Professor Hsin joined The University of Alabama School of Law in 2024. He earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, and also holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining Alabama Law, Hsin served for four years as senior counsel in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, at the U.S. Department of Education. In that role, Hsin advised on a wide variety of high-profile enforcement and regulatory matters across the statutes OCR enforces, including several major rulemakings. He also oversaw the office’s investigations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and jointly coordinated several landmark cases resulting in relief for tens of thousands of students with disabilities.
Hsin began his career as a clerk to the Hon. John M. Rogers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He then went on to serve as an Honors Attorney in the U.S. Department of Labor, and as a non-partisan attorney in Congress, focusing on education and civil rights. Immediately before joining OCR, Hsin was a law fellow at the American Law Institute, where he advised reporters on several Institute projects.
Hsin’s work focuses on education law, civil rights (especially disability law), torts, and legal theory. In his research, Hsin explores the intersection of private and public law, and the often-unacknowledged role that institutions play in both. He also has substantial interests in administrative law, rooted in his experience as an attorney in two federal agencies across two administrations.
