Angela Onwuachi-Willig (born 1973) is an American legal scholar. She is dean and professor of law at

Boston University School of Law The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Ap ...

and an expert in

critical race theory Critical race theory (CRT) is an academic field focused on the relationships between Social constructionism, social conceptions of Race and ethnicity in the United States census, race and ethnicity, Law in the United States, social and political ...

employment discrimination Employment discrimination is a form of illegal discrimination in the workplace based on legally protected characteristics. In the U.S., federal anti-discrimination law prohibits discrimination by employers against employees based on age, race, ...

, and

family law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriag ...

. She took the position in August 2018, having previously been the Chancellor's Professor of Law at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

Early life and education

Onwuachi-Willig was born in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and grew up in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. She attended

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

for her bachelor's degree and graduated in 1994 with membership in

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. She received her J.D. from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1997, where she was a Clarence Darrow Scholar. She was also the ''

Michigan Law Review The ''Michigan Law Review'' is an American law review and the flagship law journal of the University of Michigan Law School. History The ''Michigan Law Review'' was established in 1902, after Gustavus Ohlinger, a student in the Law Department ...

'' note editor, and an associate editor for the founding issue of the '' Michigan Journal of Race & Law''. After law school, she clerked for United States District Court Judge Solomon Oliver of the Northern District of Ohio and US Sixth Circuit Judge

Karen Nelson Moore Karen Mary Nelson Moore (born November 19, 1948) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Her chambers are in Cleveland, Ohio. Education Moore recei ...

. She went on to receive her Ph.D. in sociology and

African American studies Black studies or Africana studies (with nationally specific terms, such as African American studies and Black Canadian studies), is an interdisciplinary academic field that primarily focuses on the study of the history, culture, and politics of ...

from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. She practiced law as a labor and employment associate at

Jones Day Jones Day is an American multinational law firm based in Washington, D.C. As of 2023, it is one of the largest law firms in the United States, with 2,302 attorneys, and among the highest-grossing in the world with revenues of $2.5 billion. Foun ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

and Foley Hoag in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Career

Onwuachi-Willig joined the faculty of the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. History The law school was founded in 1865 by George Grover Wright and Chester C. Cole as an independent la ...

in 2006. In 2011, she was one of nine finalists nominated to fill three open seats with the

Iowa Supreme Court The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. The Court is composed of a chief justice and six associate justices. The Court holds its regular sessions in Des Moines in the Iowa Judicial Branch Building located at 1111 ...

. She was the youngest nominee, as well as the only woman and only member of a

racial minority The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...

. She was not selected. Onwuachi-Willig subsequently joined the

, where she held the title of Chancellor's Professor of Law. In 2018, she was named the new dean of Boston University School of Law, succeeding Maureen O'Rourke.

Awards

* AALS Derrick Bell Award (2006) *Fellow,

American Bar Foundation The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is a nonprofit research institute established in 1952 and located in Chicago, United States. The American Bar Foundation is located in the same building as Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in do ...

(2011) * Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Clyde Ferguson Award (2015) * Gertrude Rush Award (2016) from the Iowa Organization of Women Attorneys * John Hope Franklin, Jr., Prize (2018) from the Iowa Chapter of the National Bar Association Law and Society

Personal life

Onwuachi-Willig is married to physicist Jacob Willig-Onwuachi.

References

External links

Boston University School of Law - Faculty profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onwuachi-Willig, Angela Deans of law schools in the United States American university and college faculty deans Women deans (academic) 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics African-American legal scholars American legal scholars Boston University School of Law faculty University of Iowa College of Law faculty Grinnell College alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni Yale University alumni Jones Day people 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics 1973 births Living people People associated with Foley Hoag American people of Nigerian descent American women legal scholars