Jane K. Stoever
Clinical Professor of Law
Director, Domestic Violence Clinic
Director, UCI Initiative to End Family Violence
Expertise:
Domestic violence law, family law, clinical legal theory, feminist legal theory
Background:
Professor Stoever teaches Family Law and Legal Ethics and directs the UCI Law Domestic Violence Clinic, which represents abuse survivors in civil, criminal, immigration, and policy interventions in abuse. She also directs the interdisciplinary UCI Initiative to End Family Violence and co-chairs the Orange County Domestic Violence Death Review Team.
Her scholarly work focuses on the multiple oppressions abuse survivors face and explores ways that the law can better respond to complex experiences of intimate partner abuse. Her recent publications address firearm fatalities, reproductive coercion, and technology-enabled abuse, and her scholarship includes the book The Politicization of Safety.
She has advised the Obama and Biden administrations on domestic violence policy and has received awards for her service and advocacy, including the “Everyday Hero Award” from her county’s Bar association, a Congressional “Woman of the Year Award,” the “Justice for Children Leader Award,” and the UCI “Inclusive Excellence Spirit Award” and her city’s “Outstanding Supporter of Prevention Award” for her work in local high schools on abuse prevention and intervention.
Professor Stoever previously taught at Georgetown University Law Center, American University Washington College of Law, and Seattle University School of Law; served as a judicial clerk; and worked at legal aid offices and as a live-in staff member at a shelter for homeless families. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center. At Harvard Law School, she was a student attorney at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.
(Log in to view full course descriptions in the UCI Law Course Catalog)
Recent Commentary
- Jane K. Stoever, Universities Need to Address Sexual Harassment in the Gaming They Sponsor, Sci. Am. (Oct. 19, 2023).
- Jane K. Stoever & Karen Earl, Domestic Violence Survivors Are Endangered by Mandatory Police Reporting, Sacramento Bee (Aug. 1, 2023).
- Jane K. Stoever, The Supreme Court Should Back Firearms Restraints that Save Lives, Sci. Am. (July 20, 2023).
- Jane K. Stoever, Abusive Partners – Like Abortion Bans – Limit the Reproductive Rights of Their Victims, USA Today (June 28, 2019).
- Jane K. Stoever, How New U.S. Immigration Policy Is Hurting Domestic Violence Victims, San Diego Union-Trib. (June 26, 2018).
- Jane K. Stoever, Texas Shooting Shows Risk of Ignoring Relationship Violence, CNN Opinion (Nov. 10, 2017).
- Dave Min & Jane Stoever, Don’t Let Congress Eviscerate California’s Common-Sense Gun Laws, OC Register (Oct. 2, 2017).
- Jane K. Stoever, Domestic Violence Victims Shouldn’t Have to Choose Between Deportation and Medical Care, L.A. Times (July 17, 2017).
- Jane K. Stoever, The Deadly Combination of Firearms and Domestic Violence, Huffington Post (June 9, 2016).
- Michele Goodwin & Jane Stoever, Women’s Reproductive Liberty: A Football in a Match Played by and for Men, Huffington Post (April 1, 2015).
- Jane K. Stoever, Domestic Abuse “Ordinary” in U.S., CNN Opinion (September 16, 2014).
- Jane K. Stoever, Removing the Bias of Criminal Convictions from Family Law, 35 Yale J. L. & Fem. 1 (2024).
- Jane K. Stoever, Legally Recognizing Reproductive Coercion While Questioning Sexual Violence Exceptionalism, 51 J. L. Med. & Ethics 560 (2023).
- Klaudia Kosiak, Isaias Marcos Contreras, Jane Stoever, Julianne Toohey & Raymond Novaco, Organization-Based Factors Bearing on Provider Screening and Referral Practices for Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence, 37 J. Interpersonal Violence (2022).
- Domestic Violence Fatality Review: An Analysis of Over a Decade of Domestic Violence Fatalities in Orange County, CA: 2006-2017 (2022) (primary author with law students and interagency team).
- Jane K. Stoever, Title IX, Esports, and #EToo, 89 George Washington Law Review 857 (2021).
- The Politicization of Safety (Jane K. Stoever ed., NYU Press 2019)
- Jane K. Stoever, Access to Safety and Justice: Service of Process in Domestic Violence Cases, 94 WASH. L. REV. 333 (2019).
- Jane K. Stoever, Parental Abduction and the State Intervention Paradox, 92 Wash. L. Rev. 861 (2017)
- Jane K. Stoever, Mirandizing Family Justice, 39 Harv. J.L. & Gender 189 (2016)
- Jane K. Stoever, Teach Your Children Well: Preventing Domestic Violence, 13 Seattle J. for Soc. Just. 515 (2014)
- Jane K. Stoever, Enjoining Abuse: The Case for Indefinite Domestic Violence Protection Orders, 67 Vand. L. Rev. (2014)
- Jane K. Stoever, Transforming Domestic Violence Representation, 101 Ky. L.J. 483 (2013)
- Jane K. Stoever, Freedom from Violence: Using the Stages of Change Model to Realize the Promise of Civil Protection Orders, 72 Ohio St. L.J. 303 (2011)
- Jane K, Stoever, Stories Absent from the Courtroom: Responding to Domestic Violence in the Context of HIV and AIDS, 87 N.C. L. Rev. 1157 (2009)
- Jane K. Stoever, Domestic Violence, in The Child Abuse and Neglect Practice Manual (Council for Court Excellence ed., 2007)
- Jane K. Stoever, Litigating Domestic Violence Cases, in The District of Columbia Practice Manual (Laurie S. Kohn & Elizabeth Liu eds., 2006 & 2007)
During the past four years, Professor Stoever has organized and hosted an annual cross-disciplinary domestic violence symposium, with leading academics and audiences of more than 400 participants. Other events include:
- November 2025
Invited Panelist, “Family Home: Legal Realities & Human Dimensions, panel on Intake, Discovery, and Temporary Orders,” Orange County Bar Association - October 2025
Accepted Presenter, “Legislative Reform for Survivor Safety and Justice: Focus on Reproductive Coercion and Discovery Abuse Laws to Inspire Advocacy,” National Conference on Domestic Violence - September 2025
Invited Lecturer, “Domestic Violence Dynamics and Legal Responses,” UC Irvine Center for Psychology and Law’s Master’s in Forensic Psychology - May 22, 2025
Accepted Presenter, Contemporary Issues in Gender Justice, “Enjoining the Weaponization of Discovery,” Law and Society Annual Meeting - May 2, 2025
Invited Presenter, “Legislative Reforms for Survivor Safety and Justice,” Waymakers Annual Conference - April 23, 2025
Invited Presenter, “Domestic Violence, Mental Health, and Child Custody,” 6th Annual Child Maltreatment Conference, Children’s Hospital of Orange County - March 18, 2025
Presenter, “Connected Vehicles and Protections for Survivors: Passage and Implementation of SB 1934,” California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, statewide webinar funded by the Office of Violence Against Women - January 29, 2025
Invited Lecture, “Domestic Violence as a Primary Health Issue, Mandatory Reporting Laws and Complexities, and Legal Remedies to Abuse,” UC Irvine School of Medicine - April 2024
Presenter, Regulating Families Panel, Book Proposal: Removing the Bias of Criminal Convictions from Family Law, Association of American Law Schools, Conference on Clinical Legal Education. - January 2024
Presenter, SB 741, Discovery, and the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, Family Violence Appellate Project Statewide Training for Judges and Lawyers. - December 2023
Presenter, Domestic Violence Fatalities in Orange County: Results of a Decade-Long Study and Recommendations for Fatality Prevention, Domestic Violence, Child Custody, Litigation, and Firearm Fatality Prevention Conference, UCI Initiative to End Family Violence. - October 24, 2023
Presenter, "Removing the Bias of Criminal Convictions from Family Law," Yale Law School
- Starfish Award, UCI CARE (Campus Assault Resources and Education) 20th Anniversary Awards (November 2025) (for an individual who has “exhibited exceptional and sustained efforts to support CARE’s mission, programs, services, clients, and initiatives”)
- Recipient, 2025 Paul H. Chapman Award, Foundation for Improvement of Justice
- Piqui’s Law Honor from the California Protective Parents Association for legal analysis and advocacy to pass Piqui’s Law, which requires training of judges and custody evaluators, prohibits ordering abused children to reunification camps, and sets legal standards for child custody and experts in California (February 15, 2025)
- Faculty Roundup | October 2025
- Prof. Jane Stoever Received the Foundation for Improvement of Justice’s 2025 Paul H. Chapman Award
- Faculty Roundup | April 2025
- UC Irvine Law Rings in 2025 with National Leadership Roles in Law, Policy and Academia
- Professor Jane Stoever Honored with Women For: Orange County’s Suffrage Day Award
- Professor Jane K. Stoever Recognized as Outstanding Orange County Resident for Courageous Advocacy in Women’s Rights
- CalMatters: Car tracking can enable domestic abuse. Why turning it off is easier said than done
- Orange County Register: Sacramento Snapshot: New bill seeks to add protections for victims of abuse
- Scientific American: Universities Need to Address Sexual Harassment in the Gaming They Sponsor
- OC Register: Cook’s Corner mass shooting a horrifically common display of domestic violence
- Sacramento Bee: Domestic violence survivors are endangered by mandatory police reporting | Opinion
- Scientific American: The Supreme Court Should Back Firearms Restraints That Save Lives
- UCI Magazine: Striving Together to End Family Violence
- UCI News: Fighting back
- California State Assembly: Professor Stoever testified on June 20, 2023, before the state Assembly Judiciary Committee on Senate Bill 741 (Min), on behalf of UCI Law’s Domestic Violence Clinic clients
- UCI Magazine: Striving Together to End Family Violence
- UCI News: Prof. Jane Stoever was featured in UCI New's story highlighting efforts with UCI’s Initiative to End Family Violence and Domestic Violence Clinic
- preLaw: Prof. Stoever was listed as a leader in public policy in preLaw's Winter 2022 Issue
- UCI Law: Prof. Stoever Testifies before the California Senate Committee on Public Safety
- Times of San Diego: Prof. Stoever argues that California Senate Assembly Bill 2790 is critical for survivors of domestic violence
- The Orange County Register: Prof. Stoever comments on new law that says California judges can renew domestic violence protection orders
- The Sacramento Bee: Prof. Stoever comments on safety concerns for victims of domestic violence
- LAist: Prof. Stoever quoted on new report released by Orange County Domestic Violence Death Review Team
- Daily Pilot: Prof. Stoever and UCI Law Domestic Violence Clinic highlighted for new study of domestic violence deaths in Orange County
- CBS Los Angeles: WATCH: Prof. Stoever and the UCI Law Domestic Violence Clinic highlighted for new research report examining domestic violence fatalities in Orange County
- OC Register: Orange County Domestic Violence Death Review Team, co-chaired by Prof. Stoever, release report examining fatalities from 2006-2017
- preLaw Magazine: Prof. Stoever and UCI Law’s Domestic Violence Clinic highlighted for leadership in public policy work
- KPBS/CalMatters: Prof. Stoever quoted on California courts’ inability to follow through on disarming domestic abusers
- Black Voice News: Prof. Stoever quoted on increase in domestic violence homicides and survivor incarceration
- CEB:Prof. Stoever quoted on reproductive coercion and UCI Law’s Domestic Violence Clinic’s advocacy work in support of SB 374
- CalMatters: Prof. Stoever comments on lack of follow through on CA law requiring people who are the subject of a restraining order to surrender their firearms
- Sacramento Bee: Prof. Stoever comments on SB 654 expanding visitation and testimony protections for children in family court
- UCI Magazine: Prof. Jane Stoever and UCI Law student Amy Abshier highlighted for Domestic Violence Clinic work with the Orange County Domestic Violence Death Review Team
- Sacramento Bee: Prof. Stoever discusses California SB 374, reproductive coercion, and domestic violence
- Sacramento Bee: LISTEN: Prof. Stoever discusses reproductive coercion as a form of domestic violence
- Orange County Breeze: UCI Law’s Domestic Violence Clinic, led by Prof. Stoever, highlighted for research and advocacy work on California SB 374, adding reproductive coercion to the definition of domestic violence
- CA Assembly Judiciary: WATCH: Prof. Stoever testifies on SB 374 (Min) to add "reproductive coercion" to the definition of domestic abuse in California's Domestic Violence Prevention Act
- California Senate Judiciary Committee: WATCH: Prof. Stoever testifies before California Senate Judiciary Committee on SB 374, a bill providing protective orders for reproductive coercion under the Domestic Violence Protection Act
- UCI Law: Jane Stoever, UCI Law Clinical Professor of Law, Recognized with 2020 Inclusive Excellence Spirit Award