Ted Mermin ’96
Eleanor Swift Award for Public Service
As one Swift Award nominator wrote, “Ted Mermin eats, sleeps, and breathes an unshakable commitment to public service.” His efforts have made Berkeley Law a national leader in consumer law, through an ever-expanding roster of courses, his teaching, and his work as executive director of the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice. Helping Berkeley Law students and alumni launch their own public service paths through gracious mentorship, Mermin has been an indefatigable driver of policy reform in California aimed at protecting consumer rights.
Mermin says: “What is there to say about the students of Berkeley Law? They’re worthy of the belief that Eleanor Swift has always had in them. They seek justice in the world. They remember why they decided to go to law school in the first place. In a dozen years of teaching and working with them, I have never ceased to draw inspiration from their commitment, energy, and determination to make the world a little better than when they found it. This award belongs to dozens, even hundreds, of people. But I am awfully grateful to receive it on their behalf.”
