Millard Murphy, staff attorney of the Prison Law Clinic at the UC Davis School of Law, has earned the school's Distinguished Teaching Award.

The longtime advocate for prisoners' rights will be honored during tonigh's 26th annual William and Sally Rutter Distinguished Teaching Award and Scholarship Recognition Dinner.

"As a lawyer and teacher," Murphy says, "I appreciate the opportunity my association with the King Hall community gives me to creatively explore and implement legal strategies for bringing about justice in the lives of indigent men and women living under the harsh and deplorable condition of confinement."

A committee of students, faculty, staff and alumni selected Murphy for the award, which recognizes superior teaching and commitment to academia.

"He is a dedicated, caring and challenging teacher," said Rex Perschbacher, dean of the Law School.

Murphy supervises between 10 and 14 students each semester as the students represent state prisoners in administrative law cases that pertain to civil and human rights issues; specifically, issues related to physical and mental health, disabilities, visitation, release dates, parole board matters and guard brutality.

He began practicing law in 1986 as a staff attorney at the Prison Law Office in San Rafael, and he began teaching as the supervising attorney of the Prison Law Clinic at King Hall in 1987.

Murphy also teaches the Community Legal Education Seminar (Street Law) and Negotiations at UC Davis. His other activities include being a member of the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects of the California Health and Human Services Agency and chair of the Board of Directors of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children in San Francisco.

He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy from Sonoma State University and a Juris Doctorate from UC Berkeley's School of Law (Boalt Hall).

The reception honoring Murphy is set to begin at 6 p.m., with the dinner and awards presentation at 7 p.m. at the ARC Pavilion Ballroom on campus.