University of California, Irvine School of Law

The UC Irvine Law Community and Economic Development Clinic recently represented residents in the purchase of their mobile home park, Alisal Country Estates, for $12 million. The acquisition, completed on May 11, continues the clinic’s longstanding work of supporting community ownership.

The UC Irvine Law students who worked on the Alisal Country Estates closing were rising third-year students Amber Nelson, Alyssa Hamamoto, Tomas Chang, Ryan May, and Ray Zeng. Clinic students who worked on the representation in earlier semesters included Kevin Arreola, Amanda Hamilton, Kingsley Tony-Egbuniwe, Tyler Lowell, Ben Strehlow, Kelsea Clemente, and Ariana Keshishian. They worked under the supervision of UC Irvine Law clinical faculty Carrie Hempel, Adam Cowing, and Ana Marie del Rio.

CED began representing Alisal Country Estates, Inc. (Alisal) in spring 2025, and subsequent clinic teams have assisted Alisal in setting up a cooperative legal structure, drafting governance policies, and securing financing to make the purchase possible.

“Meeting residents in person made the work feel very real,” said rising third-year law student Alyssa Hamamoto. “It was rewarding to see how much this acquisition meant to the community and to know that our work could help residents preserve affordable housing and gain greater control over the future of their park.”

Images description: The Community and Economic Development Clinic team visits Salinas, California, as part of its work supporting the purchase of Alisal Country Estates.

Read more: https://news.law.uci.edu/2026/06/05/uc-irvine-law-community-and-economic-development-clinic-helps-salinas-farmworker-community-purchase-their-mobile-home-park/

Join UC Irvine Law's 2026 Supreme Court Term in Review as distinguished faculty and legal practitioners discuss the Court's most significant rulings and what they may mean for the future of law and policy.

Moderated by Dean Austen Parrish, the panel features Profs. Mario Barnes, Courtney Cahill, Robert S. Chang, and Ji Seon Song, along with Paul Watford, Partner at King & Spalding.

📅 Tuesday, July 7 | 🕞 3:30–5:00 p.m. PDT
📍 Irvine Barclay Theatre + Livestream
📌 Free and registration is required. Register now: https://zotspot.uci.edu/law/rsvp_boot?id=1944989

Presented by TorkLaw.

Image description: UC Irvine Law’s 16th Annual Supreme Court Term in Review, July 7, 2026, featuring an image of the U.S. Supreme Court building and presented by TorkLaw.

The Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality and Immigrant and Racial Justice Solidarity Clinic at UC Irvine Law filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of Vet Voice Foundation and the Korematsu Center in the case E.K. v. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) pending in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

DoDEA provides pre-K-12 education to children of military personnel around the world. Following President Trump’s Executive Orders banning “gender ideology” and “discriminatory equity ideology,” DoDEA removed hundreds of books, curricula on gender, race, and sexuality, and cultural awareness celebrations from its schools. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of DoDEA students, challenges DoDEA’s censorship of books, curricula, and cultural celebrations under the First Amendment.

In October 2025, a district court in Virginia entered a preliminary injunction declaring DoDEA’s enforcement of executive orders resulting in classroom censorship unconstitutional. The amicus brief urges the Fourth Circuit to affirm the district court’s preliminary injunction.

https://news.law.uci.edu/2026/06/05/korematsu-center-amicus-brief-first-amendment-case/

Image description: Text reads: “UC Irvine Law Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, and the Immigrant and Racial Justice Solidarity Clinic, filed an amicus brief in E.K. v. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) pending in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.”

Three teams from UC Irvine Law’s Ninth Circuit Appellate Litigation Clinic recently briefed and argued appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit — and by all accounts, the students rose to the occasion.

UC Irvine Law Class of 2026 graduates Victor Bao, Meng Diao, Carlos Fairbanks, Nicholas Liu, Nicholas O’Rilley and Solon Tan appeared before the Ninth Circuit under the supervision of Clinic Co-Directors Peter Afrasiabi and Kathryn Davis, and Michael Seplow of Schonbrun Seplow Harris Hoffman & Zeldes, LLP.

“The students all did an excellent job,” said Peter Afrasiabi. “The arguments are well worth watching — they demonstrate the advocacy training of the prior school year in real world deployment, and the use of the learnable advocacy and persuasion skills we focus so heavily on in the clinic.”
Watch the oral arguments: https://news.law.uci.edu/2026/06/05/uc-irvine-law-ninth-circuit-appellate-litigation-clinic-teams-argue-three-appeals-before-ninth-circuit-panels/

Image Description: Six UC Irvine Law students present oral arguments before Ninth Circuit panels as part of the Appellate Litigation Clinic.

A cohort of UC Irvine Law students and recent alumni have secured highly competitive public interest fellowships to champion access to justice. Five recent graduates have been selected for competitive post-graduate fellowships advancing housing rights, immigrant justice, civil liberties, employment law, and education equity — and three current students were awarded coveted summer fellowships in workers’ rights — a testament to the school’s enduring commitment to public service.

Together, their selections reflect both individual excellence and UC Irvine Law’s deep institutional commitment to training lawyers who go on to serve those who need it most.

“We are incredibly proud of these graduates and our continuing students,” said Dean and Chancellor’s Professor of Law Austen Parrish. “They have worked hard to get here, and the organizations that selected them are fortunate to have them. This is exactly what UC Irvine Law is about — training skilled, committed lawyers who go on to do meaningful and impactful work.”

Read more: https://news.law.uci.edu/2026/06/04/uc-irvine-law-students-graduates-public-interest-fellowships/

Image description: Portraits of eight UC Irvine Law students and recent graduates selected for prestigious public interest fellowships.

Professor Omri Marian was quoted in Bloomberg Law discussing two cryptocurrency tax cases that could shape how digital assets are taxed in the future.

“What they’re pursuing is tax exemptions in places where there is no tax exemption,” Marian said, noting that the cases could sidestep current IRS guidance.

Crypto Lawsuits Seek to Shape Tax Treatment of Newly Made Tokens Two federal court cases are serving as the testing grounds for when certain kinds of newly created cryptocurrency become taxable income, in an area where some legal observers say regulators haven’t yet established clear rules.

Behind every successful year at UC Irvine Law is a community of people who invest their time, talent, leadership, and support in our students and mission.

We were grateful to gather at the 2026 Dean’s Leadership Reception to celebrate our alumni, advisory board members, Dean’s Circle supporters, community leaders, faculty, staff, and student leaders who help make our work possible.

Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to UC Irvine Law.

Image description: Attendees mingle and pose for photos during the 2026 Dean’s Leadership Reception, celebrating the community of alumni, donors, faculty, staff, students, and supporters who help advance UC Irvine Law’s mission.

Congratulations to Tina Schindler, Associate Director of Academic Skills at UC Irvine Law, on receiving the 2026 Guiding Light Award from the Association of Academic Support Educators (AASE).

The award recognizes a member of the AASE community who consistently serves as a source of guidance, wisdom, and support for students, colleagues, and the broader profession. It honors individuals whose mentorship, leadership, and commitment to helping others succeed make the academic support community stronger and more connected, regardless of career stage.

“This well-deserved award reflects both Tina’s individual excellence and her generosity in sharing her expertise across the legal education community,” said Mary Basick, Assistant Dean for Academic Skills.

Read more: https://news.law.uci.edu/2026/06/01/tina-schindler-guiding-light-award-association-of-academic-support-educators/

Image Description: Tina Schindler holding her Guiding Light Award.

UC Irvine School of Law has appointed Maryam Meechka Zomorodian (’20) as Executive Director of Global Programs, leading the Law School’s global Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree Program. Zomorodian succeeds Khary Hornsby, who headed the program for nine years and who currently serves as a Fulbright Scholar at NOVA University in Lisbon, Portugal.

A UC Irvine Law alumna, Zomorodian has worked with Global Programs since 2021 and brings a strong background in legal education, student advising, and cross-cultural advocacy to the role.

“I am grateful to Khary Hornsby for all of his hard work in founding our Global LL.M. program and know that we are in good hands with Maryam, who is dedicated to delivering a world-class experience for foreign-trained lawyers,” said Dean and Chancellor’s Professor of Law Austen Parrish.

Learn more: https://news.law.uci.edu/2026/05/26/uc-irvine-law-appoints-maryam-meechka-zomorodian-executive-director-global-programs/

Image Description: Headshot of Maryam Meechka Zomorodian (’20) over a background image of the UC Irvine School of Law building. Text reads: “UC Irvine School of Law Appoints Maryam Meechka Zomorodian (’20) Executive Director of Global Programs.”