Brian E. Gray, Emeritus Professor of Law

Professor Brian E. Gray graduated from Pomona College, B.A. (1976) and UC Berkeley Law, J.D. (1979). He is the author of numerous books and articles in the fields of environmental law, water resources, public lands and natural resources, property rights and the constitution, and related subjects. He also has argued environmental and water resources cases before the California Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and other courts. Professor Gray is a recipient of the William Rutter Award for Excellence in Teaching, the UC Hastings Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Nature Conservancy's Volunteer Service Award.

Professor Gray currently is working on a series of interdisciplinary studies of California water policy with scientists, economists, and public policy specialists from the University of California, Stanford, and the Public Policy Institute of California. The publications from this study include California Water Myths (2009), Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation (2011), Water and the California Economy (2012), and Where the Wild Things Aren’t: Making the Delta a Better Place for Native Species (2012), Stress Relief: Prescriptions for a Healthier Delta Ecosystem (2013), and Integrated Management of Delta Stressors: Institutional and Legal Options (2013).

Professor Gray has served as a tutor and president of the board of directors of 826 Valencia, a nonprofit organization that provides after school tutoring, in-school assistance, and other educational services to students in the San Francisco schools. He also has served on the boards of 826 National, the Natural Heritage Institute, and the Berkeley Law Foundation.  Professor Gray is an advisor to the Hastings-to-Haiti Partnership and is working with the Haiti Justice Initiative and New York University’s Center for Human Rights & Global Justice to protect environmental and community interests that are at risk from proposed gold mining in Haiti.

Courses Taught: Environmental Law, California Water Resources, Federal and Interstate Water Resources, Property, Takings and the Environment Seminar, Environmental Law Seminar, and the American West Seminar

Expertise: Environmental Law, Water Resources Management, Public Lands and Natural Resources Management, Endangered Species, Property Rights and the Constitution