Strengthening the Scholars Who Shape Justice
Donor support strengthens what has always set UC Law San Francisco apart—its exceptional faculty.
UC Law San Francisco’s faculty are nationally recognized scholars and dedicated teachers whose influence extends from the classroom to courtrooms and policymaking arenas around the world.
Alumni often recall moments of clarity, advice, and encouragement offered by faculty members who shaped their paths, extending from today’s distinguished professors to the 65 Club—faculty hired in the 20th Century after being forced to retire from other law schools—and beyond.
With endowed professorships and research support, our faculty produce scholarship that shapes the law and inspires students with the mentorship and teaching that define a UC Law SF education.
Expanding Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship
Through the Into the Future campaign, donors can endow chairs and professorships that strengthen the College’s legacy of excellence. These endowed positions serve a dual purpose: attracting and retaining the nation’s top legal scholars while also providing vital resources for groundbreaking research.
This commitment ensures UC Law SF continues to lead in emerging areas of law while remaining the No.1 school for producing lawyers admitted to the California bar.
With your support we can empower new generations of legal scholars and educators, carrying UC Law SF—and its faculty excellence—Into the Future.
David L. Faigman Distinguished Professor of Public Law
Teaching and scholarship are the foundations of an outstanding legal education. UC Law San Francisco faculty prepare students to excel as lawyers while producing influential research that shapes law, policy, and the legal profession.
The David L. Faigman Distinguished Professor of Public Law will honor Chancellor & Dean Faigman’s nearly 40 years of service to the College as a teacher, scholar, and leader. This $10 million endowed professorship will enable UC Law SF to recruit and retain an exceptional public law scholar, support influential research, and give students opportunities to engage directly with a leading expert in the field.
As the legal landscape evolves, particularly with the growing influence of technology and artificial intelligence, distinguished faculty leadership is more important than ever. By supporting this professorship, donors will help sustain Dean Faigman’s commitment to intellectual rigor, interdisciplinary scholarship, and excellence in legal education while reinforcing UC Law SF’s leadership in public law for generations to come.
Where Your Support Matters Most
Donor support helps UC Law SF to attract and retain outstanding faculty—exceptional researchers and teachers who have launched countless successful careers. Legal innovation can be supported through:
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Contact our Advancement team to discuss your giving priorities.
For Prof. Dorit Reiss, the Law Can Save Lives
Viruses don’t respect borders, and they don’t care about your politics.
That’s the message Professor Dorit Reiss wants the public and her students to understand during a transformative period in vaccine policy.
“If you have cells, they’ll take you,” Reiss said. “That’s all viruses want.”
For over a decade, Reiss has studied how vaccine law intersects with science, public health, and individual rights. Her work covers everything from how vaccines are approved and regulated, to how governments can encourage—or even require—vaccination, and how courts weigh religious and personal freedoms.
She has published widely in top-tier journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA); Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (JLME); Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy; and University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. Her deep expertise also has made her a go-to voice in the national media.
She is fascinated by “the connection between legal arguments in court to real-world policy changes that affect people’s lives.”
Donors have supported Reiss’ work in multiple ways.
- She is the James Edgar Hervey ’50 Chair of Litigation thanks to an endowment set up in honor of Hervey, a 1950 graduate of our law school.
- Reiss received an inaugural Mary Kay Kane Award in 2023 in recognition of her scholarly excellence and contributions to intellectual life. Late Emerita Chancellor & Dean Mary Kay Kane, UC Law SF’s first woman dean, endowed those awards to support faculty excellence.
- The Chip Robertson Faculty Research Fund provided resources to Reiss to analyze vaccine-related legislation nationwide. The fund was established to empower faculty to conduct innovation research addressing crucial legal and societal challenges.
“We need lawyers and policymakers who understand how the law can save lives,” Reiss said. “That’s what I hope to instill in my students.”
Scholarship and Mentorship with Worldwide Reach
National Media Turn to Prof. Zachary Price on Executive Power
UC Law SF’s Professor Zachary Price has become a trusted national voice on constitutional limits and executive authority. Media outlets such as the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR regularly seek his expert analysis, most recently regarding the delayed enforcement of the TikTok ban. Through his insightful commentary and scholarship, Price exemplifies the College’s commitment to shaping public understanding of timely constitutional challenges.
Read the story
Prof. Leo Martinez Honored for Advancing Legal Education
Dean Emeritus Leo P. Martinez ’78 embodies UC Law SF’s tradition of faculty excellence. Recipient of the 2024 Robert J. Kutak Award for his contribution to collaboration among the legal academy and profession, Martinez has advanced legal education through his national leadership and decades of service to the College. Since 1985, he has shaped generations of students through his scholarship and teaching of contracts, tax, and insurance law.
Read the story
UC Law SF welcomes new four new professors
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.
Meet our new faculty
Support Faculty Excellence
Your support empowers new generations of legal scholars and teachers at UC Law SF Into the Future.
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