The National Law Review and Wickard Name University of San Francisco School of Law Dean and Two Faculty to the Inaugural ‘Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia’ List
SAN FRANCISCO (September 2, 2026) – The University of San Francisco School of Law (USF Law) is proud to announce that Dean and Professor Johanna Kalb, along with Michele Benedetto Neitz, Professor and Founding Director of the USF Law Center for Law, Tech, and Social Good, and Alexandria Serra, Associate Professor, have been named to the ‘Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia’ list, published by The National Law Review and Wickard. The recognition honors the educators, administrators, researchers, and academic leaders shaping the future of legal education.
“Our location in the heart of San Francisco gives us a front-row seat to how quickly GenAI is transforming society and the legal profession,” said Dean Kalb. “As a law school with a proud tradition of training practice-ready attorneys, we see it as essential that our students learn to use these tools with skill and judgment, and that they have a voice in the broader conversation about AI’s impacts on the world."
The distinction highlights legal educators developing innovative programs, launching new centers, modernizing curricula, and ‘preparing students to meet the evolving demands of the legal profession’. The inaugural class was selected by an independent Selection Committee, reflecting a broad range of contributions to legal education, from curriculum development to scholarship, technology, and professional training.
“Having three members of our law faculty named to the Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia list is a remarkable honor,” said University of San Francisco Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Eileen Chia-Ching Fung. “Their bold commitment to reimagining legal education reflects USF’s level of innovation and dedication to rigorous academics.”
Dean Johanna Kalb, University of San Francisco School of Law
“Dean Kalb recognized early on that legal education needed to evolve in order to prepare graduates for the current practice of law. Thanks to her foresight and leadership, USF was the first law school in the country to integrate AI learning outcomes into the required core curriculum.”- The National Law Review
Michele Benedetto Neitz, Professor and Founding Director, Center for Law, Tech, and Social Good, University of San Francisco School of Law
“As founder and academic director of the University of San Francisco School of Law’s Center for Law, Tech, and Social Good, Michele Neitz has developed an academic center that functions as both a research institution and a training ground for future lawyers, lawmakers, regulators, and policy professionals. Under Neitz’s leadership, USF Law has developed an AI & Emerging Technology Law Certificate that provides students with structured training in legal doctrine, ethics, regulation, and practical technology use.” - The National Law Review
Alexandria Serra, Associate Professor, University of San Francisco School of Law
“Associate Professor Alexandria Serra’s innovative work sits at the intersection of generative AI, experiential learning, and advocacy education, with a focus on a critical question: how can law schools use AI not simply to teach students about technology, but to help them become better lawyers? She has designed and implemented 15 AI-powered advocacy tools, including simulated hot-bench and witness-preparation programs, and her article on reinventing advocacy training received the 2025 Stetson National Advocacy Writing Competition Award.” - The National Law Review
The first of its kind in legal education, USF Law integrated GenAI into its first-year curriculum in 2025 as a core part of how students learn to think, write, and advocate as legal professionals. By embedding GenAI into legal education early, USF Law is helping students build the skills and judgment they’ll need to lead in a profession that is rapidly evolving.
About the University of San Francisco
Founded in 1912, the University of San Francisco School of Law educates skilled lawyers who graduate with the professional knowledge and theoretical foundation necessary to succeed in the legal profession. The USF School of Law offers a rigorous education with a global perspective in a diverse, supportive community. USF Law offers full- and part-time Juris Doctor programs that empower students to develop their analytical abilities, master legal writing and research skills, acquire a firm foundation of the law, explore an array of specialties, and refine their professional legal skills in practical settings. The law school also offers Master of Laws (LLM) programs in Taxation, Intellectual Property and Technology Law, and a general, customizable LLM (for foreign lawyers), and a Master of Legal Studies in Taxation (MLST) for non-lawyers. The USF School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. For more information, visit https://www.usfca.edu/law.
