Alumni

Mila and Ernie Llorente ’75 have made a gift to establish a public interest internship fund at UC Davis School of Law. 

The Mila and Ernie Llorente ’75 Public Interest Internship will provide stipends to support students who work for city or county governmental agencies during the summer, with a preference for positions in the Bay Area.

James Gallagher ’07 has been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, filling the Northern California District 1 seat long held by Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who died in January 2026.

Gallagher won the June primary special election to serve out LaMalfa’s term. A state Assembly member for 12 years, Gallagher served as Assembly Republican Minority Leader from 2022-25. Before the Assembly, Gallagher served on the Sutter County Board of Supervisors.

Alice L. Kessler ’03 is the Co-Managing Shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Sacramento office, where she also serves as Co-Leader of the California Government Law & Policy Group and Co-Chair of the firm’s LGBTQ+ Affinity Group. She is an accomplished legislative strategist with deep relationships among California policymakers, thought leaders, and community-based organizations.

More than a decade after completing his LL.M. degree at UC Davis School of Law, Luis Pereda (LL.M. ’13) has built an impressive resume having served as a university dean, held posts in both the Executive and Judicial branches of the Mexican government, been elected to the Supreme Court of Mexico's Evaluation Committee of the Federal Judicial Branch, and built a parallel life as a law professor, bar association treasurer, and host of Mexico's first legal news program. We asked Luis to reflect on the journey, and his answers speak for themselves.

UC Davis School of Law is pleased to announce that California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District Associate Justice Shama Mesiwala ’98 will deliver the keynote address at its Class of 2026 commencement on Saturday, May 9 at the Mondavi Center.

Professors Courtney Joslin and Brian Soucek co-organized and participated in the West Coast Sexuality, Gender and the Law Conference, held March 13-14 at UC Irvine School of Law.

Joslin presented her article “Birth Certificates, Biology, and (In)Equality.” Co-authored with Yale Law Professor Douglas NeJaime, the article is forthcoming in the Northwestern University Law Review.

Roya Ladan ’12 is a Partner at Cohen Williams LLP in Los Angeles, specializing in employment law and advising on complex criminal and civil matters, including fraud, trade secret misappropriation, and business disputes. Her experience representing clients on both sides offers a well-rounded perspective on challenges and opportunities. She also serves on the board of the Employment Round Table of Southern California and the Pro Bono Council for Inner City Law Center.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Erin Reed ’10 as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge.

Reed had served as a senior appellate court attorney at the Second District Court of Appeal since 2017, and as a Second District appellate court attorney for three years before that. From 2010-13, she was a judicial clerk at the New Mexico Court of Appeals.

By Carla Meyer

UC Davis Law prides itself on its graduates working in a wide variety of settings. The Super Bowl halftime show was a new one, though.

Desiree Velasco Zavala ’06 played violin in the orchestra during Bad Bunny’s spectacular performance during Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8 – even sharing the screen with the music superstar at a few points.

On Feb. 4, Third District Court of Appeal Justice and King Hall Adjunct Professor Shama Hakim Mesiwala ’98 and her Appellate Advocacy class attended California Supreme Court oral arguments at a special setting of the court in Sacramento’s historic Library and Courts Building.