About Rigel Oliveri

Professor Oliveri is a nationally recognized expert on fair housing law. Her scholarship focuses on housing discrimination, zoning and property rights, and sexual harassment. Her published work has appeared in a number of prestigious journals and been cited by state and federal courts. She is the co-author of a casebook: Sexual Harassment Law: Cases, History, and Practice, and a co-editor of The Legal Guide to Affordable Housing Development. She has received numerous awards for public service.

Professor Oliveri teaches Constitutional Law, Fair Housing, Employment Discrimination, and Civil Procedure. She joined the law faculty in 2005 and served as the Law School’s Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development from 2009 until 2015. She currently serves as a Commissioner for the Columbia Housing Authority and on the Board of Mid-Missouri Legal Services.

Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Oliveri served as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in the Civil Rights Division, Housing and Civil Enforcement Section. She litigated and tried a number of significant cases involving housing discrimination and sexual harassment in housing. In 2003 she was awarded a Special Commendation from the Attorney General for outstanding service.

Professor Oliveri obtained her BA from the University of Virginia, where she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society and graduated with Highest Distinction. She obtained her JD from Stanford Law School, where she was an Articles Editor for the Stanford Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. She clerked for the Honorable Stephanie K. Seymour, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, in Tulsa, OK.

Areas of Expertise

• Civil Procedure
• Civil Rights
• Constitutional Law
• Employment Discrimination
• Fair Housing
• Sexual Harassment

Educational Background

• BA, with Highest Distinction, University of Virginia, '94
• JD, Order of the Coif, Stanford Law School, '99