About Darien
Darien Shanske is a Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Davis, School of Law. He has been a member of the State Bar of California since December 11, 2006. His office is located at UC Davis School of Law, 400 Mrak Hall Drive, Davis, CA 95616-5203. He can be reached by phone at 530-752-5860 or via email at dshanske@ucdavis.edu. Professor Shanske earned his J.D. with academic distinction from Stanford Law School in 2006. Prior to that, he completed a Ph.D.
in Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2001, and an M.A. in Philosophy at McGill University in 1996. He also holds a B.A. in Philosophy and History from Columbia University, awarded magna cum laude in 1995. Before entering academia, Professor Shanske gained practical legal experience as an associate at Sidley Austin LLP in San Francisco, focusing on public finance from 2006 to 2007. He also served as a law clerk to Judge Pierre N. Leval of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit during the 2007-2008 term. Earlier, he worked as a financial analyst at Government Financial Strategies, Inc. in Sacramento from 2001 to 2003. In his academic role, Professor Shanske teaches courses on state and local government, state and local taxation, federal income taxation, public finance, and jurisprudence. His research interests encompass taxation, particularly state and local taxation, local government law, public finance, and political theory, with a focus on jurisprudence. Professor Shanske has been actively involved in professional organizations, serving as a member of the Taxation Law Advisory Commission. He has also contributed to discussions on taxing digital goods at the California Tax Bar Annual Meeting in 2014.
In December 2025, he provided insights to Law360 regarding Florida's tax dispute with California. Professor Shanske's scholarly work includes co-authoring "The California State Constitution," published by Oxford University Press in 2016. He has also written op-eds on topics such as taxing digital goods and services, and the politics of housing in California. In summary, Professor Darien Shanske combines a strong academic background with practical legal experience, focusing on taxation, public finance, and local government law. His contributions to legal scholarship and public policy continue to influence discussions in these areas.
