Anastasia M. Boles

Charles C. Baum Professor of Law;
Director, Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform

(501) 916-5406 | Room 523
Email: [email protected]
Faculty Assistant: Sam Smith | Room 524 | (501) 916-5440 | [email protected]

Curriculum Vitae

Anastasia M. Boles believes the study and practice of law can be a tool of personal, client, and community empowerment. Her approach to teaching is to push students to think deeply about the societal impact of legal rules and their future role as ethical practitioners and community leaders. Boles’ classes are highly interactive; she uses a variety of teaching tools such as Socratic questioning, group exercises, practical assignments, and clicker technology. As a scholar, Boles examines the intersection between labor and employment law and legal issues involving race, age, gender, sexuality, disability, and class. She also examines the need for culturally proficient legal education and lawyering.

Professor Boles previously taught at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. Before teaching, she was in private practice with corporate firms in Los Angeles and New York.  Her practice focused on employment litigation, labor litigation, white-collar criminal defense, securities litigation, and general civil litigation. Professor Boles maintained an active commitment to pro bono representation, and was part of the legal team recognized with a 2001 Gideon Award from the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for representation of New York County Lawyers’ Association in a highly publicized pro bono litigation. She served as a judicial clerk for the late Honorable Napoleon A. Jones, Jr., of the United States District Court, Southern District of California.

Professor Boles graduated with honors from Stanford University where she dual majored in political science and sociology. She is a Columbia Law graduate and served on the editorial board of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review and the National Black Law Journal. In addition to her journal work, Boles was an executive board member of the Black Law Students Association, a student senator, and was recognized for her pro bono work as an intern with the Harlem Legal Aid Society. She is currently a member of the California state bar and was a member of the New York state bar until July 2011.