Dr. Christopher Tomlins

Biography

Christopher Tomlins joined Berkeley Law faculty in 2014. A trained historian from Johns Hopkins University, his teaching career began in 1980 at La Trobe University in Melbourne, where he served successively as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and University Reader in Legal Studies. In 1992, he joined the research faculty of the American Bar Foundation in Chicago, remaining until 2009, when he became Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine. His primary role at Berkeley Law is in the Jurisprudence Social Policy Ph.D. program, where he teaches courses focused on legal history, law, and slavery. Tomlins' recent book, published by Princeton University Press in March 2020, is titled 'Matter of Nat Turner: Speculative History,' examining the Nat Turner Slave Rebellion of 1831. His previous publications include works such as 'Freedom Bound: Law, Labor, and Civic Identity in English America, 1580-1865' and 'Law and Labor in the Early American Republic.' He has edited and contributed to numerous critical works in legal scholarship and has received several prestigious awards for his academic achievements. Tomlins continues to influence the field of legal studies through his research and publications, as well as his role in mentoring students in various law courses.

Research Interests