Matthew Clair

Matthew Clair is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and courtesy faculty in Law at Stanford University. His research focuses on law and society, race and ethnicity, cultural sociology, and criminal justice. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University and previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

His award-winning book Privilege and Punishment examines how race and class inequalities are embedded in attorney-client dynamics within criminal courts. Key themes include systemic marginalization of disadvantaged defendants and the paradox of legal control exacerbating inequalities. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the American Sociological Association.

Current projects include The Court Listening Project, a multi-method study of Bay Area courthouses, and evaluations of systems navigators in public defender offices. Clair’s work bridges academic scholarship with policy advocacy, emphasizing abolitionist frameworks and equitable legal reform.

• Education: A.B. (Harvard, Government), A.M. and Ph.D. (Harvard, Sociology)
• Awards: Walter J. Gores Teaching Award (Stanford), Ruth Shonle Cavan Young Scholar Award (ASC)