Tal Niv

Bio

Tal Niv joined the UC Law SF faculty in 2024. As Associate Dean for Innovation and the Future of Lawyering, she is responsible for innovating curricula, co-curricular programs, teaching methods and programs to ensure that the law school provides students and professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to practice law in an environment characterized by rapid technological innovation. The Associate Dean’s current portfolio includes overseeing the Technology Law & Lawyering Concentration, the AI-Enabled Lawyering Lab, the Law & AI Certificate program (executive education), and LexLab. The Associate Dean also connects UC Law SF with thought leaders locally in Silicon Valley and nationally (e.g., via the UC Law SF Advisory Board – Technological Transformation of Legal Practice and Legal Education). 

Before joining UC Law SF, Dean Niv held significant roles such as General Counsel, Vice President of Law and Policy, and Deputy General Counsel at prominent organizations including GitHub, PlanetScale, and Creative Commons. Her previous experience also includes working as a technologist in various tech startups. In these capacities, Dean Niv explored pivotal Law & Technology issues, providing expert insights and contributing to academic and policy discussions in both the US and EU. This deep engagement has equipped her with a profound understanding of the legal environment’s impact on innovation and creativity, and a strong drive to develop legal and regulatory frameworks optimized for technological advancements.

Furthermore, she has cultivated a nuanced understanding of delivering legal services to innovators in uncertain regulatory landscapes. Dean Niv has effectively leveraged this expertise in her Internet and Artificial Intelligence courses at UC Law SF over the past few years.

Dean Niv is enthusiastic about training the best technology lawyers to serve innovative tech companies and is passionate about the center’s vital role in the Bay Area’s law and technology community. She takes pride in her contributions to thought leadership on tech law and policy, the adaptation of legal frameworks to meet emerging technology challenges, and shaping the future of legal education and the legal profession.

Education

• Wharton School
  MBA 2021

• University of California, Berkeley
  J.D. and Social Policy Program ABD 2015

• Tel Aviv University
  LLB and BSc Computer Science 2008