Herma Hill Kay

We share the sadness of our colleagues throughout the legal academy in the passing of iconic Berkeley Law Professor Herma Hill Kay.   Cribbing now from Berkeley Law's memorial notice:

Kay, who taught at Berkeley Law for 57 years, wrote seminal works on sex-based discrimination, family law, conflict of laws, and diversity in legal education. A powerful advocate for equality in legal education and for women’s rights under the law, she also published numerous articles and book chapters on subjects including divorce, adoption, and reproductive rights. 

In 1960, Kay became just the second woman to join the Berkeley Law faculty—hired when the first, Barbara Armstrong, announced plans to retire. During Kay’s tenure, the number of women students increased from a small handful to more than 50 percent of the class, and the number of women faculty grew exponentially.

She became the school’s first woman dean in 1992, serving for eight years. Despite facing severe budget restrictions and the 1996 passage of a California law barring public institutions from recruitment based on affirmative action, Berkeley Law thrived during her tenure with significant expansions to its curriculum, faculty, and clinical program.

Berkeley Law's memorial notice is here.

Comments

[Patrick S. O'Donnell]

Alas, it's with such memorial notices that some of us (like yours truly) first come to learn of the remarkable lives and works of women (and men) like Professor Kay: what a wonderful and inspirational legal career! I look forward to learning more about her life in the law.

[Alexander Tsesis]

Herma was a wonderful mentor. Whenever I telephoned or emailed, she would give freely of her time, bestowing me with wise counsel about conflict of laws pedagogy and scholarship. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to know and learn from her.

[Margaret Ryznar]

Very sad news indeed--it seems like just yesterday we were applauding her at AALS for receiving the 2015 lifetime service award.