Eugene Volokh ’83, J.D. ’92

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Superlatives flow freely whenever Eugene Volokh’s name is mentioned, and it’s easy to understand why. A soviet émigré who came to the United States at the age of seven, he began working as a computer programmer at the age of 12. The same year, he entered UCLA and co-founded a software company, and the following year, he began writing technical papers, presenting them at computer conferences and having them published in technical computer magazines. In 1983, at the age of 15, Volokh graduated from UCLA with a degree in mathematics and computer science.

Fascinated by law and anxious to involve himself in more people-oriented activities, he enrolled in the UCLA School of Law, where he quickly established himself as the school’s most academically successful student in nearly two decades. He won the Irell and Manella Prize in his class, and he earned the highest grade in 11 of his courses, receiving the American Jurisprudence awards in seven of them.

As one of the managing editors of the UCLA Law Review, in itself an exceptionally demanding position, Volokh wrote an article on workplace harassment and the First Amendment that will be published in the August issue of the UCLA Law Review, an honor reserved for only the best legal comments. And at the same time Volokh was building his extraordinary academic reputation, he was working 20 hours a week in his software company.

Upon graduation, Volokh will work as a law clerk for Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and he is under consideration for a clerkship with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. With his formidable intellect, engaging personality and broad interests, Volokh is looking forward to a lifetime of achievement.