David Oppenheimer is a Clinical Professor of Law in the Law faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. He serves as Faculty Co-Director of the Pro Bono Program and Director of the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law. Oppenheimer holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University Without Walls, Berkeley (1972), and a J.D. from Harvard Law School (1978). After graduating, he clerked for Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird of the California Supreme Court (1978-1979) and worked as a Staff Attorney for the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (1979-1986), where he prosecuted discrimination cases.

Oppenheimer's extensive career in legal education spans multiple institutions. At UC Berkeley School of Law, he was Lecturer in Law (1982-1987), Director of the Employment Discrimination Clinic (1982-1986), and Visiting Professor on several occasions before becoming Clinical Professor in 2009. He also served as Associate Dean for Faculty Development (2005-2009) and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (2000-2005) at Golden Gate University School of Law, where he was Professor of Law (1998-2009). Earlier roles include Associate Professor at JFK University (1990-1991) and Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law (1987-1990).

His scholarship focuses on comparative equality and anti-discrimination law. Oppenheimer is the lead author of the pioneering U.S. casebook Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law: Cases, Codes, Constitutions & Commentary (Foundation Press, 2012; subsequent editions 2017, 2020). Notable books include The Diversity Principle: The Story of a Transformative Idea (Yale University Press, 2026), The Global #MeToo Movement (co-edited, Full Court Press, 2020), Whitewashing Race: The Myth of a Color-Blind Society (University of California Press, 2003; winner of the 2004 Benjamin L. Hooks Outstanding Book Award, finalist for C. Wright Mills Award), and The Ubiquity of Positive Measures for Addressing Systemic Discrimination and Inequality (Brill, 2019). He has authored articles such as “Dr. King’s Dream of Affirmative Action” (Harvard Latinx Law Review, 2018) and “Be Careful What You Wish For: Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, The Assault on Civil Rights...” (Berkeley Journal of Labor & Employment Law, 2018). Oppenheimer has presented at prestigious institutions worldwide, including Harvard, Yale, Oxford, and Sciences-Po, and teaches courses on Civil Procedure, Comparative Anti-Discrimination Law, and pro bono leadership.

Professional Email: doppenheimer@law.berkeley.edu