July 13, 2022

Dear Berkeley Law Alumni,
 
I hope that you are enjoying a good summer. As I write this quarterly message, we are completing summer LL.M. classes for our Executive Track students and eagerly preparing for the Fall 2022 semester, which will begin on Monday, August 22. I have much good news to report.
 
Admissions. Last year, we had the highest percentage of students in our history accept offers of admission and unexpectedly had an entering J.D. class of 385. Our target had been 320 entering 1L students. We were delighted to welcome the larger than expected class, but because of the exceptionally large rising 2L class, this year we decided to aim for a significantly smaller 1L class and it looks like we will have 285 entering first-year J.D. students. We expect that they will have a median LSAT of 170, the highest in Berkeley Law’s history, and a median GPA of 3.84. Over 60 percent are women and over 50 percent are students of color. We also plan to welcome 240 LL.M. students from throughout the world. I will provide more details about these classes in my next quarterly message.
 
New faculty. We are joined by five terrific new faculty members who began on July 1: 

  • Andrew Baker joins us as an assistant professor of law. Baker graduated from Georgetown University and received a J.D. and Ph.D. in Business Administration from Stanford University. Most recently, he has been an academic fellow at the Stanford Law School Rock Center for Corporate Governance. 
  • Stephanie Campos-Bui is an assistant clinical professor of law and associate director of the Policy Advocacy Clinic. She received both her B.A. in English (2011) and her J.D. (2014) from UC Berkeley. In 2015, she joined the clinic and served as deputy director.
  • David Hausman comes to us as an assistant professor of law. David received his undergraduate degree in Social Studies from Harvard University. In 2015, he received a law degree from Stanford Law School and in 2020 he received a Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University. Following law school, David was a law clerk for the Honorable Stephen F. Williams at the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, then practiced as an attorney and Skadden Fellow. Most recently, he has served as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. 
  • Sharon Jacobs joins us as a professor of law. She is one of the leading experts in the country in energy and environmental law. Previously she was a professor of law and the John H. Schultz Energy and Natural Resources Law Fellow at the University of Colorado Law School. She received her B.M., with academic honors, from the Cleveland Institute of Music, a M.M. from The Juilliard School through the Columbia University Exchange Program, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. After law school, Sharon was an associate in the energy and environmental regulatory groups at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C. 
  • Emily Zhang joins us as an assistant professor of law. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a J.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. She was a Skadden Fellow, doing voting rights litigation with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Administrative changes. I am delighted to welcome Veronica Alexander as our new assistant dean for development and alumni relations. Veronica comes to the Law School from the Berkeley School of Social Welfare, where she was their assistant dean for development and external relations. Before that, she spent almost a decade as director of development at UC Irvine School of Law, and before that almost 20 years at UCLA School of Law, where she served as director of financial aid. She can be reached at valexander@berkeley.edu. I know that Veronica will be a terrific leader of our excellent development and alumni relations team. I look forward to your meeting and working with her.
 
Two faculty members have taken on new administrative duties. Professor Andrew Bradt is now the associate dean for J.D curriculum and teaching, overseeing our course offerings and instruction. Professor Dylan Penningroth is the new associate dean for jurisprudence and social policy, overseeing that program and our undergraduate Legal Studies program. I am grateful to both for taking on these major new responsibilities.
 
After 20 years, Terry Galligan, our wonderful assistant dean for the Career Development Office, has retired. Eric Stern has assumed these duties and will be the interim director as we do a search for Terry’s replacement.
 
Commencements Recap. Commencement is one of my favorite times of the year. This year, we doubled our pleasure by holding two commencements. On May 13, we celebrated commencement for the Class of 2022 in the Greek Theatre. It was a truly joyous occasion.
 
And on May 21, we celebrated the in-person commencement for the classes of 2020 and 2021 at the Greek Theatre. Over 300 graduates came back to Berkeley to join us. It was unique in the history of Berkeley Law. The pandemic prevented us from gathering to acknowledge and celebrate their impressive accomplishments. For some graduates, it was their first time on the Berkeley campus. It was a very special day, and I’m so grateful to our graduates for their patience, and for coming back to celebrate with us. You can watch the recording and view photos here>>.
 
Alumni Workplace Challenge. Thank you to all of our terrific alumni who volunteered as captains at their organizations for this year’s Alumni Workplace Challenge (formerly Partners in Leadership). Over 85 alumni at 60+ workplaces came together this year for this friendly fundraising competition to encourage their colleagues to support Berkeley Law. Special thanks to David Zaplosky ’88 (Amazon.com, Inc.), Monique Liburd ’08 (Google LLC), Anna Remis ’07 (Sidley Austin LLP), and Michael Charlson ’85 (Vinson & Elkins LLP) for their contributions as part of the Challenge’s steering committee. The campaign finished strong with 44% overall participation from alumni at participating workplaces raising nearly $900,000!
 
Donor and Alumni Awards Event. It was my great pleasure to honor nine terrific alumni and faculty with our most prestigious awards last month at the Alumni Awards and Donor Celebration dinner. It was a wonderful opportunity to gather in person for the first time in three years, and to celebrate so many of our donors and volunteers. My congratulations to the 2020 awardees: Cara Sandberg ’12, Young Alumni Award; Dean Chris Edley Jr., Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award; Judge Claudia Wilken ’75, Judge D. Lowell and Barbara Jensen Public Service Award; and Art ’71 and Mary Jo ’72 (1942-2021) Shartsis, Citation Award. Kudos as well to the 2022 honorees: Rep. Colin Allred ’14, Young Alumni Award; Professor Mark Gergen, Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award; Judge Marsha Berzon ’73, Judge D. Lowell and Barbara Jensen Public Service Award; and Joel Sanders ’82, Citation Award. These individuals represent the very best of Berkeley Law and their work is an inspiration for us all.
 
Appreciation for our Alumni Volunteers. We asked much from our graduates this year and they responded to our requests for help. Over 600 alumni volunteered through programs coordinated by the Development and Alumni Relations Office. Alumni served as:

  • Admissions advisors assisting the Admissions Office with recruitment of a talented and diverse class of new J.D. students
  • Alumni guides helping new students transition to Berkeley Law
  • Career mentors in summer 2022 for rising 2L students interviewing for positions at law firms during Early Interview Week or for Public Interest/Public Service work
  • Alumni Workplace Challenge captains helping to generate donations to our annual fundraising campaign for core needs such as scholarships, faculty support, and our Clinical Program
  • Berkeley Law Alumni Association Board members. Special thanks to Carly Alameda ’06 for her leadership of the board, and to our outgoing members Karen Boyd ’96, John Kuo ’88, Kim Thompson ’90, and Karin Wang ’95, as well as student representative Naomi Spoelman ’22. In the new academic year, five alumni will join the board: Charles Breyer ’66, Noah Ickowitz ’17, Kenton King ’87, Irma Rodriguez Moisa ’92, Armilla Staley-Ngomo ’08, and new president Cara Sandberg '12.
  • Volunteers working directly with our Career Development Office, Pro Bono Program, and various centers.
 
Looking ahead
 
I am very excited about the coming academic year. And I am particularly looking forward to an in-person reunion. We will welcome alumni to campus September 30 through October 2 for Alumni Reunion Weekend. Events include a student journal open house, affinity group mixer, a barbecue, CLE sessions, a town hall, a Golden Circle brunch for the classes of 1972 and earlier, and class dinners for those who graduated in years ending in 2 or 7. But all of our alumni — from every year — are welcome to join us! All CLE sessions and the town hall will be recorded and made available online. I do hope that you can join us. The Alumni Reunion website can be found here: Berkeley Law Alumni Reunion 2022.

As has been announced, on July 1, I began my second five-year term as dean of Berkeley Law. I am deeply honored and tremendously looking forward to all we can do together to sustain and enhance the excellence of this wonderful law school. I am enormously grateful for all of the support I have received from our alumni community. The simple reality is that everything we do depends on you and your support. Thank you for everything!
 
As always, please reach out to me if I can be of assistance to you or if you’d like to talk about the Law School. I can be reached at echemerinsky@law.berkeley.edu and (510) 642-6483.

With warm regards,