South Texas College of Law Houston’s Associate Prof. Ryan H. Nelson is this year’s recipient of the Michael J. Zimmer Memorial Award, presented at the 20th Annual Colloquium on Scholarship in Employment and Labor Law.
The award is given annually to one rising labor and employment law scholar in the U.S. “who values workplace justice and community, and who has made significant contributions to the field of labor and employment law scholarship.”
“I am deeply honored,” said Nelson. “The fair treatment of workers and the issues surrounding labor and employment were central to my career as a practicing attorney and continue to be my focus as a legal educator and scholar.”
Nelson’s research focuses on leveraging the civil litigation and other dispute resolution systems to advance the rights of poor and other marginalized workers, most often with respect to discrimination, harassment, wages, leaves of absence, and accommodations. His scholarship has been published widely.
Prior to his teaching career, Nelson practiced labor and employment law for nearly a decade, both as in-house counsel and at a major employment and labor law firm.
The award is named for the late Michael Zimmer, a professor of law at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and renowned expert on employment discrimination law, labor and employment law, and constitutional law.
