With plastic waste becoming a global pollution crisis, faculty and students of UCLA School of Law’s Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic traveled to Washington, D.C., in January 2019 to brief Congress on legislation that could help reduce plastic pollution in oceans.

Students from UCLA School of Law have made an impact on one of the signature criminal justice issues of our time: reform of the money bail system.

Two squads from the UCLA School of Law Trial Team advanced to the semifinals of the American College of Trial Lawyers' National Tournament Competition qualifier in Orange County in early February.

This continues the program's winning streak: Stretching back to the 2017-18 academic year, all of the last 10 UCLA teams to compete have advanced to the playoff rounds at their tournaments.

The UCLA Trial Team finished second in the National Ethics Trial Competition, which evaluates students on their ability to advocate on behalf of their clients while maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct.

The UCLA School of Law Trial Team won the American Association of Justice's Student Trial Advocacy Competition Southern California regional tournament in early March, giving the school consecutive championships at this event and sending the Bruins to AAJ's national tournament next month in Philadelphia.

UCLA entered two squads. Kyle DeCamp '19, Delaney Gold-Diamond '21, Kian Khajooei '20 and Aidan Welsh ('19) won the tournament with an undefeated record. Blake Berich '21, Nick Dyess '21, Jack Eyers '21 and Tiffany Sarchet '21 won two of their three trials.

Phoebe Kasdin '18 came to UCLA School of Law with an unwavering commitment to help those who are struggling. She leaves as the first UCLA Law alum to receive a two-year fellowship that will allow her to provide holistic representation to indigent mothers who are facing criminal charges and a panoply of related troubles, including family destabilization and loss of child custody.

Thanks to the work of UCLA School of Law's Criminal Defense Clinic, five Southern California community members recently received pardons for old criminal convictions from then-Gov. Jerry Brown. All five of the clients represented by UCLA Law students received pardons during a flurry of criminal justice-related activity in Gov. Brown's waning months in office.

Sidewalk vendors in Los Angeles live on subsistence wages earned from an honest day's work. Over the past year, however, these community entrepreneurs have experienced increased police harassment, arrests, onerous criminal justice debt, and even incarceration. These and other findings are documented in a new report issued by law students in UCLA School of Law's Criminal Defense Clinic.

UCLA School of Law Professor Eugene Volokh, one of the nation's leading experts on free speech and First Amendment law, has launched a series of short, animated videos explaining modern constitutional law issues in clear, concise and often humorous terms. The videos are designed to be understandable and enjoyable for K-12 students, while informative for people of all ages.

The UCLA School of Law trial team finished its stellar 2018-2019 season as a quarterfinalist at the American Association of Justice's Student Trial Advocacy Competition national championship tournament in Philadelphia on April 10. The team won AAJ's western regional tournament in order to qualify for the finals.

At nationals, the Bruins defeated teams from Harvard University, Drexel University and the University of Akron before losing a close trial against Stetson University.