At the University of Virginia School of Law, we have recently commemorated the bicentennial of our founding, the centennial of coeducation and the 70th anniversary of the desegregation of the Law School and the University. These milestones highlight both continuity and change. Our purpose from the start has been to train exceptional lawyers for the practice of law; to seek truth, build knowledge, and improve the legal system; and to serve our local community, our commonwealth, our nation, and the legal profession.
At the same time, we see evidence everywhere of how much has changed over our first two centuries. Most fundamentally, who we educate has broadened in every conceivable way. Today, our community of students, faculty, and staff is as diverse in backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs as we are unified in our shared understanding of the importance of the law and legal education. We sustain our community by recruiting remarkable people to join us and enabling them to thrive once they are here. Together, we foster a genuine and equitable community of belonging, broaden access to law school and the legal profession, and contribute to a legal system that seeks just resolutions across differing interests, goals, and perspectives.
Citation
Carlos M. Brown & Risa Goluboff, Continuity and Change at UVA Law, 70 Virginia Lawyer 33 (2022).