U.S. District judge uses lessons learned from her distinguished career to mentor and inspire UNLV’s next generation of jurists.
U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Dorsey is the 2023 Honors College Alumna of the Year. (Photo by Michael Roberts)
Jennifer Dorsey
’94 BS Communications
Honors College Alumna of the Year
Like most students who choose to enroll in a university’s honors program, Jennifer Dorsey was a high-achieving self-motivator who craved knowledge and wanted to challenge herself academically. But there was a bit of an ulterior motive to Dorsey’s decision to pursue an honors degree at UNLV — and it stemmed from her experience in high school.
“I found that the advanced-placement and honors classes that I took at my large public high school afforded me a tight-knit community of familiar faces, making it easier to connect with my peers and teachers,” says Dorsey, a Las Vegas native. “UNLV’s Honors Program — it wasn’t a ‘college’ yet when I was there — did the same thing, ensuring that I didn’t drown in a sea of undergraduates.”
Suffice to say, Dorsey made the most of that big-fish, small-pond experience, ultimately graduating cum laude in communication studies. She then departed her hometown after being accepted to the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in Malibu, California.
Upon completing her juris doctor, Dorsey returned to Las Vegas and began practicing law with the civil litigation firm of Kemp Jones & Coulthard. She not only handled a broad range of cases — everything from complex commercial litigation to class action lawsuits — but she gained a wealth of experience arguing before appeals courts at both the state and federal level.
Learn more about Judge Dorsey and her career journey on UNLV Today: https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/honors-college-your-honor-jennifer-dorsey?utm_source=unlvtoday&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=unlvtoday-20230912
