Rachel F. Moran is Professor of Law and Director of the Education Law Program at Texas A&M University School of Law. She was previously the Distinguished and Chancellor’s Professor of Law at UC Irvine School of Law, Dean Emerita and Michael J. Connell Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law, and the Robert D. and Leslie-Kay Raven Professor of Law at UC Berkeley School of Law. Her research focuses on civil rights, education law and policy, and legal rights related to Latinos. As the inaugural William H. Neukom Fellows Research Chair in Diversity and Law at the ABF, she launched a research project on “The Future of Latinos in the United States: Law, Opportunity, and Mobility” with Robert Nelson, the ABF’s Director Emeritus. In 2026, she received the Michael A. Olivas Award for Outstanding Leadership in Diversity and Mentoring in the Legal Academy from the Association of American Law Schools.
Q: What does being an ABF Fellow mean to you?
Being an ABF Fellow is a great honor. It means that I can join a distinguished network of leaders in the legal profession who are committed to ensuring the highest standards of integrity and excellence in all that they do. It also means that I can support the work of prominent researchers whose studies offer deeper insight into the rule of law, legal education, and law practice. That research is vital to ensuring a bright future for our profession.
Q: Where do you consider your hometown and what is your favorite thing about it?
My hometown is Yuma, Arizona, a border community in the Sonoran Desert. I love the beautiful sunsets, starry night skies, and temperate winter weather.
Q: Why did you decide to pursue a career in law and academia?
I originally planned to go into law practice, but one of my first-year professors at Yale Law School urged me to consider a career in academia. After graduation and a judicial clerkship, someone on the hiring committee at Berkeley reached out to me about interviewing there. I was surprised but decided to pursue the opportunity. I am so glad I did!
Q: If you hadn’t pursued a career in law, what would you have done?
I think I would have enrolled in graduate school to get a Ph.D. in psychology. That was my undergraduate major, and I thoroughly enjoyed all my classes and the chance to help professors doing experimental research.
Q: Who is your professional hero?
My professional hero is the late Herma Hill Kay, the first woman dean at Berkeley Law. She was a wonderful role model and mentor to me, and she courageously broke though many barriers for women in the legal profession with intelligence, determination, and grace.
Q: Anything else you’d like to share with us?
I feel very fortunate to be an ABF Fellow. The path to this distinction was not foreordained. My parents were always extremely supportive, and I also benefited from the help of able mentors like Herma Hill Kay along the way. Doors opened to opportunities that had largely been unimaginable before, and kind and generous people helped me to be ready to walk across the threshold and find my way.