When Sam Ennis ’10 began his legal studies at UCLA School of Law, Indian law wasn't on his radar – growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, there were no federally recognized tribes in his state. However, a chance encounter with a Ninth Circuit tribal court criminal jurisdiction case during a summer internship sparked a few questions, setting Ennis on an unexpected career path.

Members of UCLA School of Law’s Supreme Court Clinic earned the latest in a recent string of major successes when, in November, the justices issued an opinion in the case of Pitts v. Mississippi, siding with the clinic’s client in a matter involving the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment.

When Michael Segal ’19 left the U.S. Air Force after years as an F-15 fighter pilot, he set out to find a new way to serve.

"Leaving the Air Force felt less like stepping away from a profession and more like changing the domain in which I wanted to serve," says Segal, who now leads Eagle Law Group, a firm specializing in corporate law, government contracting, and commercial litigation focused on aerospace and defense companies.

Ken Ziffren, whose generosity has helped position UCLA School of Law as the country’s top law school for media and entertainment law, will continue his support in these areas with a visionary planned gift — the largest-ever gift in the law school’s 76-year history.

Leaders from across the generations of the UCLA School of Law community gathered for a three-day summit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Critical Race Studies program, reflect on its massive impact in the law and education, and look ahead.

With the start of the U.S. Supreme Court’s term this month, UCLA School of Law has been at the forefront of discussion, scholarship, and advocacy before the high court. This included two events that featured nationally renowned legal commentators – the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Linda Greenhouse and University of Michigan Law School professor Leah Litman – in conversation with faculty experts.

For Alexa Camarena ’14, the path to becoming counsel at Mattel, drawn by the company’s creative energy and successes like the Barbie movie, began with an unglamorous moment in high school: fainting at the sight of her own blood being drawn.

"I literally passed out. I was like, 'Well, there goes that dream' of becoming a doctor. So, there was lawyer left," Camarena recalls with a laugh.

Ed Lew ’98’s journey from aspiring politician to Disney executive proves that sometimes the best career moves are the ones you don’t see coming.

The hall was standing room only when Maeve Anderson ’26 and Ana Mackay Peltzer ’26 stepp

51. LUVALLE COMMONS

Open for business since 1985, LuValle Commons, a student center adjacent to the law school, was named in honor of James “Jimmy” LuValle, a UCLA graduate and Olympic medalist, and the first president of the Associated Graduate Students.