A special edition of Dean’s Den. A Restorative Justice 101 Workshop. Sessions with renowned leaders in the DEI space. LMU Loyola Law School (LLS) celebrated this year’s Diversity Week Sept. 23-26 with alumni speakers, a workshop, and even an art project to highlight LLS’ diverse community.
The week kicked off with the academic year’s first Dean’s Dean – a lunchtime fireside chat with a faculty member hosted by Fritz B. Burns Dean Brietta Clark. Professor Jonathan Harris joined Dean Clark to discuss his career arc from labor organizer to law professor.
“I wanted to tailor my legal education in a way to be most useful to continuing this work long-term,” Harris said. “With my scholarship, I try to focus on concrete problems that are not getting enough attention, and concrete solutions under existing legal frameworks.”
Diversity Week featured three alumni speakers. The South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) hosted one of Sheppard Mullin’s diversity and inclusion leaders, Kazim Naqvi ‘14, for a conversation about diversity in big law and championing diverse talent. Professor and Director of the Transactional Lawyering Institute Stephen Kong hosted a talk on business law with Raffi Babaian ’15, who is currently business and growth strategist for Dave’s Hot Chicken Founders’ Group.
The DEI Speaker Series, hosted by Associate Director of Student Services and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Alejandra Hernandez, welcomed Nicholas Mireles ’12 for a lunchtime Q&A. Mireles talked about his experiences at LLS as a first-generation law student and his life now as the founder of his own law firm specializing in immigration law.
Mireles said his parents – his dad is a line cook and his mom is a nurse – instilled in him a strong work ethic and made it clear that he would have to make his own dreams come true.
“I had a very clear understanding that no one was going to save me,” Mireles said. But, his hard work has paid off. “I assure you, every day I can’t believe I get to do what I do.”
He urged attendees to treat law school like a job: Their reputation matters and will follow them throughout their career. He also encouraged them to balance work and their personal lives so they don’t burn out.
A Restorative Justice 101 workshop hosted by Joseph Bernardo, director of DEI capacity building at LMU, and Jamal Epperson, assistant director of DEI initiatives at LMU, gave students and staff an introduction to restorative justice principles, practices, and their application in various contexts. Restorative justice is a paradigm shift from punitive measures toward healing and accountability, emphasizing repairing harm caused by wrongdoing rather than simply punishing offenders.
Tiffiny Blacknell, L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón’s chief of staff, spoke to students about her unique journey from veteran deputy public defender, prison abolitionist, and crime survivor to leading one of the nation’s most progressive prosecutorial offices.
Rains Library also got in on the Diversity Week fun. At “Rock Your Diversity,” students could paint a rock to express their identity. The rocks were placed in the Rose Garden on campus for all to admire.
