2025 News UMass Law: Three assistant professors join UMass Law faculty to Pursue Justice

Legal scholars bring expertise in civil rights, environmental law, and constitutional litigation

UMass Law is proud to welcome three distinguished legal scholars, Akhi Johnson, Sean Lyness, and Leo Yu, to its faculty in July. With expertise spanning civil rights, constitutional law, environmental litigation, and more, they add valuable insights to the law school's mission of expanding access to justice and legal education.

"I am thrilled to welcome Professors Johnson, Lyness, and Yu to our outstanding and expanding law faculty," said UMass Law Dean Sam Panarella. "They are accomplished scholars and innovative teachers who have amply demonstrated their passion for and commitment to our public law school's mission to increase the quantity and quality of justice in the Commonwealth and our country. Our students, who are the lifeblood of the law school, will benefit tremendously from their joining our faculty."

After enrolling the largest class in its history this fall, UMass Law's growing faculty ensures that students receive a rigorous, high-quality legal education while maintaining the school’s commitment to small class sizes and individualized support. UMass Law boasts the smallest typical class sizes among ABA-accredited law schools in Massachusetts and was the third-fastest-growing law school in the nation, according to 2023 ABA data.

"I spent my practice career in public service, and I believe deeply in my responsibility to use the law to better society. There's no place that lives that ethos better than the Commonwealth's only public law school."

Akhi Johnson

A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Akhi Johnson joins UMass Law from the U.S. Department of Justice, where he is a civil rights attorney, and American University's Washington College of Law, where he teaches courses in evidence as an adjunct professor. He has also served as the Director of the Vera Institute of Justice’s Reshaping Prosecution initiative, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., and an associate at Jones Day.

"UMass Law's focus on teaching is unique and I'm excited to join a faculty that prioritizes student development," he said. "To me, pursuing justice is about having empathy to care when people have been wronged, and possessing the courage to do something about it. I hope my students recognize their capacity for world-class lawyering and the responsibility to help others that comes with it."

Sean Lyness

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Sean Lyness comes to UMass Law from New England Law Boston, where he taught courses in civil procedure, property, water law, and administrative law. He previously served as an attorney for the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General, focusing on environmental cases, defense litigation, and open government matters.

"I spent my practice career in public service, and I believe deeply in my responsibility to use the law to better society," said Lyness. "There's no place that lives that ethos better than the Commonwealth's only public law school. Pursue Justice is an affirmative obligation in everything we do to keep striving for a better, more equitable legal system."

Leo Yu 

A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, Leo Yu brings a global perspective to UMass Law, holding legal degrees from both the United States and China. A former civil rights attorney, he has litigated constitutional cases related to immigrants' rights, land use, and public nuisance law. Most recently, he was a faculty member at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, teaching courses in civil rights, legal writing, and Asian American jurisprudence. His scholarship has been published in leading law reviews and media outlets. 

"I visited UMass Law last year and was deeply impressed by the school's unwavering commitment to social justice and equality. As a person who is the first college graduate in my family, I understand that the ground is not always leveled for everybody in law school," said Yu. "I firmly believe that legal education should be accessible to all, not just a privileged few. UMass Law plays a unique and invaluable role in expanding access to legal education and serving the broader community, and I am glad to be a part of it."