Rachel J. Anderson

Rachel J. Anderson is a Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where she serves as Director of the International, Transnational & Comparative Law Program and Co-Director of the Business & Commercial Law Concentration. Her academic and professional roles reflect a deep commitment to legal education, public service, and social justice.

Her areas of expertise include:

• Business Law
• Corporate Governance
• Good Governance
• Human Rights
• International Business Transactions
• International Law
• Poverty Law and Policy

She teaches Business Organizations, International Business Transactions, and International Law, and her research centers on governance in both public and private sectors, particularly as it intersects with poverty, business, and international law. Her recent scholarly work, such as Revisiting Complexity Theory’s Lessons for Poverty Regulation and Alleviation, reflects a trend toward interdisciplinary legal analysis, integrating systems theory with poverty law to propose innovative regulatory solutions.

Her numerous accolades highlight her impact:

• UNLV 2024 Community Engagement Service-Learning Award
• State Bar of Nevada Medal of Justice (2012)
• Outstanding Non-Traditional Career Award, National Bar Association (2024)
• Inclusion in Lawyers of Color Magazine’s Diversity 50 Under 50 List (2014)

Rachel Anderson has also held significant advisory and leadership roles, including General Counsel for the Nevada Attorney General’s Office (2019–2021), Director of the Poverty Law & Policy Clinic (2023–2025), and membership on the boards of Nevada Legal Services and the American Society of Comparative Law. She was recently elected Chair-Elect of the AALS Section on Poverty Law, underscoring her national influence in legal education and poverty law advocacy.

She is actively involved in advancing diversity and mental health in the legal profession, having led panels on burnout among Black women lawyers and contributing to clinical legal education reform through the AALS Conference on Clinical Legal Education.