In 2009, Harris joined the faculty of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School as a visiting professor.
In 2010, she also assumed the role of acting vice dean for research and faculty development.
She clerked for Judge Joel Flaum of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and worked as an attorney for the law firm of Morrison and Foerster.
In 2008, Harris won the Clyde Ferguson Award from the Association of American Law Schools Minority Section.
Alongside Kimberlé Crenshaw, Harris has been recognized as one of the leading scholars of critical race theory.