UC Law SF Magazine

Browse the 2026 Issue

Building
the Future

A new campus. New ideas. A new generation of legal leaders.

Collage of the UC Law SF campus, the new Academic Village tower and members of the community
Chancellor & Dean David Faigman taking a photo of the graduating class

Feature

A Legacy Built for the Future

As Chancellor & Dean David Faigman’s tenure enters its final chapter, his influence is felt not just in what’s been built, but in how the College is positioned for what comes next.

Read the Story A Faigman Chronology
An artistic rendering of Lady Justice

Feature

Preparing in Real Time for the AI Revolution

At the epicenter of AI innovation, UC Law SF is equipping students and legal professionals with the skills, knowledge, and perspective needed to lead in a rapidly changing profession.

An instructor leading a LexLab class

AI and Legal Education

On the Cutting Edge

UC Law SF offers clinics, courses, and professional development at the intersection of law and tech.
Two faculty members in the LexLab space

AI Bootcamp

Getting Students Ready for Tomorrow

In UC Law SF’s technology curriculum, students build AI tools and learn directly from the people who are shaping the field.
A full classroom during an AI certificate session

AI Certificate Program

Bringing the Profession Up to Speed

LexLab’s Law and Artificial Intelligence Certificate prepares counsel to understand AI risk, advise clients, and use new tools responsibly.
See the Tech Trailblazers (external link, opens in a new tab)

Alumni Perspectives

What are the qualities of a future-ready lawyer, and how can UC Law SF best prepare tomorrow’s lawyers and judges?

Portrait of Ben Bartlett ’14

Think Beyond Legacy Systems

“A future-ready lawyer must be entrepreneurial, creative, and willing to think beyond legacy systems that no longer meet the moment. In a time of scarcity and rapid change, lawyers and judges must stand in defense of humanity and build new pathways to opportunity. UC Law SF can lead by training students to use the law as a tool for solving real problems, challenging old assumptions, and building institutions worthy of the future.”

Ben Bartlett ’14, Partner, Tackett Bartlett
Member, Berkeley City Council

Portrait of Anthony McCusker ’95

Getting Into Real-World Settings Early

“A future-ready lawyer is not defined by technical expertise alone — that’s table stakes. The lawyers who will stand out are those who understand the world their clients actually live in, can translate complexity into practical, business-oriented solutions, and who aren’t intimidated by the pace of change around them. UC Law SF can lead by focusing on three things: get students into real-world settings early; treat technology fluency as essential, not elective; and teach lawyers how to communicate — not just to judges and opposing counsel, but to boards, founders, and executives who need clarity, not complexity.”

Anthony McCusker ’95, Chair, Goodwin Procter

Portrait of CJ Connolly ’21

Be Book-Smart and People-Smart

“A future-ready lawyer is one that can combine being book-smart and people-smart. Lawyers need to become quick experts in a variety of areas and use that knowledge to serve their clients with the essential skills of passion, empathy, and creativity. UC Law SF can best prepare students for their legal futures by continuing to offer amazing experiential opportunities such as Moot Court and clinical programs to allow them to develop those qualities in the classroom, courtroom, and community.”

CJ Connolly ’21, Supervising Attorney, East Bay Children’s Law Offices

Portrait of Taylor Galusha ’20

Orchestrating AI Tools and Legal Agents

“A future-ready lawyer’s most important skill will be sound judgment in effectively orchestrating AI tools and legal agents. UC Law SF should embrace AI use in legal education to prepare students for the profession’s rapid transformation.”

Taylor Galusha ’20
Lead Privacy and AI Counsel, Chime

Portrait of Catherine A. Ongiri, '06

Legal Training and Meaningful Opportunities

“Future-ready lawyers will need sound judgment, strong ethical grounding, curiosity, and the adaptability to navigate a profession that is changing rapidly, especially with technology reshaping how legal services are delivered. Just as important, they will need the human skills that technology cannot replace: clear communication, empathy, and the ability to build trust. UC Law SF can prepare tomorrow’s lawyers and judges by pairing excellent legal training with meaningful opportunities to develop professional identity, practical judgment, and a deep sense of responsibility to clients, the justice system, and the public.”

Catherine A. Ongiri ’06
Chair, UC Law SF Board of Directors
Program Director, State Bar of California Office of Professional Competence

Portrait of Jill Feldman, '86

Being an Excellent Lawyer is a Team Sport

“The qualities of a future-ready lawyer are intellectual curiosity, a willingness to work hard and turn over every stone, honesty, integrity (even in the face of pressure to find solutions), collegiality, and humility … Being an excellent lawyer is a team sport — you win for your client by collaborating with all stakeholders in a matter. UC Law SF can best prepare tomorrow’s lawyers and judges by emphasizing these qualities and encouraging students to take practical classes: the art of negotiating; writing in a clean, clear and precise manner; research skills; how to use (and not use) AI in your practice; etc.”

Jill Feldman ’86
Senior Counsel, Morrison Foerster

Portrait of Andrew Demirchyan, '16

Hands-On, Business-Focused Experiential Learning

“A future-ready lawyer must think critically, apply common sense, truly understand a client’s business objectives, and work efficiently — without getting bogged down in details that don’t matter to the overall representation. UC Law SF can best prepare tomorrow’s lawyers and judges by embedding hands-on, business-focused experiential learning throughout the curriculum. This will produce professionals who deliver real value in a rapidly evolving legal landscape.”

Andrew Demirchyan ’16
Partner, Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis

Portrait of Niki Solis, '95

Fortitude, Focus, and Will

“The most important qualities for a lawyer are having the fortitude, the focus, and the will to get things done — whether they are big tasks or little ones. Seeing the task at hand to the finish, persevering, crossing the proverbial t, and dotting the i, are what makes for excellent lawyers in any realm of practice. Pairing students, through clinical programming or otherwise, with mentor lawyers who have these qualities would best prepare students.”

Niki Solis ’95
Deputy Public Defender, San Francisco

A Record of Results

A graduate shaking hands at commencement

UC Law by the Numbers

From career outcomes to national recognition, the data reflect the strength and reach of the UC Law SF community.
Two scholarship donors standing together

Paying It Forward

Through endowed scholarships, alumni are investing in the students, experiences, and ideas that will shape the legal profession.
Portrait of a UC Law SF faculty member

Ideas in Action

From intellectual property to constitutional law, UC Law SF faculty are driving the conversation and advancing scholarship in the defining legal issues of our time.
Students arguing a case in a moot courtroom

5 Ways Students Build Paths to Practice

Long before graduation, UC Law SF students are drafting legislation, arguing appeals, advising companies, serving communities, and representing clients.

Momentum

The Academic Village building on a busy San Francisco street

Building
What’s Next

The Academic Village is a pioneering vision for a shared campus, providing world-class academic facilities and new on-campus housing for UC Law SF and other institutions of higher education in San Francisco.

Read the Story
Portrait of Chancellor & Dean David Faigman

From the Dean

“I am passionate about this law school and the people who have made it – and continue to make it – the great institution that it is.”

Read the Letter

Alumni in Action

Kristin Sverchek ’07 with her partner beside the water

Driving Grads Forward

From Silicon Valley startups to the executive suite at Lyft, Kristin Sverchek ’07 has spent her career at the forefront of technological change — and is helping future lawyers do the same.
Roger Dreyer ’80 and Carol Wieckowski Dreyer ’79 at graduation

A Family Tradition

For Roger Dreyer ’80 and Carol Wieckowski Dreyer ’79, a shared life in the law has become a legacy spanning generations.

Milestones

Class Notes

From the bench to the boardroom, UC Law SF alumni continue to make an impact. Explore the latest honors, appointments and accomplishments from classmates across the generations.

Read More

Advancement

An alumna on a rooftop with San Francisco City Hall behind her

Into the Future

Every generation helps shape the one that follows. The Into the Future campaign is an opportunity to invest in the students, faculty, and ideas that will define UC Law SF’s next chapter.
David L. Faigman speaking at a lectern

Honoring a Legacy

As part of the Into the Future campaign, the David L. Faigman Professor of Public Law endowment will celebrate a storied career and support continued faculty excellence.

Advancement

Help Shape the Next Chapter

The Into the Future campaign is investing in students, faculty, innovation and the Academic Village. Learn more and make your gift.

Learn More
A UC Law SF student smiling