California Western Faculty Highlights – October 2025
Faculty at California Western School of Law (CWSL) continue to produce groundbreaking work and present it across the country and around the globe.
Here are some highlights of the faculty’s activities from the month of October:
Dean and President & Professor of Law Miriam H. Baer
Dean Miriam Baer along with Professors William Aceves, Jessica Fink, and Lisa Shaw Roy presented, “First Monday: An Overview of the Supreme Court's 2025-2026 Term” as a virtual panel.
Dean Baer shared her vision for California Western School of Law at her Installation on October 13th.
Chief Justice Roger Traynor Professor of Law William Aceves
Professor William Aceves was elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) National Board.
Professor Aceves was quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune article, "Amid ‘domestic terrorist’ designation, San Diego antifa case has new significance.”
Professor Aceves co-authored “Crisis as Catalyst: The Past, Present, and Future in International Law” on the Just Security blog.
Professor Aceves served as a Co-Chair for International Law Weekend, held at Fordham Law School. The conference included 35 panels and keynote lectures and was attended by over 1,000 diplomats, academics, practitioners, and students.
Professor Aceves along with Dean Miriam Baer and Professors Jessica Fink and Lisa Shaw Roy presented, “First Monday: An Overview of the Supreme Court's 2025-2026 Term” as a virtual panel.
Professor of Law Emily Behzadi Cárdenas
Professor Emily Behzadi Cárdenas spoke on the panel, “International Tribunals and Cultural Heritage Destruction: War Crimes, Persecution, Genocide & Discrimination,” as part of the International Law Weekend 2025: Crisis Catalyst in International Law hosted by the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA).
Professor Behzadi Cárdenas presented her article, “Cultural Heritage on the Border: Baja, California and the Border Monuments,” at the Latina and Latino Critical Legal Theory (“LatCrit”) biennial conference in Denver, Colorado.
Professor Behzadi Cárdenas assisted attorney George Fatheree as Supporting Counsel, pro bono, in a landmark case that saw the return of two works by enslaved potter David Drake to his direct descendants from the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Boston.
Dean Steven R. Smith Professor of Law Susan Bisom-Rapp
Professor Susan Bisom-Rapp is quoted in the Bloomberg Law’s Daily Labor Report article, "OSHA Plan Saps Enforcement Power for Dangerous Jobs, States Warn.”
Professor James Cooper is quoted in the AI Business article, “Reddit Sues Perplexity, Others for Data Scraping.”
Professor Cooper moderated the keynote panel at the second annual Innova Day 2025 hosted by the Catholic University of Valparaiso in Chile.
Professor of Law Pooja Dadhania
Professor Pooja Dadhania’s article, “An Empirical Reassessment of Legal Representation at the Asylum Office” (co-authored with Professor Hillary Mellinger at Washington State University), has been accepted for publication in the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal.
Professor Dadhania and co-author, Professor Hillary Mellinger at Washington State University, have been invited to publish a chapter in Volume 8 of Tibón: Colección de Estudios Traductológicos on Public Translation and Interpreting Studies. Their chapter is tentatively titled “Inclusive Dialogues on Asylum Interpretation” and is scheduled to be published in 2026.
Professor Dadhania presented her work-in-progress, “Inclusive Dialogues on Asylum Interpretation,” (co-authored with Professor Hillary Mellinger) at the Latina and Latino Critical Legal Theory (“LatCrit”) biennial conference in Denver, Colorado.
Associate Dean for Teaching and Assessment and Legal Writing Professor Amy Day
Professor Amy Day delivered the keynote address on October 5th at the annual commemoration of the wreck of the brig St. John in Cohasset, MA. The St. John was a passenger ship that sailed from Ireland to Boston at the height of the Great Irish Famine. Professor Day is the writer and composer/lyricist of In the Midst of Plenty, a folk musical set in Ireland in the time of the Great Famine; the show is currently in development in the U.K. and Ireland.
Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Development and Professor of Law Shawn Fields
Professor Shawn Fields was interviewed by ABC 10 News San Diego for its piece, "Judge says San Diego police officer stalked ex-husband, orders her to surrender firearms."
Clara Shortridge Foltz Professor of Law Jessica Fink
Professor Jessica Fink along with Dean Miriam Baer and Professors William Aceves and Lisa Shaw Roy presented, “First Monday: An Overview of the Supreme Court's 2025-2026 Term” as a virtual panel.
Professor Amy Kimpel gave a lecture focusing on post-conviction innocence work and the leading causes of wrongful conviction, using examples from the California Western Innocence & Justice Clinic's work (formerly known as the California Innocence Project) for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of California, San Diego.
Professor Kimpel presented her article, “Lone Star Lessons,” at the Latina and Latino Critical Legal Theory (“LatCrit”) biennial conference in Denver, Colorado.
Louis and Hermione Brown Professor of Law Kenneth Klein
Professor Kenneth Klein, supported by Community Law Project student clinician 3L Louise Twitchell, spoke on wildfire and insurance issues at a Fire Safety Fest held in Council District 1 on behalf of the Community Law Project and at the request of City of San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava.
Associate Professor of Law Nancy Marcus
Professor Nancy Marcus served as a justice in the University of California, San Diego Triton Tidal Invitational Moot Court competition.
Professor Marcus presented her article, "Trump’s War on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Unconstitutional Usurpation Through Obfuscation,” at the Latina and Latino Critical Legal Theory (“LatCrit”) biennial conference in Denver, Colorado.
E. Donald Shapiro Professor of Law Joanna Sax
Professor Joanna Sax updated her innovative casebook for Contracts, originally published in 2015. Joanna K. Sax, Contracts, available at https://www.chartacourse.com/.
Dean Emerita and Professor of Law Sean M. Scott
Professor Sean M. Scott spoke on Lawyers Club of San Diego’s panel, "Staying Power: The Retention Crisis Affecting Women of Color in Law.”
Professor Scott spoke on a webinar panel, “Interviewing Strategies for Law Faculty Candidates.,” hosted by the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) in partnership with the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Committee on the Recruitment of Faculty and Students.
Professor of Law Lisa Shaw Roy
Professor Lisa Shaw Roy along with Dean Miriam Baer and Professors William Aceves and Jessica Fink presented, “First Monday: An Overview of the Supreme Court's 2025-2026 Term” as a virtual panel.
Executive Director Community Law Project Clinic and Associate Clinical Professor Dana Sisitsky
Professor Dana Sisitsky, Executive Director of the Community Law Project, accepted the 2025 Bernard E. Witkin Award for Excellence in Legal Education presented by the San Diego Law Library Foundation, on behalf of the clinic, at the Witkin Award Dinner on Oct. 23rd.
