Class Notes

“I thoroughly enjoyed law school and, at some point, it dawned on me that I could do this,” she says. “And I thought, ‘What the heck, I’ll be a lawyer.’ I haven’t looked back.”

A chance encounter with a National Labor Relations Board lawyer on BART nudged Keyes into labor and employment law, the field where she’s spent her illustrious career. Keyes started at the NLRB after graduation — after taking Labor Law in her final semester.

She was quickly recruited by one of the firms she’d admired while with the government. Her story of the interview reflects the steady drumbeat of sexism she and her contemporaries faced, as well as her quick wit and sharp mind.

“As we were getting toward the end, one of the two partners asked me, ‘So, what are your plans for having children?’” Keyes says, eyes twinkling. “And I said, ‘Well, it’s none of your business. But I’m so glad you asked, because now you must offer me a job.’”

Keyes quickly built a stellar reputation as a mediator, advocate, and go-to expert on California’s workplace laws, consistently topping local and national “best lawyer” lists in the field over the years.

“One of the things I’ve loved about practicing employment law, especially in California, is that we’ve been on the cutting edge of society,” she says. “When workers convey a need, Sacramento responds.”

Keyes says she highly values her Berkeley Law classmates, many of whom are now retiring, whether they live across town or across the country.

“I remember feeling this sense of empowerment that I don’t think any of us had ever felt before,” she says of her law school days. “We still have a bond, men and women. My classmates have been such a source of everything: comfort, camaraderie, knowledge, and friendship.” — Gwyneth K. Shaw

Even though De Vries got ample IP exposure growing up — his father is a retired pharmaceutical research scientist, his brother a Google software engineer — Berkeley Law is where career inspiration took hold.

“I encountered a really tremendous IP program with phenomenal professors: Robert Merges, Peter Menell, Pam Samuelson, and others,” he says. “The talented faculty sparked my interest in a profound way.”

De Vries earned an IP certificate, got involved in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, and never looked back. These days, he leans into the breakneck speed of technology advancements — and law’s need to keep pace.

“My work touches on everything under the sun and no two days have ever been the same,” he says. “While that can be stressful at times, it’s also intellectually stimulating. The changes in tech over the past 25 years are truly astonishing. I’ve had to work hard to have a stronger and deeper understanding of those industries my clients work in.”

Exhibit A: While on a big semiconductor case early in his career, De Vries bought the book Semiconductors for Dummies to learn more — a seminal moment that reflected the importance of staying both nimble and humble.

Even with his hectic schedule, he remains closely engaged with Berkeley Law and is a longtime donor to fund scholarships at the school.

“Berkeley Law is one of our state’s greatest institutions,” De Vries says. “It has a very noble mission to enable people from California and all over to make their lives better and to enable them to help make the world a better place. That touched me very personally in my own life. I feel strongly about the work Dean Chemerinsky and the faculty are doing, and Berkeley Law students are among the best people I’ve met.” — Andrew Cohen

He credits his time in the law school’s Death Penalty Clinic and East Bay Community Law Center’s Clean Slate Clinic with cementing his commitment to representing those who have no other option — and expanding his perspective of what a lawyer can do.

“Whether you’re working on helping take away somebody’s conviction from 15 years ago or jumping on a death penalty case, you can make a huge impact as an attorney. The reach of the law is vast and you can help in so many different ways,” he says. “Going into law school, I thought, ‘I need to do A and I’m only going to do A, and that’s it.’ I was very focused on one thing. The clinics helped me see I could do many things with my law degree.”

As a 3L, Mosqueda won the coveted Sax Prize for Clinical Advocacy, given to a graduating legal clinic student who displays excellence in advocacy and professional judgment.

In his current role, he mentors new attorneys and can tell right away who has clinical experience. Former clinic students arrive already comfortable dealing with clients, in particular those who are incarcerated, he explains, and are more collected in their work approach than their non-clinic colleagues.

“If working with people is going to be your main focus, you want to get your feet wet as quickly as possible so you know what to expect,” says Mosqueda, whose Death Penalty Clinic work included researching the demographics of Compton, California, for a jury selection project and interviewing family members of a client facing capital punishment.

His current federal defender role is rooted in his time at Berkeley Law: “What got me into law is working with people and trying to share their stories. A lot of the time no one’s ever spoken on their behalf. I like telling their story with their permission, and I want them to know somebody is fighting for them even though they might be going through the worst time in their life.” — Sarah Weld

Berkeley Law’s fifth female faculty member, Swift became an eminent scholar, particularly in Evidence. She twice chaired the Association of American Law Schools’ Evidence Section, and received its John Henry Wigmore Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2022.

For all her public achievements, Swift’s devotion to creating the Clinical Program, personal inspiration of students, and mentoring of women — on the faculty, in the classroom, and across the Evidence field — made her a beloved figure throughout the school community.

Berkeley Law held a memorial service honoring her Feb. 2, and created a webpage for people to share memories.

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Professor Jasmine E. Harris said that Swift “inspired generations of female law professors to ‘think big’ and enter an area of research that has historically been shaped by the work of male law professors.”