Recent Faculty Scholarship

A core responsibility of faculty members at a major research university is producing cutting-edge scholarship. Berkeley Law’s faculty are among the most prolific and influential in the country. I am delighted to share with you this brochure which describes recent books and articles by our faculty.

As you will see, the professors at Berkeley Law are engaged in many different types of writing for many different audiences. All of the writing shares in common that it is advancing knowledge, which is a crucial function of a university.

Many of our faculty have produced casebooks and treatises that are primarily directed at law students and other instructors. These allow us to educate a wider audience of law students than just those in our classrooms. Everyone who has been to law school remembers the casebooks and treatises that were indispensable in learning the law.

Often scholarship is written primarily for judges and lawyers, considering crucial areas of legal doctrine, seeking to illuminate it and guide its future. Countless positive changes in the law and our legal system have been the result of scholarship by Berkeley Law professors.

Sometimes scholarship is intended for other academics, engaging in a scholarly dialogue that enhances understanding of the law. In addition to advancing knowledge, these scholarly discussions often ultimately come to shape the law in profound ways. Our faculty ranks sixth nationally in scholarly impact, according to a recent study.

And sometimes law professors write for a general audience seeking to inform and educate non-lawyers as well as attorneys about the law. Although this brochure focuses on books and articles, many of our faculty also write op-eds, blog posts, and social media commentary that influences public understanding and opinions about the law.

As I look at this brochure, I am struck by the comprehensive excellence of the Berkeley Law faculty, with coverage of a huge range of fields and topics. I see how much my colleagues are writing on the most important legal issues of our time.

I hope you enjoy learning about our faculty’s scholarship and perhaps are inspired, as I was in perusing this, to read some of the articles and books that are listed. I am sure you will see why I am so proud to be the dean of Berkeley Law.

Warmly,

Erwin Chemerinsky
Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law
University of California, Berkeley School of Law

VIEW RECENT FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP