Karen Pita Loor

Karen J. Pita Loor (KPL) is a Michaels Faculty Research Scholar and Clinical Professor of Law. She is the Director of the Criminal Law Clinical Program and teaches Criminal Law to first year students. Loor previously served as Associate Dean for Experiential Education. Loor has been honored with the Dean’s Scholarship Award, the Dean’s Service Award and the Faculty Access to Justice Award.   

Loor writes and speaks on issues related to protest, criminal law and procedure, police violence and immigrants’ rights. Her most recent scholarship takes a critical look at the policing of protests by both law enforcement and civilian actors. Loor’s scholarly writing has been published in various journals including the Michigan Law Review, the Southern California Law Review, the Temple Law Review and the Boston University Law Review. Beyond scholarly pieces and presentations, Loor is often called upon to opine as an expert in various media outlets. Her commentary has appeared in  SCOTUSblog, WBUR Cognoscenti, The Conversation and BU Today.  She has also been quoted in various national and international newspapers. Loor encourages students to use their education to join conversations around legal matters and does the same.  She collaborated with Berkeley vice mayor on amendments to the city’s code which sought to limit curfew declarations in response to protests and submitted supporting comments. She has testified in support of legislation that would make Massachusetts a sanctuary state. She has organized trips – involving law students and other faculty — to the Mexican side of the border to assist migrants seeking asylum.  She supervised a group of students who filed an amicus brief in a first-of-its-kind case arguing that Massachusetts state and local law enforcement do not have the authority to detain a criminal defendant pursuant to an immigration detainer.

Loor initially joined the BU Law clinical faculty in 2011 after serving as a clinical associate professor with the Florida International University College of Law, supervising law students representing unaccompanied immigrant children in immigration and neglect proceedings. She started her legal career as a staff attorney at the premier public defender office in the country, the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where she represented indigent clients in criminal trial and appellate matters.