Irvine, Calif. (May 24, 2023) — The University of California, Irvine School of Law (UCI Law) is pleased to announce the election of the 2023-24 Executive Board for its flagship journal, the UC Irvine Law Review. Rising third-year student Kanomé Jones will serve as Editor-in-Chief, becoming the first Black student to hold the position. She succeeds Nicole Tackabery ’23.
This is also the second time in the Law School’s history that the Law Review has elected an all-female executive board. Founded in the spring of 2010, during the inaugural year of UCI Law, the Law Review is a student-run, student-edited journal. It promotes exceptional legal scholarship by featuring contributions from a spectrum of academic, practical and student perspectives.
The Executive Board members of UC Irvine Law Review Volume 14 are:
- Kanomé Jones, Editor-in-Chief
- Megan Bilbao, Managing Editor
- Brianna O’Leary, Senior Articles Editor
- Grace Palcic, Senior Research Editor
- Joanna Yam, Senior Notes & Comments Editor
- Wenny Zhu, Senior Diversity & Outreach Editor
“As a Black woman, my visibility carries immense value. Yet, to continue elevating conversations about diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, we must first see diverse identities in leadership positions within the law school community,” said Jones. “I am honored to serve as Editor-in-Chief and lend my unique perspective and experiences to the editorial process while creating a valuable and uplifting membership experience for my peers. This year, the Executive Board and I are committed to building sustainable strategies to diversify all areas of the Law Review as we continue to publish original, exciting and thought-provoking legal scholarship.”
In addition to serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, Jones has externed with the Honorable John A. Kronstadt of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and competed as an oralist with UCI Law’s Jessup International Moot Court team. Jones has volunteered for several pro bono projects at UCI Law, including the Transgender Legal Assistance Clinic, the Legal Aid Association of California and Community Legal Aid SoCal.
She has also served as a mentor in the law school community in roles such as a Research Fellow for Professor Alison Mikkor’s Lawyering Skills course, a Community Fellow with Student Life, an Admissions Ambassador and a Student Representative on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Committee. Jones has received a Pro Bono Achievement Award twice for completing more than 50 hours of pro bono work in a single semester.
UCI Law Dean Austen Parrish asks rising 3L Kanomé Jones what this accomplishment as the first Black UC Irvine Law Review EIC means to her. Full video out soon! WATCH CLIP
Jones received the Faculty Award for the course Lawyering Skills I and the Dean’s Award for Lawyering Skills II and Business Drafting. This summer, Jones will work as a summer associate at Milbank LLP and Gunderson Dettmer. Prior to attending law school, Jones received a B.F.A. in Theater and Acting at Missouri State University and worked for several years in Chicago as a casting director and producer for both storefront and larger theaters. She is from Little Rock, Arkansas, but spent her early childhood in Tacoma, Washington.
“It was an honor to serve as the Editor-in-Chief for Volume 13 of the UC Irvine Law Review,” said Nicole Tackabery. “I have full faith in Kanomé and the rest of the Volume 14 Executive Board and their ability to continue to shape and improve the journal.”
“Nicole Tackabery and the 2022-23 Executive Board did an exemplary job helming the UC Irvine Law Review, and the Law School is grateful for all their hard work,” said Dean Austen Parrish. “I am also thrilled that Kanomé Jones is taking on the top leadership spot and that she is joined by a talented incoming Executive Board. I have no doubt that under Kanomé’s leadership the Law Review will continue its remarkable trajectory.”
As a Black woman, my visibility carries immense value. Yet, to continue elevating conversations about diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, we must first see diverse identities in leadership positions within the law school community.
– Kanomé Jones, Rising 3L, EIC of the UC Irvine Law Review
About the University of California, Irvine School of Law
The University of California, Irvine School of Law is a visionary law school that provides an innovative and comprehensive curriculum, prioritizes public service and demonstrates a commitment to equity within the legal profession. UCI Law students have completed more than 147,000 hours of pro bono work since 2009. Forty-eight percent of UCI Law’s J.D. graduates are people of color. Black students on law school committees like Admissions and EDI, strong institutional support for BLSA, and the ratio of Black students to a small student body, give Black UCI Law students opportunities for critical input. Faculty research reflects unique issues like the history of racial inequity in California, race and inequitable healthcare access, as well as a strong focus on race and policing. In 2021, UCI Law became the first California law school requiring students to take a graded course substantially focused on “race and indigeneity, structural inequity and the historical bases for such inequity.”
At UCI Law, we are driven to improve our local, national and global communities by grappling with critical issues as scholars, as practitioners, and as teachers who are preparing the next generation of leaders. The collaborative and interdisciplinary community at UCI Law includes extraordinary students, world-renowned faculty, dedicated staff, engaged alumni and enthusiastic supporters. Connect with us on Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, and sign up for our monthly newsletter for the latest news and events at UCI Law.