Afra Afsharipour

Afra Afsharipour is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law at the University of California, Davis School of Law. She served as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2018 to 2024 and teaches courses in business associations, mergers and acquisitions, startups and venture capital, and antitrust.

• B.A., Cornell University (magna cum laude, 1996)
• J.D., Columbia Law School (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, 1999)

Her research focuses on comparative corporate law, corporate governance, and mergers and acquisitions. Recent work explores ESG integration in dealmaking, gender dynamics in corporate law, and inclusive leadership practices. She has contributed to global discussions on board diversity, risk management, and shareholder rights.

Her publications have been featured in top journals like the University of Chicago Law Review and Vanderbilt Law Review, with recognition as a Top Ten Corporate and Securities Article in 2011 and 2023. She has delivered talks in India, China, and Taiwan and serves on editorial boards such as the Asian Journal of Law and Society and the Indian Law Review.

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• Elected member of the American Law Institute (ALI)
• ECGI Research Member (2023)
• American Bar Foundation Fellow (2019)
• AALS Outstanding Mentor Award (2018)
• Lawyers of Color’s 50 Under 50 list (2014)

Prior to academia, she practiced at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, focusing on mergers, securities offerings, and corporate governance. She clerked for Judge Rosemary Barkett on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.