The 236 students in this year's entering class, chosen from nearly 4,200 applicants and including 38 percent students of color, arrive at a law school dedicated more than ever to its mission of pursuing academic excellence and training skilled, ethical professionals. Our mission is played out in all we do: brilliant new faculty who continue a tradition of great teaching, skills training, and scholarship; an 85 percent bar pass rate that places us fourth among 21 ABA-accredited California law schools; student academic credentials that make us the 66th most selective law school in the nation; and, student engagement in communities around the globe. The law school is buoyed by validation of its efforts, including a successful site visit by the American Bar Association, which evaluates the law school every seven years. The reviews were effusive, complimenting our mission, our students, and our teachers. So as we begin the new academic year we are energized by our past successes, but also mindful of our future challenges — increasing our faculty to help achieve our expansive aspirations, relieving crushing student debt, and involving the law school's alumni and friends like you to ensure our future.
- Dean Jeff Brand