Swethaa Ballakrishnen

Swethaa Ballakrishnen is a prominent academic and socio-legal scholar currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Stanford University, where her research focused on the intersections of law, globalization, and social stratification. Additionally, she has obtained law degrees from the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research in India and Harvard Law School.

Her work explores critical themes such as gender parity in the legal profession, as evidenced by her award-winning book Accidental Feminism, which discusses unintentional social movements within India's legal landscape. Ballakrishnen is also engaged in various leadership roles, including serving as the Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development at UC Irvine and co-directing several research centers focused on empirical studies of the legal profession and socio-legal studies.123

In addition to her teaching and research, she is actively involved in academic communities, holding positions in organizations like the Law and Society Association and the American Sociological Association. Her contributions to the field have earned her recognition, including awards for her scholarship and teaching excellence.234