Press Release
Contact:
Jim Greif
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(202) 296-1593

Colleen Taricani
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(949) 945-4506

 
New York City (January 7, 2016) – The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) House of Representatives voted today to elect University of California, Irvine School of Law (UCI Law) to membership in the AALS.
 
The AALS House of Representatives voted on the recommendation of the Membership Review Committee and the AALS Executive Committee. The committees cited UCI Law’s thorough demonstration of the numerous requirements for AALS membership, including strong academic record and commitment to scholarship in its recommendation to accept the school’s application to become a member.
 
UCI Law opened its doors in August 2009 to become the first new public law school in California in nearly 50 years. The school’s curriculum stresses hands-on learning, interdisciplinary study and public service. UCI Law’s faculty members have been recognized as some of the top in the country in scholarly impact.
 
“The AALS gladly welcomes University of California, Irvine School of Law into its membership,” said Blake D. Morant, AALS President and Dean, The George Washington University Law School. “In a very short period of time, the school has contributed so much to legal education and continues to produce outstanding legal professionals. We look forward to UC Irvine’s status as a valued member of the AALS.”
 
“This is another wonderful milestone for UC Irvine School of Law,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of University of California, Irvine School of Law. “The AALS review process is rigorous and I am delighted for the positive reviews and the positive vote making us a member school.”
 
The addition of UCI Law was announced during the 2016 AALS Annual Meeting in New York City, January 6-10. The AALS Annual Meeting brings together law school faculty and staff from the diverse membership of the association and provides a forum for novel thinking and fresh perspectives on law and legal education. The event is the largest worldwide gathering of law deans, faculty and staff and features over 800 speakers presenting at more than 200 sessions on a wide range of legal topics.

About the AALS
The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), founded in 1900, is a nonprofit association of 179 law schools. Its members enroll most of the nation’s law students and produce the majority of the country’s lawyers and judges, as well as many of its lawmakers. The mission of AALS is to uphold and advance excellence in legal education. In support of this mission, AALS promotes the core values of excellence in teaching and scholarship, academic freedom, and diversity, including diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints, while seeking to improve the legal profession, to foster justice, and to serve our many communities–local, national and international.