Jasleen Kohli is the Director of the Critical Race Studies Program at UCLA School of Law. The Director of the Critical Race Studies Program is the primary administrator of the CRS specialization, and is also responsible for the development and management of CRS Program activities aimed at the broader law school community.
Kohli has practiced in the areas of civil rights, labor law and policy development, and her work revolves around integrating Critical Race Theory principles into practice. Prior to joining UCLA Law, Kohli served as a policy and research analyst for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), a leading advocacy organization dedicated to promoting sustainable economic development. At LAANE, Kohli developed and advocated for innovative policies designed to address social inequality in the hospitality industry, one of the largest low-wage sectors in the city. Prior to her position at LAANE, Kohli was the first staff attorney at UNITE HERE Local 11, the union representing hotel and food service workers.
Kohli received her J.D. from Harvard Law School, and her B.A. from UC Berkeley with High Honors in English literature, with an emphasis in postcolonial theory. While a student at Harvard Law, she co-directed and produced a highly regarded documentary on issues of race and legal pedagogy entitled Legally Black and Brown and Yellow and Red.