Renee (Newman) Knake Jefferson is a law professor and an award-winning author. Her most recent book, Law Democratized: A Blueprint for Solving the Justice Crisis, hit the shelves in January 2024.
A Fulbright recipient and elected member of the American Law Institute, Jefferson regularly consults on matters related to lawyer/judicial ethics and the first amendment and lawyer speech.
She is an author of five books, more than 30 law review articles, and the highly-acclaimed book Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court. Her work has been featured in CNN Opinion, the New York Times, Politico, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and other news media. She regularly appears on television and radio, including MSNBC and National Public Radio.
Jefferson holds the Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics at the University of Houston Law Center where she teaches ethics, constitutional law, and a writing seminar on gender, power, law, and leadership. Her academic career began at Michigan State University, where she taught for a decade.
Jefferson was appointed to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019.
Watch Professor Jefferson testify before Congress about judicial ethics reform in 2021.
Watch Professor Jefferson talk about access to justice at the Legal Services Corporation in 2019
In conversation with Malcolm Gladwell, Brazos Books, Houston 2019
