IRVINE, Calif. (March 12, 2024) — University of California, Irvine School of Law (UCI Law) Professor of Lawyering Skills Ezra Ross has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). Membership is limited to just one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by their peers and selected by the ABF Board.
The ABF Fellows is a global honorary society that recognizes attorneys, judges, law faculty and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities. ABF Fellows hail from nearly 40 countries and hold a wide variety of influential roles. Notable Fellows include the late United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsberg; Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor; Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts; and former United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Professor Ross has taught skills, doctrinal, and clinical courses. He helped develop the Federal Judicial Center’s national legal writing program for federal judicial clerks, supervised dozens of trials through UCLA’s trial advocacy clinic, and worked with local public interest organizations to provide legal services to the Orange County homeless population. He has written about the failure of law professors to embrace pro bono work, the causes of regulatory dysfunction, and the risks of empathic lawyering.
His forthcoming article, “Amorality in the Lawyering Skills Classroom,” 73 J. Legal Educ. __ (2024), explores client-centered lawyering as one facet of the “hidden curriculum” in 1L Lawyering Skills courses. In the article, Ross suggests imposing a client-centered lens in the 1L classroom can thwart, rather than promote, the goal of student reflectiveness about lawyering approaches, and can unwittingly advance a shriveled view of attorney morality and professional identity. The article’s abstract was shared on TaxProf Blog.
Professor Ross received his B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley with high distinction and his J.D. from Harvard Law School cum laude. He served as a federal judicial clerk, practiced complex commercial litigation, and was named a Super Lawyer-Rising Star four times.
About the ABF Fellows
The ABF Fellows serve as stewards of the American Bar Foundation, an independent, nonprofit research organization which conducts short- and long-term socio-legal research projects. The ABF’s mission is to serve the legal profession, the public, and the academy through empirical research, publications, and programs that advance justice and the understanding of law. The ABF’s research falls under one of three categories: learning and practicing law; protecting rights and accessing justice; and making and implementing law. The Foundation is committed to broad dissemination of research findings to the organized bar, scholars, and the public.
About the University of California, Irvine School of Law
The University of California, Irvine School of Law is a visionary law school that provides an innovative and comprehensive curriculum, prioritizes public service, and demonstrates a commitment to equity within the legal profession. Nearly half of all UCI Law’s J.D. graduates are people of color, and almost a third are first-generation students. At UCI Law, we are driven to improve our local, national, and global communities by grappling with important issues as scholars, as practitioners, and as teachers who are preparing the next generation of leaders. The collaborative and interdisciplinary community at UCI Law includes extraordinary students, world-renowned faculty, dedicated staff, engaged alumni, and enthusiastic supporters. Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, and sign up for our monthly newsletter for the latest news and events at UCI Law.