Alumni

United States Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed Sarah F. Torres ’07 as an immigration judge at the new Concord Immigration Court in Contra Costa County.

For five years, Torres served as managing attorney for the immigration legal services program at the Opening Doors nonprofit in Sacramento. Before that, she was a partner at Tomlinson & Torres PC. 

Dean Kevin R. Johnson and Professor Gabriel “Jack” Chin spoke on the panel “Contemporary Civil Rights Issues: 2024 and Beyond,” on May 18 at the Unity Bar Summit at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Clara Levers '03 to serve as a Yolo County Superior Court judge on an interim basis.

Levers won election in March to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge and fellow King Hall alum David Rosenberg ’74. The governor’s appointment allows Levers to take the bench before her official January 2025 start date.

A Woodland native, Levers has served as a California deputy attorney general since 2008.

Dean Kevin R. Johnson and Maggy Krell ’03 spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Raheem Hosseini for a May 19 story about how former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears to be encouraging Christian nationalism,  which was once considered a fringe element of Christianity.

Michelle Lauron ’94 was elected as a San Bernardino Superior Court judge in March. 

Lauron, a San Bernardino County supervising deputy district attorney, defeated Dieter Carlos Dammeier, a California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board administrative law judge, in a landslide victory.

Lauron joined the San Bernardino District Attorney’s office just after law school, in 1995. 

The Georgetown Environmental Law Review published an article by Sarah Chen Small ’23 titled “Toxic Film: Analyzing the Impact of Films Depicting Major Contamination Events on the Regulation of Toxic Chemicals.”  

Kristy Young Coleman ’08 is Lead Counsel at Airbnb. Previously, she was Counsel at Goodwin Procter’s San Francisco office, specializing in real estate with a focus on hospitality assets. She began her legal career at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, where she focused on commercial finance and bankruptcy. Kristy has an extensive background in politics, beginning before law school and continuing today. She currently serves on the UC Davis School of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors.

What drew you to real estate and hospitality law?

Dina Randazzo ’08 is Of Counsel at EPGR Lawyers in Orange County, California, where she specializes in complex business disputes. Previously, she practiced at Latham & Watkins, LLP and Schilling Law Group, PC. At King Hall, Dina graduated first in her class and was admitted to the Order of the Coif. She is the President of the Public Law Center Board of Directors and serves on the UC Davis School of Law Alumni Board where she co-chairs the Student Alumni Outreach Committee and runs the mentorship program.

What drew you to business litigation?

Professor Christopher Elmendorf appeared on KQED’s Forum radio program on Feb. 15 to discuss San Jose’s efforts to move from car-heavy sprawl to denser, more walkable neighborhoods.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Saul Garcia ’94 and Richard Miadich ’02 as Superior Court judges. Garcia and Miadich will serve in Stanislaus and Sacramento counties, respectively.

Garcia is a veteran deputy public defender for San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties and former directing attorney at California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.

Miadich has served as chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission since 2019.