University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law welcomed nine new educators for the 2026–27 school term. This group offers diverse legal mastery across trial advocacy, policymaking, mediation and student achievement. Their collective knowledge elevates existing institutional initiatives while training students to graduate as courtroom-ready attorneys.

New faculty members at McGeorge School of Law include: 

• Ashley Boulton ‘12, Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice
• Amber Cain, Emerging Technologies Librarian and Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice
• Paige Davidson ‘19, Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice
• Jingkang “Jake” Gao, Assistant Professor of Law
• Simone Leighty ‘20, Visiting Professor of Law
• Athanasios “Nasos” Mihalakas, Visiting Professor of Law
• Chinwe Ohanele, Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice
• Natalia Ramírez Lee, Assistant Professor of Law
• Rachel Van Cleave, Professor of Law

Ashley Boulton

Ashley Boulton ‘12 joined the faculty at McGeorge in 2025 as a Visiting Professor of Law in the Global Lawyering Skills program and was appointed Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice in 2026. Professor Boulton teaches Torts, Professional Responsibility, and Global Lawyering Skills I, II, and III.

She clerked for Ninth Circuit Judge Consuelo María Callahan ’75 for two years and spent more than a decade in private practice focusing on appeals and complex litigation. 

Since graduating, Professor Boulton has remained active with McGeorge’s moot court program as an alumni coach and has also mentored students in high school law academies. Her practical experience as a litigator and teacher will benefit students preparing for diverse legal careers.

"I am thrilled to return to the McGeorge community to serve as a member of the faculty. I look forward to leveraging my years of experience in the community to help ensure our talented students are prepared to thrive in today's legal landscape," Boulton said. 

Boulton received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a JD degree from University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

Amber Cain

Amber Cain joined McGeorge School of Law in July as the Emerging Technologies Librarian and an Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice. Cain teaches Global Lawyering Skills I and II.

Before her appointment at McGeorge, she served as Seton Hall Law School's Technology and Research Services Librarian and Assistant Professor. 

She also completed a residency program for her JD degree at Stetson College of Law. She earned a JD degree from Elon University School of Law, a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Florida State University.

“I have very much been enjoying exploring Sacramento and getting settled in as a faculty member at McGeorge,” Cain said.

Paige Davidson 

Paige Davidson ‘19 joined McGeorge in 2025 as a Visiting Professor of Law and was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice in 2026. She teaches courses on Evidence and Global Lawyering Skills I, II, and III. 

She clerked for U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley for more than five years. During her clerkship, Professor Davidson worked on a high volume of civil and criminal cases and gained valuable insight into effective advocacy from a court’s perspective. 

Professor Davidson previously taught Global Lawyering Skills as an adjunct professor and has served as an alumni moot court team coach. She hopes to inspire students to master practical legal research, writing, and oral advocacy skills that are vital to success in the legal field.

“As a proud McGeorge alum, I’m excited to give back to the community that shaped me as a lawyer and teacher. I hope to inspire students to become not only skilled, thoughtful advocates, but also kind people who use their legal education to make their communities better,” Davidson said.

Davidson received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a JD degree from University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

Jingkang “Jake” Gao

In July, Jingkang “Jake” Gao joined the McGeorge School of Law faculty as an Assistant Professor of Law. Gao teaches courses on Torts, Behavioral Economics & the Law, and Law and Emerging Technologies.

Gao’s scholarship explores how human actions and technological innovations transform and test legal systems. 

Gao’s article, “Formal Neutrality and Unequal Liability: How Algorithmic Aversion Distorts Liability for Algorithmic Torts,” was published in the Santa Clara Law Review in 2026. 

Before joining the faculty at McGeorge School of Law, Gao worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law and Ribstein Fellow at the University of Illinois Urbana-Campaign. 

“I’m excited to join McGeorge and become part of a community committed to rigorous scholarship, thoughtful teaching and meaningful public engagement,” Gao said. “My research focuses on emerging transportation technologies and regulation, and Sacramento is an especially exciting place to do this work, given California’s leadership in these fields.”

He received a BSE degree from Princeton University, a JD degree from Columbia Law School, and a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Simone Leighty 

Visiting Professor of Law Simone Leighty ‘20 joined the full-time faculty in August. She teaches courses on Mock Trial Evidence I and II, California Civil Pretrial Litigation, and Expert Testimony. 

Leighty has taught at McGeorge as an adjunct professor for several years and has coached mock trial competition teams since 2020. In the spring, Leighty received the university’s Gary Podesto Award for Excellence in Student Life Service and Mentorship. 

Previously, Leighty worked at the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office and practiced transportation and employment litigation at Schroeder Schaff & Low for five years.

Leighty received a bachelor’s degree from the California State University, Fresno and a JD degree from University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

During her time as a student at McGeorge, Simone earned several competition titles, including: Tournament Finalist at Drexel Law School’s “Battle of the Experts” Inaugural Tournament in 2018; Tournament Champion and Best Advocate (Preliminary Round and Final Round) at Loyola Law School’s National Civil Trial Competition in 2018; and Regional Champion and National Finalist at the National Trial Competition hosted by the Texas Young Lawyer’s Association in 2020.

Most notably, Simone was invited to participate as one of only sixteen competitors at Baylor Law School’s prestigious national Top Gun Mock Trial Tournament during her second and third years, having earned the title of Tournament Champion in 2020.

Athanasios “Nasos” Mihalakas

Athanasios “Nasos” Mihalakas joined the McGeorge School of Law faculty as a Visiting Professor of Law. Mihalakas teaches courses on Global Lawyering Skills and Property Law.

Professor Mihalakas has been a law professor for over 15 years. Most recently, Professor Mihalakas served as a Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law from 2020 to 2025.

Prior to that, Professor Mihalakas worked for 10 years in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. federal government, as a policy analyst for international trade and economic issues.

“Writing has always been a passion and a struggle for me. Legal writing in particular can be very challenging for students, but it’s also one of the most important things they will learn in law school. I very much look forward to helping students at McGeorge navigate this challenging field,” Mihalakas said. 

Mihalakas is also the Director of the Center for Federalism & Regional Integration, a volunteer collaborative academic research center of the Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER), that organizes conferences and advances collaboration among academics from around the world. His research focuses on federalism, regional integration, international environmental law, and climate change.

Mihalakas has a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, a JD degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and an LLM degree from University College London. 

Chinwe Ohanele

After a year as a Visiting Professor of Law in the Global Lawyering Skills program, Chinwe Ohanele was hired in 2026 as Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice.

She teaches courses on the Legal Profession, Contracts/Analytical Skills, Copyright Law, and Global Lawyering Skills I, II, and III.

She has more than 15 years of experience as an attorney, educator, and program strategist. Professor Ohanele is the founder of a boutique law practice counseling entrepreneurs and creative professionals, and serves as senior program manager at the Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property.

“I’m really excited to join the faculty this year as an Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice because the interactions I have in the classroom with students while exploring the law is incredibly energizing. Our students are ready to take on their role as advocates and counselors and I’m proud to play a small role in their journeys,” Ohanele said.

Her teaching and research focus on the intersection of intellectual property, technology, and cultural expression, with an emphasis on historically marginalized communities in the U.S. and the Global South.

Ohanele's article, "Copyright as a Safe Passage: Securing the Corridor Between Creation and the World," is forthcoming in the Arizona State University Sports and Entertainment Law Journal. The article argues that copyright's real function is not to incentivize creation, but to give creators assurance that a work will travel safely once released. 

She earned a BS degree from the University of the Pacific and a JD degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.

Natalia Ramírez Lee

Assistant Professor of Law Natalia Ramírez Lee joined the faculty in July. She teaches courses on Torts, Employment Law, and Law, Labor & Care.

Her scholarship investigates how changing legal systems can shape, reinforce, or alleviate job-related vulnerabilities like workplace discrimination and limited access to core rights amid shifting standards. She focuses heavily on home environments, specifically analyzing legal protections for remote employees and domestic caregivers. 

Before McGeorge, she taught courses in Torts and Employment Law, alongside leading a specialized academic seminar titled “Law, Labor and Care.”

“I am thrilled to join McGeorge because it is a community that values student-centered teaching and supports impactful scholarship,” Ramirez said.

Ramírez Lee received a bachelor’s degree from Pace University and a JD degree from UC Berkeley School of Law, where she served as a managing editor of the Berkeley Journal of African American Law and Policy. 

Rachel Van Cleave

Rachel Van Cleave joined the faculty at McGeorge School of Law as a Visiting Professor of Law in 2024 before joining the full-time faculty in 2026. Van Cleave received tenure status on Sept. 1.

She teaches courses on Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, the Shadow Docket, and Global Lawyering Skills I.

Previously, she taught at Golden Gate University School of Law (GGU), where she designed and taught innovative courses such as Reimagining Criminal Justice, Comparative #MeToo, Rebellious Lawyering, and Katrina and Disaster Law. At GGU Law, she served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and later as GGU Law’s dean. 

In 1995, Van Cleave received a J. William Fulbright Scholarship to engage in research at Italy’s Constitutional Court on Italy’s adoption of plea bargaining, which was somewhat modeled on the U.S. practice. She has continued to engage in comparative criminal justice scholarships, particularly as to gender-based violence. In 2020, she received another J. William Fulbright Scholarship to engage in research at Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassazione.

“I have truly enjoyed being a part of the McGeorge community the last two years and am delighted to make it my new academic home. I’m inspired every day by my colleagues who share my passion for teaching and scholarship, and by my students who demonstrate a love of learning and are driven by their goal of wanting to help people. I appreciate the breadth and depth of different perspectives among members of the McGeorge community and the willingness to engage with difficult topics with professionalism and respect for everyone,” Van Cleave said. 

Van Cleave received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a JD degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and a JSM degree from Stanford University School of Law.