Michele Landis Dauber is an Associate Professor of Law and (by courtesy) the Bernard D. Bergreen Faculty Scholar in Sociology at Stanford University . Her research centers on the social and legal history of the U.S. welfare state. She is the author of numerous articles and a forthcoming book, The Sympathetic State.

She is the recipient of a number of awards and honors, including a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship and the Walter Gores Prize, Stanford University's highest teaching honor. Her commitment to the ideals of the Family Defense Center dates from 1991, when she served as an undergraduate social work intern at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago under the supervision of Diane Redleaf, who inspired her to apply to law school.