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faculty
Akhi Johnson he/him
Assistant Professor
Law School / Faculty
Contact
508-985-1107
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UMass School of Law 243
Education
| 2011 | Georgetown University Law Center | JD |
| 2008 | University of Southern California | BA |
Teaching
Courses
A study of the rules and standards regulating the admission of evidence at trial. Topics include competency of witnesses, qualification, examination, cross-examination, and impeachment of witnesses, objections, waivers, offers of proof, relevancy, the hearsay rule and its exceptions, the opinion rule, expert testimony, privileges, judicial notice, and demonstrative evidence.
Professor Akhi Johnson joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts School of Law in 2025.
As a practicing attorney, Professor Johnson served two terms in the U.S. Department of Justice. From 2013-2019, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division for the District of Columbia. As an AUSA, he handled cases in local and federal court and served as a senior sex offense prosecutor. From 2023-2025, he was a civil rights attorney in the Educational Opportunities Section where he enforced federal statutes to shield students from discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, language, religion, or disability.
Professor Johnson was previously the Director of the Vera Institute of Justice’s Reshaping Prosecution initiative. At Vera, he managed a team that worked with prosecutors across the country to use research-based approaches to end mass incarceration and improve public safety. Under his leadership, Vera helped multiple prosecutors end pre-textual traffic stops based on research that they undermined public safety.
Professor Johnson clerked for the Honorable Kimberley S. Knowles at D.C. Superior Court, and was an associate at Jones Day's Los Angeles office. He was also an Adjunct Associate Professor at American University Washington College of Law, and taught Street Law courses at the D.C. Jail in partnership with Georgetown Law.