Gerald P. Lopez

Gerald P. López (born 1948) is Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law. He is also the author of several influential books about lawyering and law practice.

Education and early career López obtained his B.A. degree in economics from the University of Southern California in 1970 and his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1974.

He served as a judicial clerk for Edward J. Schwartz, then joined three other attorneys in founding a firm specializing in criminal defense, civil rights litigation and community mobilization.

Law students at Yale Law School have organized an annual public interest law conference called RebLaw, which was inspired by Lopez's book Rebellious Lawyering.

Writing He has published many books about lawyers as problem-solvers. He is an advocate of client-centered lawyering, rather than the traditional approach to law practice which sees the lawyer as all-knowing and the client as powerless and needing help. The Rebellious Lawyering Institute has sponsored three law conferences in New Mexico, in 2008, 2010, and 2013, and a fourth law conference at UC Hastings College of Law, San Francisco, California in 2014.