Celebrating the 75th anniversary of UCLA Law
People from across the UCLA School of Law community are proud to be marking the law school’s 75th anniversary during the 2024-25 school year. For 12 months, a series of events, publications, projects and programs will bring together friends and colleagues to reflect on their rich history of public service, access to justice, and outstanding legal education.
The celebration is rooted in an ethos that has driven the law school from the beginning.
On September 19, 1949, UCLA School of Law opened its doors and started classes. Working out of temporary barracks known as buildings 3L, 3N and 3P – huts that had been erected on what was then otherwise empty space behind Royce Hall on the relatively new UCLA campus in Westwood – the faculty had just six members and the small entering class of 54 students included five women and several military veterans. They were there to do something that fit the audacious attitudes of the nation after World War II: start the first public law school in Southern California with a mission to serve and, in the words of a University of California publication at the time, to promote “the spirit, the ideals, and the ethical standards of the common legal heritage.”
“UCLA Law has played an important role on the local, national, and international stage.”
Today, Dean Michael Waterstone looks at that dynamic period and sees how it formed the enduring mindset of advocacy, invention and unity that characterizes the law school.
“UCLA Law was united by commitments that we continue to hold today: a determination to care for our neighbors, engage in a cutting-edge education, and achieve excellence while creating a more open and equitable legal profession,” Waterstone wrote in a message that kicked off the anniversary celebration. “UCLA Law has played an important role on the local, national, and international stage. Our faculty members have been at the forefront of every key legal and policy debate during that period, serving as thought leaders and changemakers. Our alumni have held key positions in law, business, politics, and civil society, bringing our values into action around the world. And every day, our students have shown up, committed to bettering themselves and making a meaningful difference in their communities.”
“This anniversary is a moment to reflect on everything that makes us great and the even better opportunities that are on the horizon.”
Anniversary programming starts with a special law school tailgate at the UCLA football game on September 28 and Reunion 2024 weekend on October 19 and 20. More events in the spring will include a block party for the entire UCLA Law community and the Alumni of the Year awards ceremony (details on these activities are to come).
A special 75th anniversary website features details on anniversary events and much more. It will be updated throughout the year and allows readers to be inspired by stories from the past three-quarters of a century and focus on the values that guide UCLA Law.
“This anniversary is a moment to reflect on everything that makes us great and the even better opportunities that are on the horizon,” Waterstone said to the community. “Thank you! I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you.”