MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
leaders. As you will see in this magazine’s feature article, UCLA School of Law’s Clinical Program serves as one notable training ground. UCLA Law pioneered a model of clinical legal education more than four decades ago. In fact, many of the esteemed members of our faculty developed the fundamental educational concepts that set the standard for clinical programs nationwide. Today, clinical innovation remains an important part of our curriculum. Students can select from an array of unique interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunities, including courses like Negotiation Theory and Practice, the Asylum Clinic, Mergers and Acquisitions Transaction Planning and Youth and Justice, to name a few. The program continues to expand and evolve as we move into a new generation of clinical excellence. As we enhance our law school and our offerings, the
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As befits the youngest top law school in the nation, UCLA School of Law has always been—and remains—at the forefront of educational innovation. At the heart of our approach to the teaching of law is the recognition that we are first and foremost training legal professionals. Students today need to master the skills required of superlative practitioners, while also learning about substantive practice areas and the professional standards to which they should aspire. We remain cognizant that ongoing curricular enhancements must help prepare students to be effective lawyers. At UCLA Law, our students have the opportunity to
participate in the law school’s myriad centers, programs,
ongoing philanthropic investment of our alumni and friends heightens our ability to innovate and grow. I am delighted to announce that UCLA School of Law has received several leadership gifts, which will impact our students, our community and the nation. Philanthropist Charles R. “Chuck” Williams has made a $5.5 million gift to support the leadership of the Williams Institute and foster the institute’s growth. His inaugural $2.5 million gift established the institute in 2001, and since then it has gained national renown. A $4 million gift from the Resnick Family Foundation established the Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy. This program, which is the first of its kind at a top-tier law school, will tackle questions of food safety, distribution and access and will provide an interdisciplinary approach to developing effective, consumer-oriented food law and policy. In addition, Justice Joan Dempsey Klein ’54 and her husband Conrad Lee Klein made a gift of $1.025 million to fund student scholarships. Their generous gift will help ensure that our students have the opportunity to follow in Justice Klein’s footsteps. In the spirit of innovation, we continue to find novel ways
institutes and specializations as well as to receive critical
to enable our students to build their skills. I am pleased
hands-on training. With this training and through the
that we are launching two exciting new initiatives, which
opportunities they are afforded, students leave UCLA Law
will not only benefit our students but also help to provide
well prepared to enter the profession, whether they choose to
critical resources to those in need. UCLA School of Law
become litigators, public defenders, academics or corporate
has received a grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to
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