News Release
Contact:
Jim Greif
[email protected]
(202) 296-1593
Washington, D.C. (December 19, 2025) —The Michael A. Olivas Award for Outstanding Leadership in Diversity and Mentoring in the Legal Academy is an annual award presented jointly by four sections of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS): Civil Rights, Education Law, Minority Groups, and Student Services. Kathleen C. Kim, Professor of Law at LMU Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and Rachel F. Moran, Professor of Law at Texas A&M University School of Law, are the 2026 recipients of the Olivas Award.
The annual award serves to honor the legacy of Michael A. Olivas, who died in April 2022 after an illustrious career in law, most recently serving as William B. Bates Distinguished Chair in Law Emeritus at the University of Houston Law Center and the Director of the University of Houston’s Institute for Higher Education Law & Governance. In 2018, Olivas was awarded the AALS Triennial Award for Lifetime Service to Legal Education and the Law, the Association’s highest honor.
To commemorate his legacy, the award is bestowed upon a law faculty member or members who exemplify Olivas’s devotion to mentoring junior and aspiring faculty from underrepresented communities and to promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity in the legal academy.
Kathleen C. Kim is a Professor of Law and William M. Rains Fellow at LMU Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Her scholarship examines the Thirteenth Amendment and its relationship to immigration, workplace rights, and civil rights through the intersectional lens of race, gender, and class. She has been interviewed by numerous notable print media, radio, and television outlets on issues related to immigration and human trafficking. Currently, Professor Kim serves as the Chair of the AALS Section on Immigration Law’s Executive Committee.
“I am deeply humbled to receive the Michael A. Olivas Award,” said Professor Kim. “Professor Olivas showed us how transformative legal education can be when we invest in one another and stand firmly for justice. This award strengthens my resolve to continue fostering pathways for scholars and communities historically excluded from our profession.”
Rachel F. Moran is a Professor of Law and Director of the Education Law Program at Texas A&M University School of Law. Her expertise encompasses educational policymaking, Torts, Latino-related law and policy, race and the law, legal education, and the legal profession. She has published over 100 articles, book chapters, and short commentaries. Professor Moran is an elected member of the American Law Institute, a former president of the American Association of Law Schools, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a fellow with the UCLA Civil Rights Project.
“Michael A. Olivas was a staunch defender of academic freedom, a commitment that he coupled with an outstanding dedication to performing his academic duties,” said Professor Moran. “Through his vision and leadership, Michael showed how impactful faculty can be in addressing some of the greatest challenges our democracy faces. I often wonder how Michael might have responded to recent developments that are testing many of the principles he stood for. So, it’s a special honor to receive this award now—when his legacy matters more than ever.”
The selection committee for the award included Angela E. Addae (University of Oregon School of Law), Karen Halverson Cross (University of Illinois Chicago School of Law), and Bayrex Martí (University of California, Los Angeles School of Law). The award will be presented at the AALS Annual Meeting in New Orleans on January 9, 2026.
About AALS
The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), founded in 1900, is a nonprofit association of 174 member and 19 fee-paid law schools. Its members enroll most of the nation’s law students and produce the majority of the country’s lawyers and judges, as well as many of its lawmakers. The mission of AALS is to improve and advance legal education. AALS carries out its mission by promoting the core values of excellence in teaching and scholarship, academic freedom, and diversity, including diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints, while seeking to foster justice, and to serve our many communities–local, national, and international. In support of its mission, AALS serves as both the institutional membership organization for law schools, and as the learned society for law faculty.
