About

Professor Jamillah Bowman Williams received her J.D. from Stanford Law School and her Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford. Her research focuses on contemporary bias and the law, with an emphasis on the nature of bias (implicit, explicit, and structural), the effectiveness of antidiscrimination law, and the capacity of law to promote compliance and social change. More specifically, she uses social psychological theory and empirical analysis to examine the impact of antidiscrimination law on the individuals it was intended to protect. Dr. Williams also explores the various organizational strategies and policies designed to reduce bias, with particular attention to the importance of legal strategies for enhancing equity and inclusion. While her core scholarly interests focus on employment law and antidiscrimination law, her research is also relevant to the broader field of law and society.

She has published or has forthcoming articles in the Georgetown Law Journal, California Law Review, Boston College Law Review, University of Chicago Legal Forum, Washington Law Review, Iowa Law Review, Williams and Mary Law Review, and the Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal. She has also authored several white papers and reports and her work has been featured by a range of media outlets. In 2021, she received the Michael J. Zimmer Memorial Award for a rising scholar who values workplace justice and community, and who has made significant contributions to labor & employment law scholarship. Williams has also been named a 2022 Georgetown University Gender+ Justice Fellow to further interdisciplinary research on intersectional issues of gender, racial, and economic justice.

Before joining the faculty at Georgetown Law, Dr. Williams worked as an Associate in the Employment Law practice of Paul Hastings, LLP in Chicago, IL where she specialized in conducting privileged diagnostics of employment processes and advising employers on diversity/inclusion programs. Williams was also a National Science Foundation Law and Inequality Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the American Bar Foundation in Chicago, IL.