As the 2021-22 school year got underway, UCLA School of Law welcomed a class of new students who are among the most accomplished ever to join the law school.

When a same-sex marriage ban was overturned in California, a federal court cited research from UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute 30 times. President Barack Obama used Williams's research in an executive order prohibiting workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. And after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality, Justice Anthony Kennedy described the institute's research as the deciding factor.

Highlighting the proud track record of UCLA School of Law students who aspire to be leaders in public interest law, seven recent graduates have earned esteemed post-graduate fellowships from top organizations in the field.

Visitors to the 6500 block of Hollywood Blvd. find themselves surrounded by monuments to Los Angeles greatness. There are Walk of Fame stars for Frank Sinatra and Orson Welles. The building on the corner bears a massive mural featuring generations of Lakers legends. And above the intersection, a street sign recognizes another L.A. icon. It reads: “Schrader Bl.”

Within days of his appointment to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1979, a landmark event that made him the first openly gay judge in the world, UCLA School of Law alumnus Stephen Lachs ’63 could tell that things would never be the same.

“In the near future, the theatrical business will be relatively robust. But three to five years? It’s anybody’s guess….

UCLA School of Law is the No. 1 entertainment law school in the country, according to the annual rankings compiled by The Hollywood Reporter.

UCLA School of Law alumna Whitney A. Brown ’17 will clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the U.S. Supreme Court during the 2021-22 term. She will begin her service on the nation’s highest court in Washington, D.C., starting this summer.

Brown is the 20th UCLA Law graduate ever to clerk on the Supreme Court and the first since Rachel Bloomekatz ’08 clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer during the 2011-12 term.

UCLA School of Law celebrated the Class of 2021 in a graduation ceremony that streamed live on the internet on May 21. The event featured live remarks, delivered from the law school, by keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-California) and UCLA Law Dean Jennifer Mnookin. Graduating students were also treated to recorded messages from faculty members and special guests, including UCLA and NBA legend Bill Walton, as well as law school alumni Judge Paul Watford ’94 of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand ’91 (D-New York).

The loss of former California Supreme Court justice and UCLA School of Law Professor Cruz Reynoso, who died on May 7 at age 90, has left the UCLA Law community saddened.