Rate My Professor Zelda Harris

Zelda B. Harris serves as Dean and Professor of Law at Western New England University School of Law, a position she has held since August 1, 2023. A Massachusetts native, she earned a B.S. from Syracuse University and a J.D. from Washington University School of Law. Harris began her legal career as an attorney at the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation in Alton, Illinois, providing services to clients facing barriers to representation due to income, race, gender, and other factors. She later served as a staff attorney in the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern University School of Law. At the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, she was a Clinical Professor of Law, directing the multi-disciplinary Domestic Violence Law Clinic and co-directing the Child and Family Law Clinic. For over a decade at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, she directed the Dan K. Webb Center for Advocacy as the Mary Ann G. McMorrow Professor of Law, overseeing curriculum development for J.D. certificate and L.L.M. programs in advocacy, elevating the trial advocacy program to national ranking. In 2021, she acted as interim dean, revising the mission statement to prioritize dismantling racism and oppression, achieving the highest percentage of diverse students in an entering class and hiring faculty aligned with that focus.