Education

After obtaining a degree in History from Duke University, I earned a Masters of Education in Learning and Teaching at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. After teaching, I graduated with a J.D. from the New York University School of Law as both a Root-Tilden Kern Scholar and an AnBryce Scholar. I was also a Ford Foundation Public Interest Fellow at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Teaching and Writing

I am based in New York City and teach legal writing and legal methods at Columbia Law School, New York University School of Law, and New York Law School as an Adjunct Law Professor. I also have presented at law firms, bar associations, and at law schools and other educational institutions.

A New York University Law Review editor, my law review publication won the NYU Law School’s prize for most outstanding Note for the Law Review in international, commercial, or public law. I continue to write about a variety of issues, including race, public education, and legal pedagogy. In addition to the New York University Law Review, my writing has been featured in the Villanova Law Review, the Yale Law & Policy Review, and most recently, The Washington Post.

Professional Experience

I began my professional career as a high school teacher, which included instructional and curriculum design. Upon graduating law school, I served as a federal law clerk—at the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina (then Judge J. Michelle Childs, 2022 SCOTUS shortlist) and with then Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (Judge Theodore McKee). I litigated at the law firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison after clerking and now serve as the Associate General Counsel at a social policy firm aimed at improving public education and the lives of poor people.

I’ve co-taught a family law course with Brence for several years now. Lecturing is one thing. Effective teaching is another. From designing curriculum to managing classroom discussions, it’s clear that Brence actually teaches. And he does it superbly.

—Peggy Cooper Davis, NYU Law Professor of Lawyering & Ethics and Experiential Learning Lab Director