The Best Beloved Thing is Justice - Lisa KloppenbergLast month, Santa Clara University Acting President and Dean Emerita Lisa Kloppenberg published her new book “The Best Beloved Thing is Justice: The Life of Dorothy Wright Nelson” (Oxford University Press). Judge Nelson blazed a trail for women in the legal profession. She was one of only two women in her class at the UCLA School of Law (Class of 1953), was one of the first 14 female tenure-track law professors in the United States, and became one of the first women to lead an American law school when she became Dean of USC Gould School of Law in 1969. She later became a distinguished jurist on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Nelson also made enormous contributions to the alternative conflict resolution movement.

On Monday April 25, 2022, the Santa Clara Law–Stanford Law Conflict Resolution Workshop will host a program to celebrate Acting President Kloppenberg’s scholarly account of Judge Nelson’s contributions to the legal profession, gender equity, and conflict resolution. The Santa Clara Law Women & Law Association and Women of Stanford Law will co-host the workshop. Acting President Kloppenberg will give an overview of Judge Nelson’s influences on conflict resolution. Three distinguished conflict resolution scholars will then share their thoughts on the book: Dean Emeritus Jay Folberg, University of San Francisco School of Law; Janet Martinez, Director of the Gould Negotiation and Mediation Program at Stanford Law School; and Professor Margaret Russell, Santa Clara University School of Law. Professor E. Gary Spitko, Santa Clara University School of Law, will moderate the workshop. The program will also allow time for audience comments and questions. 

Please plan to join the conversation and celebration on April 25, 2022, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM in Charney Hall, Room 104. At the conclusion of the formal program at 1:00 PM, the conversation will move to Charney Hall’s Mabie Grand Atrium, where Acting President Kloppenberg will be available to sign copies of her book. If you are unable to attend in person, you will still be able to view the livestream of the event here.

Lisa Kloppenberg with Judge Dorothy Wright Nelson