The field of law is a noble calling, one that through its inherently intersectional character strives to create a more just society. The study and practice of law are indispensable and fundamental to the construction, survival and growth of our society. Students of law go on to become leaders not only in the legal field but in education, business, sports and government. Whether elected officials, CEOs or university presidents, their influence breaks down barriers to construct a better, more equitable world.
Tulane Law School’s reputation for excellence has attracted students and faculty from across the globe, almost since its founding in 1847. Over its proud history, the law school has provided a natural laboratory for exploring how the law crosses boundaries. Louisiana’s unique civil law tradition and New Orleans’ history as a gateway for international trade make it a ready climate for studying the interaction of different legal systems.
That global perspective is a hallmark of a Tulane Law School education. It is also the foundation of Tulane’s preeminence in such inherently global fields as comparative and international law, environmental law, admiralty law and sports law. At the same time, our setting in New Orleans has fostered a close connection with our community. We realized early on the potential of that connection for our graduates, our city and our region. Tulane was the first law school in the country to require pro bono work of all its students. Our students have the distinctive advantage of a detailed understanding of how law works on the ground.
The future of our nation and our world turns, in large part, on our ability to navigate a host of vexing legal and policy questions relating to energy. A powerful, well-resourced Energy Law Center will prepare succeeding generations of energy lawyers and leaders while shedding light on the ever-changing climate of energy development and policy. This center will also fill a strategic gap in the law school’s signature strengths in Maritime, International, and Environmental Law, enabling Tulane Law School to become a leading hub for research and engagement on issues of energy policy locally and globally.
A leader in environmental legal education since 1979, Tulane Law already houses the renowned Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy, the largest faculty-supervised environmental law clinic, one of the most respected environmental law journals in the country, and the only student-run Environmental Law Summit of its kind. A core group of enterprising alumni have already provided seed investment to endow a chair in Environmental Law and have launched plans to create a center that will serve as a well-resourced umbrella to all these programs. Under the leadership of the new chair, Tulane Law School will be able to establish a one-of-a-kind private environmental law curriculum.
Tulane Law School’s Sports Law Program is both the oldest and the best in the world. Tulane Law has become a magnet for students aspiring to leadership in the areas of community, collegiate and professional sports. We continue to be a national leader, with 15-20 percent of all of our law students choosing Tulane because of this exceptional program. Naming the Sports Law Program would provide significant resources, poising it to ascend to the next level.
Only the Audacious is inspiring a new age of academic ambition and steering a future of learning and research. Listen and watch as Dean David Meyer discusses the School of Law and its role in empowering the audacious.
The competition to enroll talented students from underrepresented minorities is particularly fierce. Retaining all in a welcoming and inclusive environment is of critical importance to who we are as a law school and a community. Visionary new initiatives like the Waldrup-Crosby Endowed Scholarship, which combine mentorship and networking support along with financial aid, are crucial to maintaining and increasing our competitiveness and quality in a very tight market. Diversity in our faculty, staff and student body encourages a diversity of thought, challenging assumptions and opening minds—elements integral to the purpose of a legal education. Tulane Law seeks to endow a position for a Dean for Diversity and Inclusion ($2 million) as well as funding for full-tuition scholarships and programs that will foster diversity across the law school polis and curriculum.
Tulane Law School has long been a pioneer in legal education by teaching real-world skills as well as the theory and doctrine needed for the practice of law beyond the classroom. A newly created Center for Experiential Learning will support existing programs and allow us to expand into new frontiers.
For decades, Tulane Law School’s clinics have provided our students unparalleled advocacy opportunities in such diverse areas as criminal justice, domestic violence and environmental law. Now we are expanding those opportunities by launching two new clinics dedicated to First Amendment rights and immigrants’ rights respectively. Set to open in fall 2020, the First Amendment clinic will extend Tulane’s significant strength in First Amendment issues and draw upon robust faculty scholarship concerning rights of assembly, speech, press and religion. Also opening fall 2020, the Immigrant’s Rights Clinic will prepare students to meet the rapidly growing crisis in access to justice for detainees. The center will support existing clinics and new ones.
The new center will support our pro bono service initiatives, public service externships, moot court teams, trial advocacy programs and intensive skills-focused boot camps, as well as provide the engine for future innovation — all of which require significant resources and provide attractive naming opportunities.
Tulane Law was an early national leader in emphasizing attorney skills training. Tulane continues to prepare generations of outstanding trial lawyers through participation in Moot Court. Tulane Law School is committed to transforming a central floor within the law library into a showcase, state-of-the-art courtroom, complete with judicial bench, jury box, and all of the technology employed in modern courtrooms. The courtroom will be surrounded by swing spaces that can be outfitted as conference rooms, where mock trial teams may practice judicial sidebars, depositions and negotiations. The courtroom space would also be convertible into a multi-purpose space when not used for trial practice and would serve as Tulane Law School’s premier event space for academic conferences, alumni events, board meetings and other high-visibility functions. This courtroom will be the crown jewel of Tulane Law School’s Weinmann Hall and will elevate Tulane’s Moot Court and Trial Advocacy programs, enabling students to master state-of-the-art trial techniques and develop their full talents as advocates.
To learn about the many other ways that your generosity can support Tulane Law School, please contact Treb Winegar, Managing Director of Development, at 504.862.8559 or twinegar@tulane.edu.