1L Malorie Frayssinet profiles Professor Pat K. Chew, who is the Sullivan & Cromwell Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School this semester from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Professor Chew’s curiosity for the law developed when she was working at the Career Counseling Center for the University of Texas. During her time counseling individuals, she realized that she wanted to learn more about the bigger systems that were affecting people and decided to attend law school. While enrolled, she found that she loved delving into legal questions. After graduating, she spent some time working in corporate law for Baker & McKenzie and then decided to explore teaching as a profession. Professor Chew was excited about the freedom she had as a legal faculty member to pursue research in topics about which she was really interested. Moreover, she has loved the interactions she shares with her students, and she enjoys being able to play a role in helping law students develop their passions at such a critical point in their lives. Seeing that the law is so interwoven into the fabric of society, she feels privileged to have the opportunity to have some part in the education of future lawyers who will move on to shape the justice system.
Professor Chew grew up focusing on values of hard work and dedication. She began to explore her identity as both a woman and a racial minority in a number of ways throughout her career path. This prompted her to think reflectively about her own identity and how she could address issues of inequality, which ultimately affected her research interests and her involvement with activities in her profession more broadly. She began to research, write articles, and give presentations regarding sexism and racism in the workplace. She also became involved with the Association of American Law Schools, where she actively participated in the organization’s efforts to diversify the academy.
Some of Professor Chew’s research includes studying whether gender makes a difference among judges and among arbitrators. She was teaching employment discrimination law at the time and was intrigued by the notion of “the reasonable person.” Part of her research focused on sex discrimination and harassment, and she wanted to explore whether it makes a difference if the “reasonable person” is a female or a male. In these types of cases, where most plaintiffs are women, the available research shows that a plaintiff is more likely to be successful if they have a female judge. Professor Chew theorized that this is so because women judges are more likely to identify with the arguments that are being made, because they recognize sexual discrimination and harassment in fact patterns where a male judge might not.
When asked what advice she has for the women of the WLA, Professor Chew reminds us to always believe in ourselves and to trust that what has made us so accomplished up to now will serve us well in the future. Finally, use your amazing talents to build a better world for us all.
More information regarding Professor Chew’s research and publications can be found here.
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