Get to know LSA Secretary Kathryne M. Young!
Institution:
The George Washington University Law School
Number of years as LSA member:
16
Number of LSA Meetings Attended:
12
LSA Governance Position(s) and Committees:
Co-Founder and Chair, CRN 39: Everyday Legality and Access to Justice | 2019 – Present
LSA Secretary | 2023 – 2025
Representative, Class of 2019 Board of Trustees | 2016 – 2019
Co-Founder and Chair, CRN 24: Law and Rurality | 2019 – 2025
Other Association Affiliations:
American Bar Foundation
Association of American Law Schools
American Sociological Association
International Sociological Association
Areas of Research:
Access to Justice
Legal Consciousness
Criminal Procedure
Legal Education
Parole
Favorite Topics to Teach or Research:
Evidence
Multidistrict/complex litigation
Criminal Procedure
Sociology of Law
Professional Responsibility/Ethics
Access to Justice
Unique Skill or Fact:
I enjoy legal strategy at both the trial and appellate levels.
Additional Hobbies:
Reading fiction, gardening, traveling, hanging out with my spouse and our dogs.
Notable Awards:
Distinguished Faculty Award, George Washington University Law School | 2025
Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Scholar Fellowship | 2023 – 2024
American Bar Foundation/JPB Foundation Access to Justice Fellowship | 2020 – 2021
University Distinguished Teaching Award, University of Massachusetts, Amherst | 2016
Law & Society Association Article Prize | 2015
American Sociological Association Distinguished Article Award (Sociology of Law Section) | 2015
Top Three Books and/or Publications:
Forthcoming: “What Can Legal Knowledge Do for Access to Justice?”, Duke Law Journal (with Heidi H. Liu)
“Legal Consciousness and Cultural Capital,” 54 Law & Society Review 33 (2020) (with Katie R. Billings).
“Everyone Knows the Game: Legitimacy and Legal Consciousness in the Hawaiian Cockfight,” 48 Law & Society Review 499 (2014)
Education:
PhD, Stanford University | Sociology
JD, Stanford Law School
MFA, Oregon State University | Creative Writing
BA, Stanford University | American Studies
Major Appearances:
My research has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple state supreme courts. My book, How to be Sort of Happy in Law School (Stanford University Press, 2018) has been featured on multiple Amazon bestseller lists.
What do you find the most beneficial about being an LSA member?
LSA typifies academia at its best—as a supportive and energizing collective endeavor. The ideas, collaborations, and friendships I’ve seen grow out of LSA are inspiring. We all come from different backgrounds, disciplinary and otherwise, and are committed to learning from each other, advancing the social scientific study of law and legality, and making each others’ research the best it can be.
Why should professionals or students join LSA?
LSA is welcoming, warm, and a great space to try out ideas and meet new people.
Learn more about Kathryne M. Young, her many publications, media appearances, awards, and involvement with academic organizations by viewing her website here.