Five UCLA School of Law professors, including leading scholars in civil rights, human rights and international law, have received appointments to endowed faculty chairs. Four of the chairs are being filled for the first time.

Distinguished Professor of Law Kimberlé Crenshaw has been appointed to the Promise Institute Chair in Human Rights. A member of the UCLA Law faculty since 1986, Crenshaw is a founder of critical race theory. In scholarship that she produced at UCLA Law, Crenshaw devised the concept of intersectionality, which has become a mainstay in the analysis of law, gender and race. In addition to her UCLA Law appointment, she serves as the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia Law School and leads the independent African American Policy Forum. The chair was one of two that were created in 2017 with the $20 million gift that established the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law.

Distinguished Professor of Law Stephen Gardbaum has been appointed to the Stephen Yeazell Endowed Chair in Law. A preeminent expert in comparative constitutional law and human rights, Gardbaum has been a member of the UCLA Law faculty since 1998. He served as a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow, and his 2013 book,The New Commonwealth Model of Constitutionalism, has drawn wide acclaim. Gardbaum also serves on the council of the International Society of Public Law. The chair was established in 2011 with donations from several alumni and friends of the school. It is named for Interim Dean Emeritus and David G. Price and Dallas P. Price Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus Stephen Yeazell.

Professor of Law Kal Raustiala has been appointed to the Promise Institute Chair in Comparative and International Law. A scholar of broad impact, Raustiala has been a member of the UCLA faculty since 2000 and has been widely cited for his work on international law and intellectual property, with a recent focus on free expression in the digital age. He serves as the director of the Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA and is a former vice president of the American Society of International Law. 

Distinguished Professor of Law Richard Sander has been appointed to the Jesse Dukeminier Professorship in Law. He is a nationally recognized scholar in social and economic inequality, dedicating substantial energy to issues surrounding housing discrimination, disparities in the legal profession and affirmative action in law school admissions. Sander has been a member of the UCLA Law faculty since 1989. The chair honors the memory of UCLA Law Professor Jesse Dukeminier and was funded by the estates of Dukeminier and his longtime partner, Dr. David Sanders.

Professor of Law Richard Steinberg has been appointed to the Jonathan D. Varat Endowed Chair in Law. Also a professor of political science at UCLA, Steinberg has been a member of the UCLA Law faculty since 1996. He is an expert in international law and human rights, and he has served in leadership roles in a variety of organizations focused on global trade, international criminal law and economics. In 2019, he was appointed to the Trade and Environmental Policy Advisory Committee in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The chair is named for Dean Emeritus Jonathan D. Varat and was established in 2003 with gifts from a number of alumni and friends of the school. It was previously held by Distinguished Research Professor Carole Goldberg.

UCLA Law has 67 full-time faculty members and 33 endowed chairs.

“These five faculty members are among our most accomplished scholars and teachers,” says Dean Jennifer Mnookin. “We are pleased to be able to recognize their contributions in this way, and we are deeply grateful to the donors who made this possible.”