Welcome from Interim Dean Stephen C. Yeazell

Welcome to the UCLA School of Law Web site, a view into the students, faculty and alumni that make up our remarkable institution. During my three decades at UCLA Law, I have watched with admiration the innovative spirit, the creative energy and the intellectual distinction of this community.

UCLA School of Law is the youngest among the nation's leading law schools. Since its founding 60 years ago, the school has embraced its youth, becoming a pioneer in American legal education. The programs you can investigate on this Web site - from business, entertainment, environmental and empirical research, to our clinical, critical race studies programs, international human rights, public interest and the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy - are changing the map of legal education.

We also have a wonderful community here within our law school building. You will be taught by a faculty that contains many of the leading legal scholars in the nation. Whether the subject is constitutional law, business organizations, critical race studies, environmental law or employment law, our faculty are at the cutting edge of legal inquiry. Our alumni, certainly among the most distinguished, sophisticated and talented in the nation, take an active interest in the careers of our students through mentoring programs, luncheon roundtables and other events. Just as important, new students and faculty notice right away the collaborative spirit of this community: students support each other and at noon every day one can find faculty and students chatting informally together at lunch.

The incredible diversity of course offerings and activities at the law school allow you to craft an education that meets your individual objectives. For example, if you are interested in a career in business, in the second year you can enroll in our business law specialization, a program that integrates corporate law, commercial law and tax law. For those of you who are interested in government service or public interest advocacy, our David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy is as unique as it is impressive. Our alumni from this program are well established leaders in the field, and when you arrive at the school you will immediately join a cohort of students and faculty who will become your friends and mentors for life. Spend some time exploring these and other possibilities you'll find by clicking the "Centers & Programs" link at the left of this site's home page.

Most members of the legal profession now agree that the study of law goes beyond reading cases and consulting legal treatises. Complex legal problems typically involve thorny issues that can be illuminated by economic, sociological, historical, scientific and philosophical perspectives. From its birth, UCLA School of Law has been led in the interdisciplinary study of legal issues. We offer an enormous number of courses, opportunities for externships and programs to hone your skills and connect you to the world outside of the law school. Unlike many law schools, our students can take courses in professional schools and academic departments that are literally steps away on the university's beautiful campus.

Our faculty, administrators, students, staff and alumni form strong bonds of affinity and loyalty. Although you will work hard here, just as you would at any great law school, I am confident you will also have a transformative experience that will make you look back at your three years in Westwood as among the happiest and most intellectually fulfilling of your lives.

Stephen C. Yeazell
Interim Dean and David G. Price and Dallas P. Price Professor of Law