Richard A. Bierschbach headshot
Alumni and friends,

As we settle into a new academic year, events continue to shine a spotlight on injustices that are ubiquitous in our society. The last year and a half has highlighted health disparities, racial and gender inequalities, and other fundamental structural and socioeconomic issues that have existed for generations.

Since Wayne State University Law School’s founding nearly 100 years ago, a core part of its mission has been to advance knowledge, policies and practices that seek to correct such ills and to enhance the well-being of all individuals. Through population health research and advocacy initiatives, our faculty and students are working to change the structures that contribute to health disparities, knowing that doing so can go far to protect and empower marginalized groups by preventing inequities and illness from taking root. Read the cover story, “Broad strokes,” beginning on page 16.

Wayne Law faculty members also are reshaping the narrative around another longstanding social ill that intersects with issues of race and citizenship: that of gender-based violence. Learn more in “Shifting the paradigm,” which begins on page 22.

Though 2021 continued to be a year of upheaval, we experienced great success amid the uncertainty. The Law School reached a new historic best as No. 72 in the country in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law School rankings. Our part-time program ranked No. 24 — the best in the state and No. 3 in the Midwest.

The Law School’s suite of experiential learning programs has also grown. With the School of Social Work, we launched a holistic defense partnership that will train law students and M.S.W. students together to achieve the best possible outcomes for clients navigating the criminal justice system. And beginning in winter 2022, students will be able to spend the semester living and working in Washington, D.C., through an externship partnership between the Law School’s experiential learning program, the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and the Levin Center.

Our community suffered an immense loss in the death of a consummate statesman, a longtime friend of our university and the Levin Center’s namesake, former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. It would be wrong to say that Sen. Levin’s passing marks the end of an era. We have lost a giant, yes — he taught and inspired Wayne Law students to not only do something, but to do the right thing, no matter the cost. But his lessons will hold a lasting and resounding impact for all of us.

This academic year, like the last, undoubtedly will bring losses, challenges and hard lessons learned. But it also undoubtedly will bring forth more of the strength, perseverance, community-mindedness and remarkable achievements that define this institution. Our Wayne Law community is infused with immense devotion to their craft, to the common good and to each other — a constant reminder why we’re a law school like no other.

Sincerely,

Richard A. Bierschbach
Dean and Professor of Law