei-Owusu said. “I want them to question assumptions and think critically about the legal profession and the institutions they are part of, because that habit will serve them well no matter where their careers take them.”