A Welcome from Dean Kendrick
To each and every law student: I hope that you and your loved ones are well and that you are having a great semester so far. Many thanks to Co-Editors-in-Chief Kelly Wu and Brad Berklich and their entire staff for hosting me in the pages of the Law Weekly.
One of my favorite parts of the new school year is spending time with each 1L section individually. These gatherings happen across a few weeks, and collectively they trace the progression of the first half of the semester. In week one, I hear about the first cold calls. Then plans for Dandelion. Then who won Dandelion. Then the first softball practices. Then the first games. Suddenly, it is time to talk about midterms, apple picking, and fall break plans.
Source: UVA Law
I am in the midst of my third year of these get-togethers, which means that I have been lucky enough to have them with everyone from 1Ls and LLMs to 2Ls and 3Ls. And in that time, I have learned from you all. Here is some of what I have learned:
First, being a new student is exciting, but also uncomfortable. You are saying goodbye to your old life and jumping into something brand new. You are working hard without much sense of whether you are “doing it right.”
Second, in the midst of this uncertainty, you all are incredibly good to each other. Every single section I meet is kind, encouraging of honesty and vulnerability, and constructive and supportive toward each other. Law school is hard; there is no doubt. But you all work even harder at making it a good experience for everyone.
Third, in that mission, you stand on the shoulders of your predecessors. This place has a long history of students, faculty, and staff who have seeded the UVA Law experience with joy, from orientation to the Midway Toast to graduation.
In my years here, I have seen new traditions get invented and learned about the proud history of our dozens of student organizations. I have heard about the origin of softball at the Law School—an incredible story of students who found themselves in a remote new building, way off in sleepy North Grounds, and built something legendary out of the one thing they did have: a ball field.
This year, I am hoping to learn more about the history of Dandelion Parade, the PILA Auction, and other touchstones of our calendar. But we already know the most important thing: that we all benefit from the thought and effort that our predecessors put into this place. Every law school involves hard work. Not every place contains so much joy.
Heading into this year, two of my priorities are (1) student professional development, and (2) technology and the future of legal practice. When I talk with alumni and other attorneys, I consistently hear two things: they want to hire young lawyers who understand new technologies and who have the professional skills and judgment of great lawyers.
The longer I am dean, the more I see these as two sides of the same coin. Artificial intelligence makes good human lawyering all the more important; the world needs lawyers who can use tech tools well while providing counsel far beyond what technology alone can offer.
There is a great deal we do not know about how technology will shape the future of legal practice. But I am certain that it will require exactly the talents you have—the high IQ and high EQ that are hallmarks of the UVA lawyer. I witness you all practicing both sets of skills every day when you work hard and still take time to celebrate each other’s milestones, when you undertake the toughest conversations with respect, when you take risks—whether in class, onstage, or on the field—and treat each other with compassion, win or lose.
These skills build great friendships. They also make great lawyers. Being a graduate of the Law School myself, having just seen my amazing classmates at our 20th reunion, I can vouch that everything you do here will contribute to your professional future—not just what you do in class, but how you treat each other outside of it. I have no doubt you will excel on both fronts.
2026 marks the 200th anniversary of classes at the Law School. This year, we are writing the first chapter in our third century of legal education. I am glad to undertake that endeavor with you, and I look forward to seeing everything you will accomplish this year and beyond.