Mar 2, 2023
Dear Members of the Santa Clara Law Community,
As we move into the month of March, let’s pause for a moment to reflect on the tremendous accomplishments of our Law school community, and to look ahead to the many exciting opportunities that await us.
Friends, I could not be more proud of our students. Santa Clara Law’s Mock Trial team excelled at the National Trial Competition. Felicity Evans JD ‘23, Olivia Salguero JD ‘23, Tessa Duxbury JD ‘23, Christopher Maldonado JD ‘24, Taylor Green JD ‘23, and Michael Thiagasingh JD ‘24 delivered remarkable performances at one of the most prestigious trial tournaments in the nation.
Let us also extend our heartiest congratulations to the finalists of Santa Clara Law’s Galloway Criminal Moot Court competition, Jennifer Stukenberg JD ‘25 and Hanchel Cheng JD ‘25, who represented the winning team, and Ajit Bhullar JD ‘25 and his teammate Simone Wolberg JD ‘25, who won the best oral advocate award. We are proud of all of our students and wish them the very best as they continue on their legal journey.
PreLaw Magazine recently released its annual rankings of ABA-accredited law schools. Underscoring our commitment to enriching diversity within our Law school community, I am pleased to announce that Santa Clara Law has once again received top rankings for diversity, earning the 20th spot on PreLaw Magazine’s 2022 Best Schools for Diversity list. Our renowned International Law and Tech Edge J.D. Programs have also received top honors. Our Law school is among fifteen law schools in the nation to be awarded an A+ rating for our International Law program, and among twelve to be awarded an A+ for our Tech Edge J.D. program.
Looking ahead, we have several exciting initiatives and events planned for this month. Tomorrow, March 3rd, the Center for Social Justice will be hosting its annual Benefit for Justice. All are welcome to attend as we celebrate the outstanding achievements of our law school community in the realm of social justice and public service. On March 7, the High Tech Law Institute and the Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center (KGACLC) are jointly hosting a fireside chat with renowned author Patricia Timm, who will also be this year’s commencement speaker. On March 21, KGACLC will be hosting a reception and awarding its 2023 Katharine and George Alexander Law Prize to this year’s recipient, Attorney Tara Berta. Please join us at the Adobe Lodge for an evening of celebration as we recognize Tara Berta’s exceptional legal advocacy which has earned her this well-deserved honor.
Finally, we welcome Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond to Santa Clara Law on March 29 as he embarks on a series of tours for the launch of his new book, Poverty, by America, in which the author reimagines the debate on poverty, making a new and bracing argument about why it persists in America: because the rest of us benefit from it. This work is timely and relevant to our law community, given our Silicon Valley location and proximity to great disparities in wealth that contribute to the poverty in California, as well as our social justice work that is central to our mission. I invite you to join us for an author presentation and Q&A with the audience, followed by a book signing. The event is free and open to the public, and you can receive a free copy of the book by registering to attend by March 15.
With warm regards and tremendous gratitude,
