July 15, 2021
Dear Berkeley Law Alumni,
As I write this quarterly message, we are eagerly awaiting the beginning of classes on August 16. We plan to be fully in person. Teaching over Zoom worked, but it is no substitute for being in the classroom together. I am excited to welcome our new and returning students and to be in the classroom again.
I wanted to update you on a few developments and express enormous gratitude for the support of our alumni during this past, difficult year.
Student Admissions
The good news is that our applications went up enormously and our yield was unprecedented. A year ago, for the J.D. Class of 2023, we had about 5,500 applications. This year, we had well over 8,000. Nationally, law school applications were up, but not nearly this much. Our goal was a class of 320 1Ls and we accepted fewer students than the year before. But we had a 37% yield, which was the highest it ever has been. As I write this, we expect to have 400 1Ls. This will be difficult for us in many ways. We are adding more sections of 1L classes and it will put a strain on all aspects of the Law School. We will hire more staff in many departments to be sure that the services we provide are not adversely affected. It is unexpected and stunning and a wonderful reflection of the reputation and strength of Berkeley Law.
I obviously do not yet have the final numbers concerning the entering class, but it also is sure to be enormously strong by every measure. It appears that we will have a median LSAT of 169 for the first time and a median GPA of about 3.84. The class will be tremendously diverse, with over 60% women and 50% students of color. I will report on the final numbers in my next quarterly report.
Faculty Hiring
We have added three new members of our faculty. Professor Jennifer Chacón joins us from UCLA School of Law, where she has taught constitutional law and immigration law. She received her B.A. from Stanford and a J.D. from Yale, clerked on the Ninth Circuit, and has taught at a number of law schools. Professor Jonathan Glater joins us, also from UCLA School of Law. He teaches criminal law and education law. He received a B.A. from Swarthmore, an M.A. in international relations, and a J.D. from Yale. In addition to practicing at a law firm, he spent 10 years as a reporter for The New York Times before going into teaching a decade ago. Professor Osagie Obasogie previously taught at UC Hastings College of the Law and has been a professor in the Berkeley School of Public Health. He teaches in the health law area, as well as about race and the law. He received a B.A. from Yale, a J.D. from Columbia, and a Ph.D. from Berkeley. All three of these individuals are great teachers as well as outstanding scholars.
Appreciation for our Alumni
We asked much from our graduates this year and they responded to our pleas for help. Over 800 alumni volunteered to assist students this year 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 (entering last fall and the entering class this year) transition to Berkeley Law
• Career mentors to students interviewing for positions at law firms for both the Winter Interview Program in February (for 2Ls in the Class of 2022) and Early Interview Week in May (for rising 2Ls in the Class of 2023) — twice in one year! — AND as mentors for our first ever alumni-sponsored Public Interest/Public Service initiative for rising 2Ls)
• Partners in Leadership 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 BLAA, and to our outgoing members Bill Friedman ’11, Tyler Gerking ’02, Gloria Lee ’04, Duane Valz ’96, and student representative Chip Hall ’21. Next year four alumni — Jami Floyd ’89, Terry Friedman ’76, Ricardo Garcia ’95, and Quyen Ta ’03 — will join the board. The student representative will be Naomi Spoelman ’22.
• Volunteers working directly with our Career Development Office, Pro Bono Program, and various centers.
Alumni also played a critical role in helping us to avoid a disastrous financial year. We don’t have final fundraising statistics yet, but what we worried was going to be a very challenging year ended up on a positive note. Over 350 more donors gave to the law school in FY21 than in FY20. Contributions from alumni helped us reduce the potential deficit this year from an expected $3 million to less than $1 million, which we absorbed from our reserves. Alumni contributions are truly vital to our remaining one of the top law schools in the country.
Alumni Volunteers Needed
Because of the size of this fall’s entering class, we need to double the number of J.D. Alumni Guides from a year ago. These volunteers contact their assigned students in August to welcome them to the law school and then check in with their students in mid-September to see how they are progressing. All of these meetings are held virtually via Zoom or on the phone. The total time commitment is approximately 1 hour. If you are interested in serving as a J.D. Alumni Guide, please register here: Berkeley Law Connect - Alumni Guide Registration.
Alumni Reunion 2021
With the campus reopening for classes in August, we are moving ahead with plans for Alumni Reunion Weekend. We learned last year when the event was entirely virtual that offering MCLE panels via Zoom allowed many of our alumni to enroll in the sessions when geographic or financial constraints would prevent them from returning for traditional reunions. We also learned that social events are definitely better in person. So, this year, we are utilizing a hybrid model that will include virtual CLE programming: a panel on environmental law on September 23, and an ethics panel and a program on recognizing and eliminating bias on September 24. The annual Supreme Court Review panel and Dean’s Town Hall will be held in person AND livestreamed on September 25. An all-alumni picnic lunch and a late afternoon happy hour will follow those events. Class dinners will be held for our signature reunion classes, the Classes of 1970 and 1971 who are celebrating their 50th law reunions and the 25th reunion classes, 1995 and 1996. The class of 1965 is also planning special 55th reunion events. Registration will open in early August, and we will send out a full schedule of events to all alumni in the next few weeks. The Alumni Reunion website can be found here: Berkeley Law Alumni Reunion 2021.
Class of 2020 Commencement
One of the casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic was commencement, a special rite of passage. On Sunday, September 26, we will hold a commencement ceremony and celebration for graduates in the Class of 2020. Plans are still in flux but we will be in touch with members of this class in the next few weeks to provide more details. I am so delighted that we can finally celebrate the achievements of this class, and look forward to seeing many familiar faces at the event. We look forward to planning a celebration for the Class of 2021.
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I want to reiterate a message that I shared with so many of you at our last Town Hall and at alumni chapter meetings. Although this may have been the most challenging year in the Law School’s history, our community has demonstrated resilience, innovation, strength, and kindness. This experience has made us stronger. Having successfully navigated a serious disruption, we are now well placed to transition to a post-COVID period, one filled with great promise. We move forward knowing that legal education is best delivered in person and we are committed to making our students' experience as good if not better than what you experienced. Our faculty are eager to reengage with students, not only in the classroom but through those spontaneous teaching opportunities that just seem to present themselves in the law building. We will open our doors again to outside speakers who help us all learn and think about issues in new ways. And, I am looking forward to finally being able to travel to visit with you in your home cities, and hope that you will find time to visit us at Cal.
I hope you have a wonderful summer with family and friends. I am looking forward to seeing you here on campus and around the country over the next year.
Warmly,
