Patricia J. Williams is an American law critic and professor who writes a monthly column, “Diary of a Mad Law Professor,” for the magazine The Nation. Born on August 28, 1951 in Boston, Massachusetts, she has a distinguished career as law professor and writer.

Patricia Williams obtained her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College in 1972 and her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1975. She earned a fellowship in the School of Criticism and Theory at Dartmouth College. Before her entry into the academe, she practiced law as a consumer advocate and deputy City Attorney for Los Angeles, California. She also worked as staff attorney for the Western Center on Law and Poverty, where she specialized in commercial and contract law.

Her sensitivity to social justice and civil rights issues made her decide to pursue teaching. She taught law at several universities, including the University of Wisconsin School of Law, Women’s Studies Program at Harvard University, and the City University of New York Law School. At present, Patricia Williams is the James L. Dohr Professor of Law at Columbia Law School.

In addition to her teaching position, Patricia Williams acts as consultant to several public interest cases and previously served on the board of Organization for Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Society of American Law Teachers. She is a recipient of numerous distinctions, among them are the Alumnae Achievement Award from Wellesley College and the Graduate Society Medal from Harvard University. When she received the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, Columbia University News referred to her as “the most provocative intellectual in American law.”

She has written articles for popular newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals, including USA Today, the New York Times Book Review, Ms. Magazine, and the Harvard Law Review. She has published several books such as The Alchemy of Race and Rights; The Rooster’s Egg; and Seeing a ColorBlind Future: The Paradox of Race.