“UCI Law Stories: Past, Present and Future,” celebrating and highlighting the school’s remarkable first 10 years, is a new exhibition mounted in the lobby of UC Irvine’s Langson Library on East Peltason Drive. It includes numerous photographs, letters, documents, other writings and memorabilia. It highlights the law school’s recent achievements, along with its historical beginnings, going back to the 1960s when UCI first opened its doors, and the law school was part of its founding vision. 

Since its 2009 opening, UCI’s law school has been operating at the crossroads of academic excellence and meritorious public service. In just 10 years, the school has received numerous accolades. Here are just a few. In 2015, the American Bar Association ranked the law school as third in the placement of federal clerkships, behind Yale and Stanford Universities. In 2016, The National Jurist Magazine ranked UCI as fourth in its “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings. In 2017, the Excess of Democracy blog ranked the law school as seventh in the nation for federal clerkships and second in the state of California. And in 2018, U.S. News and World Report ranked UCI 21st among 146 law schools.

UCI Law School’s student government and campus groups are also strong advocates for civil rights. Nearly 90 percent of the students participate in the school’s pro bono legal services program through more than 100 different projects; in particular, they assist the poor who are in need of counsel. 

In addition, UCI Law inspires high school students to consider pursuing careers in the legal field through its Saturday Academy of Law and Pre-Law Outreach programs. SAL helps high school students, who are interested in studying law, improve their reading, writing and critical thinking skills. 

(Allan Helmick)

The school, which opened in 2009 with just 60 students, now has 682 alumni, with 45 percent identifying themselves as people of color.

Highlights of “UCI Law Stories: Past, Present and Future” include:

  • Photo of UCI founding Chancellor Daniel G. Aldrich Jr., beside the June 20, 1964 UCI site dedication plaque. 
  • “Founders of the Law School” Public Service Awards Dinner photo, featuring Mark Robinson, Judge Andrew Guilford, Mary Ford, Gary Singer, James Irvine Swinden and Joseph Dunn.  
  • Several photos of Erwin Chemerinsky, founding dean of the law school, from 2008 to 2017, and one bobblehead of the dean, which was gifted by the UCI Law School class of 2017.
  • Newspaper articles from the New York Times and Orange County Register, reporting on the hiring, firing and rehiring of Chemerinsky.
  • July 2008 L.A. Times article focusing on Chemerinsky’s announcement of the founding faculty and administration of 18 accomplished scholars and administrators at UCI Law. 
  • PreLaw Magazine’s article describing Chemerinsky’s vision “to create the ideal law school for the 21st Century” from winter 2009
  • Photo of August 24, 2009 UCI Law School opening day scissors and ribbon.
  • Inaugural Issue of UC Irvine Law Review, March 2011, featuring articles by of the founding faculty and by inaugural class members.
  • Photo of Chemerinsky teaching, January 26, 2012.
  • Photo of Class of 2012 commencement speakers.
  • June 6, 2014 photo celebrating full accreditation to UCI Law by the American Bar Association.
  • September 2017 Orange Coast Magazine profile of UC Law School Dean, L. Song Richardson, who assumed that role in January 1, 2018. At that time, she was the only woman of color in that role at a top 30 law school. 

(Allan Helmick)

  • Dean Richardson’s August 20, 2018 Orange County Register article, “Looking Back on 10 Years of UCI Law,” reflecting on the school’s milestones and future. 
  • Photo of members of the UCI Law community at the Orange County Korean American Bar Association 2018 Annual Installation Dinner, October 25, 2018.
  • Photo of U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter at her congressional swearing-In ceremony, January 22, 2019. UCI Law School Dean Richardson swore her in, with her daughter, Betsy, by her side. Porter is a professor of law at UCI and currently on leave.
  • Photo of members of the UCI Law community at the Thurgood Marshall Bar Association’s Second Annual Gala and Installation Dinner, January 19, 2019.
  • Photo collage of books published by UCI Law faculty, 2019.
  • Photo collage of UCI Law faculty and staff, 2019. Includes full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, librarians, affiliated faculty, visiting faculty, research fellows, administrators and staff of UCI Law.   

“UCI Law Stories,” running through September 30, is curated by Christina Tsou, research law librarian for faculty services; Jessica Pierucci, research law librarian for foreign, comparative and international law; and Brian Richard Williams, research librarian for criminology, law & society, U.S. & California government information and education and outreach. It is designed by Jennifer Betonio, Allan Helmick and Sylvia Irving. 

The UCI Law video archive is produced by Ryne Hodkowski, public relations manager, UCI Law; Anna Iliff, digital content specialist, UCI Law; and Colleen Taricani, assistant dean for communications, UCI Law.

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