Camille A. Nelson is a Canadian-Jamaican law professor and dean of the
William S. Richardson School of Law
The William S. Richardson School of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the school is named after its patriarch, former Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice Will ...
at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu.
Early life and education
Born in Jamaica, Nelson graduated with her bachelor's degree from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, earned her law degree from the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...
, and an
LL.M.
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject.
In many jurisdi ...
from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
."Historic firsts in Suffolk Law naming",
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
(25 June 2010), p. B8.
Career
In 1994, Camille Nelson became the first black woman to clerk at the
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; , ) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants eac ...
when she was selected by Justice
Frank Iacobucci
Frank Iacobucci (born June 29, 1937) is a former Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1991 until he retires from the bench in 2004. He was the first Italian-Canadian judge on the court. Iacobucci was also the first judge on the ...
. In 2000, Nelson became Professor of Law at
Saint Louis University School of Law
The Saint Louis University School of Law (also known as SLU Law) is the law school affiliated with Saint Louis University, a private Jesuit research university in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has been American Bar Association approved sin ...
. Nelson served there until becoming a Visiting Professor of Law at
Washington University School of Law
The Washington University School of Law (WashU Law) is the law school of Washington University in St. Louis, a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1867, it is the oldest continuously operating law school west of the ...
. In September 2010, Nelson became the first woman and the first person of color to lead
Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School (also known as Suffolk Law School) is the Private university, private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in Downtown Boston, downtown Boston, across the street from the Boston Common and the Fr ...
as a Dean and Professor of Law. At Suffolk, Nelson launched the Law Practice Technology and Innovation Institute, a law technology academic concentration and programs designed to provide access to legal services for people experiencing economic hardship. Nelson visited
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuban thaw, becoming the first American law school dean to do so since the Cuban Revolution, and facilitating discussions which enabled a class of Suffolk University Law School students to attend a course in Cuba. After Suffolk, Nelson was appointed Dean and Professor of Law at the
American University Washington College of Law
The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL or WCL) is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of northw ...
. During Nelson's tenure AU," r the first time saw three specialty programs ranked in the top five in the 2021 ''
U.S. News
''U.S. News & World Report'' (''USNWR'', ''US NEWS'') is an American media company publishing news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. The company was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and ...
'' Specialty Rankings – Clinical Program #2, International Law #4, and Trial Advocacy #4." in 2017, Nelson was awarded
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City.
The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...
's Distinguished Alumni Award for her "excellent work as a scholar, practitioner, faculty member, and speaker, and
or her
Or or OR may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* "O.R.", a 1974 episode of ''M*A*S*H''
* ''Or (My Treasure)'', a 2004 movie from Israel (''Or'' means "light" in Hebrew)
Music
* ''Or'' (album), a 2002 album by Golden ...
outstanding service to the legal community". Nelson is the first woman to serve as dean of the
William S. Richardson School of Law
The William S. Richardson School of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the school is named after its patriarch, former Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice Will ...
.
Nelson is an expert on the intersection of
critical race theory
Critical race theory (CRT) is an academic field focused on the relationships between Social constructionism, social conceptions of Race and ethnicity in the United States census, race and ethnicity, Law in the United States, social and political ...
and cultural studies with particular emphasis on criminal law and procedure, health law, and comparative law.