Faculty Profile

Kenneth Williams

Professor of Law

B.A., Government, 1983, University of San Francisco; J.D., 1986, University of Virginia; Member, Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania State Bars

Courses    Publications

Email:
Phone: (213) 738-6806
Room: BW427

A national authority on capital punishment who currently represents several death row inmates in Texas, Kenneth Williams knows firsthand the complexities of criminal law. He has taught and published extensively on the subject for the past fifteen years, while defending clients in dire straits.

Professor Williams began his legal career in New Orleans, investigating allegations of unfair labor practices for the National Labor Relations Board, and helping indigent clients secure housing, public benefits and other assistance as an attorney with the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation. In 1989, he began teaching at Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law where he also served as associate dean for Academic Affairs and successfully petitioned the U.S. Department of Education to fund a Homeless Advocacy Law Clinic. After thirteen years at the school, as well as visiting professorships at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Hawaii, Professor Williams joined the faculty at Gonzaga University School of Law in 2002. He has been a member of the Southwestern faculty since 2004.

A member of the Death Penalty Litigation Committee of the State Bar of Texas, Professor Williams has authored numerous articles and spoken at professional forums around the country on capital punishment and related subjects. He has been successful before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. District Court in obtaining new trials and hearings for inmates convicted and sentenced to death in violation of their constitutional rights, and recently won a major victory when the court granted habeas relief for one of his clients on death row. "It was very gratifying to be able to help someone," he said, "to right a wrong, and vindicate his constitutional rights." Professor Williams enjoys bringing his vivid personal experiences into the classroom. "I think students appreciate hearing about what happens in the real world," he commented.