Helen Y. Chang

Helen Y. Chang serves as Professor of Law at Golden Gate University's School of Law, teaching core curriculum including Civil Procedure I & II (LAW 700A/B), Community Property (LAW 808A), Criminal Law (LAW 710), International Criminal Law (LLM 373), and Property (LAW 715). Her administrative leadership includes serving as Interim Dean of Law Student Services and Interim Director of the LLM in Taxation Program.

Specializing in Family Law, Community Property, and Criminal Law, Professor Chang's research critically examines legal frameworks through historical and social justice lenses. Her work interrogates doctrines affecting marginalized groups—from transgender parents' rights to putative spouses' claims—while analyzing legislative failures in property classification and constitutional protections.

Publications spanning 2003-2018 reveal consistent focus on doctrinal evolution in family and criminal law. Early work challenged custody standards for transgender parents (2003), progressed to community property classifications (2008, 2015), and expanded to constitutional history of suicide rights (2018). Key trends include California-specific statutory analysis, dissenting judicial opinions as catalysts for change, and critiques of 'best interests' standards.

Professor Chang has held significant administrative roles including Interim Dean of Law Student Services and Interim Director of the LLM in Taxation Program, demonstrating institutional leadership beyond classroom instruction. Her scholarly contributions directly inform curriculum development in civil procedure, property law, and criminal justice courses.