Alumni and friends,

Wayne Law has introduced three programs — the Holistic Defense Partnership, the Warrior Housing Corps and the Police Practices Student Fellowship — in which students, faculty and community partners work side by side to advance justice on the ground in response to pressing needs. Read the cover story, “Where justice and community meet,” beginning on Page 16.

Additionally, Wayne Law students are increasing awareness of diversity within the profession and encouraging youth from different backgrounds to consider careers in law. Learn more about the Lawyers Look Like Me campaign and the Be the Change event starting on Page 12.

Through the uncertainty of the past year, we continued to experience great success. Wayne Law has achieved yet another historic best in the U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings, rising to No. 58 in the country. Our part-time program is again the best in the state and No. 17 in the country. Wayne Law’s Class of 2021 also achieved a 93.7% employment rate 10 months after graduation in full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage or for which a J.D. is an advantage — an impressive number that puts the Law School in the top 20 nationwide for placing its recent graduates in such “gold standard” jobs.

Sadly, our community suffered a tragic loss in the death of beloved faculty member Peter J. Henning. Peter’s gift for teaching and making the complicated accessible touched everyone from Wayne Law. It also impacted countless others, from those who appreciated his frequent and spirited contributions to the national news media to the worldwide network of business law and criminal justice scholars whose work and lives he enriched in so many ways. To say he is missed is an understatement.

This academic year brings emerging challenges, new changes, and more opportunities to grow and excel. I look forward to it, knowing that, as always, our Wayne Law community is driven by and dedicated to the shared goal of working together to make our law school and our world a better place.

Richard A. Bierschbach
Dean and Professor of Law