L. Song Richardson

Leah Song Richardson (born 1967/1968) is an American lawyer, legal scholar, and higher education administrator who was formerly president of Colorado College. Before becoming president of Colorado College, she was dean and a chancellor's professor of law of the University of California, Irvine School of Law. After leaving her role as president of Colorado College, she returned to being a professor of law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

On February 7, 2024, Richardson announced that she would leave her role as President of Colorado College effective June 30, 2024.

Education Richardson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. She was also an assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. At the time of her appointment, she was the only woman of color to lead a top-30 law school. On December 9, 2020, Colorado College announced that Richardson had accepted the post of president of the college; she began her position on July 1, 2021. She is the first woman of color to serve as the school's president.

Writing and scholarship Richardson's research focuses on implicit bias, criminal procedure, criminal law, and law and social science. She has examined implicit bias and prejudice in artificial intelligence technology. She co-edited the book "The Constitution and the Future of Criminal Justice in America," with John T. Parry of Lewis and Clark College, Portland. The book was published in 2014 by Cambridge University Press.

She is working on a forthcoming book examining the history of race in the United States, and implications for law and policy. The award recognizes exceptional contributions to legal education through mentoring, teaching and scholarship.

In 2018, she was named among "OC People of 2018" by OC Weekly.

Affiliations Richardson is a member of the American Law Institute and serves on the executive committee of the Association of American Law Schools.

Personal life

Richardson is African American and Asian American.