Mercer Givhan

Associate Professor of Law

Mercer Givhan joined the NYLS faculty in fall 2011 and teaches Legal Practice. Professor Givhan’s scholarly and advocacy interests focus on the impact of criminal justice policies on economic development in low-income communities of color. Prior to NYLS, he was a clinical teaching fellow with Fordham Law School and a clinical instructor at CUNY Law School. Previously, he has worked as a trial lawyer with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, an associate with Kay Scholer LLP, and a grant maker with the Open Society Institute’s Criminal Justice Initiative. Professor Givhan has substantial experience as a community organizer and has worked with numerous nonprofit organizations in low-income communities. He served as a clerk for Hon. Nathaniel R. Jones on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.