CU Law Profiles
Faculty Profile

Ahmed White

Criminal, Labor and Employment, Critical Legal Studies

You may also visit my faculty home page.

Hometown

A farm outside of Opelousas, Louisiana

Hobbies, Sports, or Extracurricular Passions

Hiking, canoeing, coffee-house conversation

Favorite Movie

Terrence Malick's Badlands

What were you doing before you came to the University of Colorado Law School?

I was a visiting assistant professor at Northwestern Law School

What do you consider to be one of your biggest accomplishments?

Passing the Louisiana Bar Exam after graduating from Yale Law School (no traditional grades) and not taking a review course (or at least not attending the one I subscribed to).

What do you like most about Boulder?

The University of Colorado School of Law is here.

What do you like least about Boulder?

Everything else.

Favorite Place To Eat Out in Boulder

None to speak of

Why did you decide to become a professor?

I've always been told in school I should be a professor. I never really decided to become a professor; I just followed a certain course.

What do you like most about teaching at CU?

My colleagues, both academic and staff, who are accomplished, engaged, and overall, very good company.

What area of law are you most interested in and why?

I'm most interested in labor law, in large part because it condenses the politics and the inherent injustice of law and contemporary society into something that can't be ignored or concealed by the platitudes of contemporary jurisprudence.

Are you involved with any student organizations?

I'm the faculty sponsor for Black Law Students Association and (with Todd Stafford) for the National Lawyers Guild. Every black student should be active in BLSA if only because BLSA has been so important, nationwide, to ensuring adequate opportunities for black students to attend good law schools like CU. Anyone with a real interest in social justice and the role of law in both advancing and retarding social justice should join the NLG.

What piece of advice would you give a student about getting the most out of law school?

Don't let school interfere too much with your education.

What piece of advice would you give a 1L or 2L as they choose their 2L and 3L courses?

Remember that this is a university program not simply a vocational school; take courses that interest you and that exercise your appetite for critical reflection, not just those that you imagine will be important to your career.

What are the top three reasons that you think a prospective student should choose CU Law?

1. The faculty and staff are outstanding. 2. The price is reasonable in an age when this is becoming increasingly hard to find. 3. The curriculum is diverse.

Could you describe each of the main classes that you teach, and give your explanation of what those classes are about?

Criminal Law: This is a basic introduction to substantive criminal law. It is required, so I don't have to give any pitch why one should take it.

Labor Law: This course is about the law as it relates to organized labor. It offers an introduction to statutory interpretation and the workings of administrative agencies while also highlighting the politics of law and the role of courts, especially, in imposing their politics into the workings of the law.

I also teach various seminars, most on the theme of the intersection of class, labor, and law.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Nope.