Boyd Law Welcomes Ten New Faculty Members, Expanding Strength in Key Legal Fields

The William S. Boyd School of Law is thrilled to welcome ten new faculty members this fall whose expertise spans criminal law, dispute resolution, environmental law, legal writing, legal tech (and AI), and more.

“Our new faculty members bring not only deep expertise in their legal fields, but also exceptional teaching experience,” said Dean Leah Chan Grinvald. “Each one of them strengthens our ability to prepare students for meaningful and impactful careers in the law.”

The newest members of the Boyd Law community represent a dynamic blend of legal scholars, practitioners, and educators who will teach across core and emerging areas. Their arrival reflects Boyd’s ongoing investment in a future-facing, practice-ready driven legal education.

Maryam Ahranjani (Professor of Law)

Professor Maryam Ahranjani teaches and writes in the areas of constitutional rights, criminal law and procedure, and education law. Nationally recognized for her scholarship and teaching, she is the recipient of the 2023 Deborah L. Rhode Award from the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and the 2020 American Bar Association (ABA) Raeder-Taslitz Award for excellence in teaching criminal law. Her professional honors include election as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, recognition as an Albuquerque Woman of Influence, and the Early Career Teacher of the Year award from the University of New Mexico. 

A dedicated public servant and leader, Professor Ahranjani actively engages in legal and educational reform. She has co-authored amicus briefs, advised school districts on issues of equity and inclusion, chaired law school committees, and served on both local and national nonprofit boards. Her leadership roles include several appointments to the ABA and AALS in various capacities. She also led the National Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, which trains law students to teach high school students their constitutional rights and responsibilities, and directed the Washington, DC and Albuquerque chapters of the Project. 

Before joining Boyd Law, Professor Ahranjani was a Professor of Law at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Fluent in Spanish and Persian, Professor Ahranjani brings international experience to her work. She previously served as a legal consultant in Guatemala, where she designed and implemented human rights training and civic education initiatives in collaboration with governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

Shih-Chun “Steven” Chien (Associate Professor of Law)

Professor Shih-Chun “Steven” Chien teaches and writes in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, professional responsibility, evidence, comparative law, and empirical legal studies. His interdisciplinary research -- grounded in doctrinal, comparative, and empirical methods -- examines prosecutorial and police discretion, police interrogation practices, Miranda warnings, prosecutor socialization, and institutional reforms in law enforcement. He publishes in both English and Mandarin, offering sociological and historical perspectives on the legal profession and criminal justice systems. 

Before joining Boyd Law, Professor Chien served as Assistant Professor of Law at Cleveland State University College of Law (2022–2025) and as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan. He was also a Research Social Scientist at the American Bar Foundation in Chicago, where he led empirical research on the legal profession. His major project, Portrait Project 2.0: Asian Americans in the Legal Profession, investigates how self-selection and structural bias shape professional outcomes for Asian American lawyers.

Professor Chien has collaborated with justice system stakeholders across jurisdictions. He has advised prosecutors' offices on post-conviction review, asset forfeiture, and data-informed prosecution strategies. As a fellow with Fair and Just Prosecution, he focused on wrongful convictions and Conviction Integrity Units. He has also worked with Taiwan’s Academy for the Judiciary, designing courses on the U.S. criminal justice system, and served on San Francisco’s Street Violence Response Team. His work bridges empirical inquiry and real-world reform to promote fairness and accountability in criminal justice.

Meredith Esser (Associate Professor of Law)

Professor Meredith Esser’s teaching and scholarship center on second look advocacy, sentencing law, and conditions of confinement. Her work has appeared in the Minnesota Law Review, the Fordham Law Review and the Iowa Law Review Online and has been featured on the widely read Sentencing Law & Policy blog. A frequent speaker on criminal justice reform, she regularly presents to legal practitioners and has been interviewed on the Public Defenseless podcast.

Before joining Boyd Law, Professor Esser was a faculty member at the University of Wyoming College of Law, where she directed the Defender Aid Clinic and supervised students in post-conviction and compassionate release matters.

Earlier in her career, Professor Esser served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender, representing clients in federal courts in Colorado, Wyoming, and before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. She began her legal practice at Arnold & Porter LLP, where she worked on major pro bono cases involving prison conditions and systemic reform in the criminal legal system.

Professor Esser clerked for Judge Rosemary Barkett on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and Judge Russel F. Canan, then Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division of the D.C. Superior Court. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to public defense, decarceration, and the pursuit of justice for incarcerated individuals.

Suzanna Geiser (Associate Professor of Law)

Professor Suzanna Geiser teaches Lawyering Process at the William S. Boyd School of Law, bringing a deep interdisciplinary background in law and the humanities to the classroom. Her teaching emphasizes clarity, precision, and the critical thinking skills essential to effective legal communication.

Before joining Boyd Law, Professor Geiser was an Assistant Legal Research and Writing Professor at Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, where she taught courses in advanced legal writing and the law and literature of civil rights. Earlier in her academic career, she served as a Teaching Assistant Professor and Teaching Fellow in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Professor Geiser earned her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law, where she was an editor of the Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice. She practiced corporate and transactional law in the private sector before transitioning to academia. She also holds a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.A. in English from North Carolina State University.  Her broad academic training informs her approach to legal education, not only by supporting students in developing sophisticated writing and analytical skills grounded in legal doctrine, rhetorical awareness, and narrative technique but also by fostering an understanding of law as a deeply human endeavor.

Raef Granger (Assistant Professor-in-Residence & Assistant Director of Academic Success Program)

Raef Granger joins the William S. Boyd School of Law as Assistant Professor in Residence and Assistant Director of the Academic Success Program, bringing over 20 years of experience in law, education, entrepreneurship, and coaching. His teaching focuses on academic and life skills essential for law school success, including writing, outlining, time management, and stress resilience.

Before UNLV, he served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law and taught as adjunct faculty at the UNH Paul College of Business and NHTI. He began his legal career in 1997 and ran a client-centered practice focused on solopreneurs, personal injury, and bankruptcy. He also served as staff and regulatory counsel at the New Hampshire Banking Department.

Professor Granger is known for his work in professional development, overcoming mindset barriers, and supporting personal and professional joy—including Raef’s Masterclass, a leadership forum for entrepreneurs. He holds a J.D. from UNH Law, a B.A. in English, and an M.S.Ed. from SUNY Geneseo. He is licensed (inactive) to practice law in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Latisha Nixon-Jones (Associate Professor of Law)

Professor Latisha Nixon-Jones is a prominent scholar and educator in the fields of Disaster Law, Insurance Law, Commercial Law, Advanced Legal Writing, and Sports Law. She brings extensive experience in legal education, law practice, and community advocacy to the William S. Boyd School of Law.

Before joining Boyd Law, Professor Nixon-Jones held teaching appointments at several institutions, including Jacksonville University College of Law, the University of Oregon School of Law, Stetson University College of Law, and Southern University Law Center. Her broader teaching portfolio also includes Torts, Environmental and Disaster Law, Business Law, Professional Responsibility, and Legal Writing.

Her scholarship focuses on legal responses to disasters, insurance and risk management, resilience-building, and access to justice. She is the author of Developing Resilience through Collaboration (forthcoming, 2026) and Beyond Recovery: Reimagining the Legal Academy’s Role in Disaster Law (2023). In 2025, she published “Building Resilience: The Role of Public‑Private Partnerships in Disaster Management for Vulnerable Communities” with the Jacksonville University College of Law. Her work has been published in the Cleveland State Law Review, the Journal of the Legal Writing Institute, The Conversation, and other outlets.

In addition to her academic work, Professor Nixon-Jones previously operated her own law firm with a focus on personal injury, disaster relief, and social security law. She also served in public service roles with the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Today, she serves as a consultant to cities and states on legal frameworks for disaster preparedness, insurance coverage, and equitable recovery strategies.

A dedicated mentor and nationally recognized speaker, Professor Nixon-Jones is an active leader in the legal writing and disaster law communities, committed to equipping students for meaningful and impactful legal careers.

Citlalli Ochoa (Associate Professor of Law)

Professor Citlalli Ochoa specializes in international human rights law, social movements, and workers’ rights advocacy. She brings extensive experience as both a legal educator and practitioner, with a deep commitment to advancing social justice through her teaching and community-centered advocacy.

Before joining the Boyd Law, Professor Ochoa taught at American University Washington College of Law, where she was a Practitioner-in-Residence and served as Acting Director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic. In that role, she oversaw students working on advocacy and litigation before international bodies, including the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Her work also included supervising student attorneys who represented asylum seekers in immigration court and contributed to death penalty abolition efforts.

Previously, Professor Ochoa led the Workers’ Rights Clinic at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and practiced employment law with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. She began her career with the International Justice Resource Center, first as a fellow and later as a staff attorney, advocating for the robust interpretation of human rights law and accountability of human rights oversight mechanisms. 

Professor Ochoa earned her J.D. from UC Irvine School of Law, where she served as Lead Article Editor of the UC Irvine Law Review, and holds a B.A. in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara. Fluent in Spanish, she is dedicated to expanding language access in legal services and empowering students to become effective, equity-driven advocates in both domestic and international contexts.

Aparna Polavarapu (Professor of Law)

Professor Aparna Polavarapu is a legal scholar whose teaching and research focus on restorative justice, international human rights, and comparative law. She joins Boyd Law   as a Professor of Law and the new Co-Director of the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution. 

Professor Polavarapu brings with her a deep commitment to justice-centered legal education, interdisciplinary scholarship, and community collaboration. Her work explores the interplay between human rights, state authority, and community-based legal systems. Her scholarship has examined gender-based violence, land rights, legal pluralism, and transformative justice, with publications in leading law journals and contributions to edited volumes. She is a frequent speaker on both community-level justice mechanisms and the global dimensions of justice. In addition, she has received multiple awards for her teaching, research, and service, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Social Justice Award from the University of South Carolina. 

Prior to joining Boyd Law, Professor Polavarapu served as a Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina School of Law. While there, she founded the South Carolina Restorative Justice Initiative, which promoted education and dialogue about restorative and transformative justice practices and worked with local partners to support and expand restorative practices and other community-led justice work. She holds a J.D. and LL.M. in Advocacy from Georgetown University Law Center and an M.A.L.D. from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. 

Professor Polavarapu is dedicated to building a more just and inclusive legal system through education, scholarship, and service and is looking forward to collaborating with our communities in Nevada.

Tom Romero (Professor of Law)

Professor Tom I. Romero II, J.D., Ph.D., is a legal historian and interdisciplinary scholar whose work explores the intersections of law, race, and inequality -- particularly in the American West. He brings his nationally recognized expertise in legal history, water law, environmental and natural resources law, property law, and race and the law.

Prior to joining Boyd Law, Professor Romero served as a Professor of Law and affiliated faculty in History at the University of Denver, where he also directed the Interdisciplinary Research Institute for the Study of (In)Equality (IRISE). He held multiple leadership roles at DU, including Interim Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence Research.

Professor Romero’s scholarship examines the legal structures of racial inequality in areas ranging from school desegregation and immigration to land use and water governance. His recent work focuses on racial inequities in water policy and participatory research on access to water rights in Latinx and other underserved communities. He is currently completing a book on multiracial law and politics in post–World War II Denver and is starting a comparative project on water rights, settler-colonialism, migration, and urban growth in Western Australia and the arid American West. 

Born and raised in Denver, Professor Romero earned his B.A. in History and Public Affairs from the University of Denver and his M.A., J.D. (cum laude), and Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan. He previously taught at Hamline University and served as a Western Legal Studies Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder.

He serves on numerous advisory boards, including the Colorado Water Trust, Lost Highways (a podcast from History Colorado), and the Black Coloradoan Racial Equity Study Commission. Professor Romero is a sought-after speaker and commentator on the legal history of the American West and the evolving relationship between race, law, and the environment.

Drew Simshaw (Professor of Law)

Professor Drew Simshaw specializes in legal technology, artificial intelligence, access to justice, and legal ethics. As a Professor of Law, he brings his extensive experience in legal practice, public interest advocacy, and innovative legal education.

Professor Simshaw holds a B.A. from the University of Washington, a J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law—where he served as Articles Editor for the Federal Communications Law Journal—and an LL.M. in Advocacy with distinction from Georgetown Law.

Prior to joining Boyd Law, he was an Assistant Professor at the Gonzaga University School of Law and a Visiting Associate Professor of Law, Legal Practice at Georgetown University Law Center. He also served as a supervising attorney at Georgetown’s Institute for Public Representation where he advocated for public-interest clients before federal agencies and appellate courts on communications and technology law issues. His work on behalf of individuals with disabilities earned him the 2017 H. Latham Breunig Humanitarian Award from Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Professor Simshaw’s scholarship addresses the ethical challenges of AI in law practice, emerging legal technologies, and the impact of these innovations on legal education and access to justice. His notable publications include the Fordham Law Review article, “Toward National Regulation of Legal Technology: A Path Forward for Access to Justice.” He regularly presents at national conferences, including for the Association of American Law Schools and the Legal Writing Institute, focusing on the ethical and pedagogical dimensions of legal AI.