Zach Sommers has joined Chicago-Kent College of Law as an assistant professor in fall 2024, fulfilling a long-held aspiration to work in academia. "It's not an exaggeration to say this is my dream job," he stated. His journey into academia comes after four years with the white-collar-crime group at Kirkland & Ellis, where he gained extensive experience conducting investigations and defending against them.

Sommers explained his decision to enter practice before academia: "I went straight from undergrad to law school to grad school, so it seemed like maybe before switching sides and trying to become a professor that it would be good to get some practical experience."

His academic background includes a B.A. in criminology and psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University. His research has explored bias in policing, plea bargaining, and terrorism. Sommers remarked on his interest in how different people interact with the criminal law system: "I am really interested in the way that different people interact differently with the criminal law apparatus in our country."

Sommers' initial focus was on traditional street crime, but his time at Kirkland & Ellis broadened his perspective. He noted differences between personal-level crime interactions and those involving companies: "In the white-collar space, it's how government officials are going to treat companies versus individuals."

Discussing resource allocation disparities between police departments and regulatory bodies, Sommers observed: "We funnel billions of dollars toward police departments... The regulators... have enormous budget, manpower, and resource limitations."

Public perception of crime is another area of interest for Sommers. He commented on media coverage influencing public opinion: "The American public, we are terrible at gauging actual trends in crime... because if it bleeds, it leads."

Sommers has also studied media biases such as "Missing White Woman Syndrome." He recalled noticing this phenomenon while observing cable news coverage during college.

Reflecting on his transition from practice to teaching at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Sommers expressed satisfaction: “As much as I learned during my time at Kirkland & Ellis... I had some of the best conversations I've had at any interview with Kent students.”