UCLA School of Law opened on September 19, 1949, as the first public law school in Southern California, with a mission of service and a dedication to promoting “the spirit, the ideals, and the ethical standards of the common legal heritage.” As we mark our 75th anniversary, please join us in celebrating our shared achievements, honoring our rich history and looking forward to our continued work as a beacon of legal excellence and innovation.
One of the best things about UCLA Law is how, for the past 75 years, we have grown as a diverse community of strivers, dreamers and people advocating for positive change. Today, we are many – including more than 20,000 living alumni – and our unyielding commitment to caring for our neighbors, engaging in a cutting-edge legal education and achieving excellence is central to our collective experience. This anniversary is an exciting moment to reflect on all that makes us great and all that we have on the horizon. I’m thrilled to be on this remarkable journey with you.
Michael Waterstone
Dean, UCLA School of Law
Join the dean of UCLA School of Law, Michael Waterstone, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk, and distinguished faculty, students, and alumni as we celebrate 75 years of UCLA Law.
Faculty, students, and alumni talk about how the Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic trains students in environmental lawyering through hands-on experience with real clients.
Celebrate UCLA Law’s powerful legacy and commitment to educational excellence by making a gift to the UCLA Law 75th Anniversary Scholarship Fund. UCLA Law 75th Anniversary Scholarship was established to commemorate this significant milestone in our school’s history and support future generations of students who will become lawyers and leaders. Your support will empower exceptional students to reach their full potential and shape the future of legal leadership.
“Support from the UCLA Law community is vital to our school’s future and creates lasting impact. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to making a difference at UCLA Law for the next 75 years and beyond!”
We hope that you were able to join us in celebrating UCLA Law’s 75 groundbreaking years! Anniversary events included a law school tailgate at the UCLA football game, our annual reunion celebration, moments to address current issues and honor our past, the Alumni of the Year awards ceremony, and a special block party for our community in the spring.
This Women's History Month, UCLA Law is proud to shine the spotlight on faculty, students, alumnae and staff — all of whom use their voices and platforms to advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion.
Amidst the rich tapestry of UCLA Law's women leaders lies a legacy of resilience, innovation and unwavering dedication to progress. From pioneering legal scholars to alumnae who have blazed trails in the courtroom and beyond, the women of UCLA Law embody the spirit of empowerment and drive for change. Their tireless efforts not only shape the landscape of legal education but also inspire generations to come. Join us as we celebrate the women of UCLA Law, this month and always.
Kimberlé Crenshaw is a distinguished professor of law and prominent scholar and activist. A leading authority on civil rights, Black feminist legal theory, and race, racism and the law, Crenshaw is popularly known for her development of “intersectionality,” Critical Race Theory and the #SayHerName campaign. As co-founder of UCLA Law's groundbreaking Critical Race Studies program and co-founder/executive director of the African American Policy Forum, she hosts the podcast "Intersectionality Matters!" and moderates the webinar series "Under the Blacklight."
The National Women’s Hall of Fame, the nation’s first and oldest nonprofit dedicated to honoring distinguished American women, recently honored Crenshaw with an induction into its Class of 2024. She is among 10 changemakers whose contributions have and will continue to leave a mark on society — including Ruby Bridges, Peggy McIntosh and Serena Williams.
"When I think back on my journey as a law student, I realize that everything that drives my thinking and research today is grounded in the questions, instincts and experiences I had as a student," Crenshaw reflects. "Intersectionality was a conceptual tool that described the world as I experienced it. Credit and value your impressions about the law and the social world; they can shape your future in ways that amplify your deepest instincts and aspirations."
Melissa Goodman is the executive director of the Center on Reproductive Health, Law and Policy at UCLA Law. Before joining the center, Goodman was the legal and advocacy director at the ACLU of Southern California for five years. Before that, she spent a decade leading and doing reproductive justice, LGBTQ and gender equity litigation and policy advocacy campaigns as the ACLU SoCal’s Audrey Irmas Director of the LGBTQ Gender and Reproductive Justice Project, and as a senior litigation and policy counsel for reproductive and LGBTQ rights at the New York Civil Liberties Union.
“Recognize the immense power and privilege being a lawyer affords you, and use it thoughtfully," Goodman says. "No matter your practice, keep equity and justice top of mind. Pursue professional paths that align with your values and passions and bring you personal fulfillment and satisfaction. Never let work be your whole life or identity.”
Madison Li '24 is a senior marketing manager at AT&T. She leads the Southern California region-wide strategic public relations and integrated marketing efforts, including multicultural marketing, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and community engagement for the Cricket Wireless brand. Last year, Li served as a mentor to Group Effort Initiative (GEI), a nonprofit financed by Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively to help those from underrepresented communities launch their entertainment careers. She was named a 2023 Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Accessibility (DEIA) Visionary by Los Angeles Times B2B Publishing.
Her advice to incoming and current law students? “Learning goes beyond just the books! The people you meet at UCLA Law are one of a kind," she says. "Build authentic friendships and hang out with your professors, peers, staff and alums at on-campus events, off-campus events or during office hours. They are some of the most interesting people that you will meet, and everyone is rooting for your success!"
While in the LL.M. program at UCLA Law, Ana Paula Noguez Mercado '07 was also a committed and engaged participant in the first Immigration Legal Clinic. Noguez Mercado is the inaugural language access coordinator with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where she oversees a department-wide initiative to ensure equal access to the DOJ's services, activities and programs regardless of language. Noguez Mercado has more than 20 years of experience advocating for systematic change at the intersection of language, gender and immigrant justice in Mexico and the U.S.
"Consider participating in a clinic or volunteering with a local organization while in law school," Noguez Mercado suggests. "Doing so can provide you with a valuable opportunity to gain practical experience in handling client cases, improve your lawyering skills and advocate for marginalized communities through pro bono representation. This experience can help you develop a service-oriented mindset early on in your career, which is essential to becoming a strong, client-centered attorney."
Assistant professor and alumna Lauren van Schilfgaarde '12 (Cochiti Pueblo), is an expert in Tribal sovereignty and federal Indian law. As the former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Tribal Legal Development Clinic director at UCLA Law, she oversaw projects on tribal governance, justice systems, ethics and cultural resource protection. She co-chairs the Native American Concerns Committee of the American Bar Association and sits on the boards of several organizations, including the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation.
“You are, in fact, much more insightful and adept than you think you are. You’ll realize this soon enough. In the meantime, relish in experimenting and pushing on the law," van Schilfgaarde says. "May your burgeoning confidence then accompany perpetual humility, compassion and curiosity which will make for a fulfilling legal career and a deadly lawyer."
“The power of storytelling is it can be very healing, it can be cathartic, it can bridge the gap and bring people closer.”
— Alicia Virani '11, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Director of the Criminal Justice Program at UCLA Law
Earlier this year, UCLA Law kicked off its new alumni mentorship program, Law Alumni Mentoring Pathway, or LAMP.
Led by Brenda Suttonwills '92, UCLA Law’s assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and UCLA Law’s Alumni Association, LAMP aims to:
➡️ Foster meaningful relationships
➡️ Promote professional growth
➡️ Provide valuable mentoring and guidance to UCLA Law’s newest alumni
➡️ Build diversity and inclusion in the legal profession
UCLA Law alumna Judge Dorothy Nelson ’53 of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit discussed her many decades at the pinnacle of the legal profession. A member of UCLA Law’s second graduating class, Nelson was the first woman to serve as the dean of a major American law school and one of the first women to be appointed to a federal appeals court.
UCLA Law alumna Wilma Pinder '76, alongside her daughter Jessalyn, were the Los Angeles city attorney office’s first African-American mother-daughter attorney duo.
Donna Wells '92 is a Double Bruin, former entertainment industry leader and current attorney at law. After years in the entertainment industry, Wells traded the spotlight for scholarship at UCLA Law. Wells currently practices plaintiff-side employment law and mentors the next generation of legal minds as an engaged and committed member of UCLA Law's alumnae group, LEAD.
UCLA Law Women LEAD
Leadership. Empowerment. Advancement. Distinction.
UCLA Law Women LEAD is a diverse, inclusive, intergenerational community of UCLA Law women who help one another advance professional goals and foster personally fulfilling careers, both linear and non-linear, at all life and career stages.
Whether you are in law school, a young alumna or an experienced lawyer, LEAD is here to support you at every career stage.
Just ask Bety Javidzad '05, a partner in the litigation and dispute resolution practice at Dentons and a LEAD board member. "Everyone you meet is a potential networking opportunity," she shares. "Make friends with everyone."
The Magazine
In 2017, we dedicated our annual magazine to celebrating UCLA Law's women in leadership. Explore the magazine below.
The Center is a hub for philanthropy and nonprofit education, thought leadership, and scholarship.
At the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits, our mission is to enhance the understanding of the philanthropy and nonprofit sector and to support it through leading-edge education, leadership, and research. We invite you to explore our commitment to enriching the nonprofit landscape and advancing its impactful work.
UCLA's new hub for research, advocacy and experiential learning at the center of the international human rights and justice arenas in Europe.
Here in Europe
Welcome! Explore our website to learn more about our research, events, and educational programs, and discover how we advance international law and human rights from our office in Europe.
…and in Los Angeles
Looking for our office in Los Angeles?
Visit The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law to learn more about their programs, faculty, and student opportunities.
The Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA Law promotes research, collaboration, and advocacy aimed at ensuring continued free and fair elections in the United States.
Reimagining the future of reproductive health, law, and policy in a time of urgent need.
We are lawyers, policy experts, scholars, and researchers who are working to solve America’s reproductive justice crisis. Our mission is to increase access to abortion and contraception, end racial and economic disparities in maternal health outcomes, support people who decide to build families, and dismantle the gender bias that limits reproductive justice.
The Judge Rand Schrader Pro Bono Program supports a vibrant pro bono culture at UCLA School of Law.
Serving Communities, Developing Pro Bono Leaders
The Prison Law and Policy Program takes an expansive view of the criminal legal system and aims to deepen our understanding of the role the law plays in shaping all aspects of the carceral experience.
American law schools typically focus on the "front end" of the criminal justice process: investigation, prosecution, and verdict. But for these offenders convicted of crimes, the trial process is only the preamble to an extended period in the custody of the state.
Recognized nationally for its impact on policymakers and courts, the Williams Institute is a leader in rigorous, independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy.
The Williams Institute was founded in 2001 by businessman and philanthropist Charles Williams and scholars at UCLA School of Law, with the aim of replacing the pervasive bias against LGBT people in law, policy, and culture with objective, empirical research on LGBT issues. Visit the Williams Institute website.