Faculty Profile

Carl Hernandez teaches constitutional litigation, fundamental lawyering skills and clinical practice courses for legislation, criminal prosecution and defense, immigration, government practice, and nonprofit practice offered by the law school. His interest in government and community development comes from his public service with local legislative bodies and non-profit organizations as well as his practice as a government lawyer.

Professor Hernandez has experience representing local government agencies on a range of issues including civil rights litigation, land use planning, governmental reorganizations, public contracts and eminent domain and water law. He has also represented private clients on immigration issues including asylum, victims of crimes and trafficking, residency, and investment-based visas.

Carl Hernandez III became BYU’s first vice president for the Office of Belonging in June 2022. Additionally, Hernandez served on BYU’s Committee on Race, Equity, and Belonging (CoREB) and was also a law professor at BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School.

Hernandez credits a visit to his family by two missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with changing his life at the age of fourteen. He went on to receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees and then a juris doctor from BYU.

He served as an assistant dean at the BYU law school for more than ten years. He has taught civil rights, community lawyering, fundamental lawyering skills and clinical practice courses for legislation, criminal prosecution and defense, immigration, government practice, and nonprofit practice.

He was the 2019 recipient of the BYU Karl G. Maeser Professional Faculty Excellence Award and the J. Reuben Clark Professor of the Year Award in 2018.

Partnering with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hernandez founded the BYU Community Legal Clinic, which provides pro bono legal services to immigrants, refugees, and other marginalized communities, and he has served as its director since 2017.