“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” – Mr. Spock, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Growing up, professor Patience Crowder and her family were fans of the show Star Trek. The self-proclaimed “trekkie” was introduced to the series by her mother who liked the fact the show had a diverse cast from early on. Years later, her mom would gift her a Spock clock, which now hangs in her office.

Crowder came to the William S. Boyd School of Law in January 2024. She is the founding director for the Economic Justice and Small Business Clinic and professor of law.

Outside the law school, Crowder can be found exploring the worlds of shapeshifters, The Lord of the Rings, werewolves, vampires, and more. 

An avid thrift shopper, she recently discovered a steampunk turtle at a consignment shop in the Arts District. A particularly poignant find because of her love of turtle imagery and symbolism.

Tell me about your career prior to coming to UNLV.

I was teaching the transactional law clinic that I founded at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. That and my experiences teaching clinics at other law schools underlie the foundation of my design of the clinic I’m starting here at UNLV.

I also previously taught a transactional law clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and served as a clinical fellow in the Community Development Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, which was my first full-time teaching job.

Prior to that, I worked as the business development manager of a nonprofit in my hometown of Sacramento, California. I began my career as a bank finance associate in a national law firm in San Francisco.

What inspired you to get into teaching clinical classes?

It’s cheesy, but the desire to help people. I always wanted to be a lawyer and help people from the time I was a child, but I didn’t really understand what that meant. And later, in high school, I knew enough to know that I wanted to be a “public interest attorney,” but I also didn’t know what that meant.

After finishing undergrad, I took a gap year and committed to a year of volunteer service providing family law legal services to incarcerated mothers. That work impacted me in ways that I’m still discovering. But, for the purposes of this interview, it helped me realize that I wanted to lawyer in a community context versus being involved in litigation and the judicial system.

After that experience, I participated in one of the first transactional law clinics in the country while I was a law student. I knew from participating I had a passion for small business development and community development. But, I didn’t know that I also wanted to teach those practices until I actually started my first job as a law instructor. I’ve been hooked ever since!

What drew you to UNLV?

I’m passionate about representing small business owners and helping to build the capacity of community-based organizations. These are not only the focus of my legal practice, but my scholarship as well.

I’m also passionate about teaching law school students about both the practice of transactional law and the development of their professional identities. This transition to UNLV has brought me to a faculty that welcomes a law clinic designed to provide students with opportunities to represent clients on the one hand while considering questions about the systemic changes that are necessary for the clinic’s clients to thrive on the other.

In addition, I was taken with the Boyd Law faculty’s sincere respect for student learning as informed by the lived experiences of their students. It’s truly an honor and pleasure to be here.

What’s the most Vegas thing you’ve done since you got here?

It’s a tie. It’s either Pinkbox Doughnuts or thrift shopping on Main Street.

How do you explain your work to people?

I tell them that I am a law professor who is a practicing attorney who teaches students how to practice aspects of business law by working with small business owners and nonprofit organizations.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I think the one I would say is things are not always as serious as they seem to be. Don't panic. Relax and take a breath.