School of Law: Dean’s Discretionary Fund

Wise Beyond Our Years

Founded in 1949, the UCLA School of Law was the first public law school in Southern California. Since then, its commitment to access and excellence has led it to become the youngest top-ranked law school in the nation.

In the early days, only 10 faculty members taught a total of 16 classes. In 2017, 100 faculty teach hundreds of classes and clinics in areas including business, environment, constitutional law, entertainment, food, international human rights and public interest law, to name a few.

Four areas illustrate how the school is a national leader: The Critical Race Studies Program, founded in 2000, is the only one of its kind in the country, providing fresh perspectives on racial justice. The Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, founded in 2008, is the country’s first law-school research program to focus exclusively on the environment. The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy is the nation’s first of its kind at a law school — founded in 2001 to be the premier source for research and analysis of LGBT legal issues. In 2017 the school launched The Promise Institute for Human Rights, which will be a national center for research, training and action addressing human rights crises around the globe.

The Hollywood Reporter has ranked UCLA the No. 1 school for entertainment law every year since 2014. The school’s environmental, tax and international law programs are all considered among the best in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

To keep those rankings high, philanthropy has always been a priority among the school’s 16,000 alumni, especially in the area of the Dean’s Discretionary Fund, unrestricted funds that support all facets of the school’s mission.

“Providing exceptional resources for our students is our highest priority,” says law Dean Jennifer L. Mnookin, “Your support is vital as we continue to fulfill our mission as a great public law school.”