2021 Religious Law School Rankings

The Most Devout Law Schools, preLaw (Winter 2021):

Every two years, preLaw magazine spotlights the country’s Most Devout Law Schools [2019 ranking here]. ... Forty-six law schools in the U.S. have ties to faith. ... 28 law schools ... are associated with the Catholic religion. Many others are rooted to other Christian faiths, and two are Jewish institutions — Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York City and Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in Central Islip, N.Y.

METHODOLOGY
preLaw magazine bases its Most Devout honor roll on information gathered from law schools and other sources, including: percentage and activity of students and faculty who belong to the faith; number of religion-focused courses and other ways the school incorporates faith into its curriculum; religion-related journals, centers and clinics; religious services and clergy at the law school; and mission of the law school.

Most Devout Catholic Law Schools:

Continue reading

Deaning And Tsunamis

It has been quite a ride as dean: bones broken by a student, getting tossed out of the U.S. News rankings for self-reporting a data entry error, mass shooting, cataclysmic fire, detached retinas in both eyes, global pandemic, and, this morning, my first tsunami warning:

1.14.2022: (correction on date) Large volcanic eruption near Tonga (Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano) today as seen from outer space. Shown on visible imagery using the Himawari satellite. #hiwx #tsunami #earthquake pic.twitter.com/Y18W7wvXl9

— NWSHonolulu (@NWSHonolulu) January 15, 2022

The Best Law Schools For Practical Training

The Best Law Schools For Practical Training, preLaw (Spring 2021):

Schools have managed to do incredible work, even during a pandemic when face-to-face clinical work and externship opportunities were disrupted. ... This year, we’re honoring 65 schools, but every law school invests in practical training.

PRACTICAL TRAINING METHODOLOGY
We graded schools on a number of data points, focusing on key practical training offerings such as clinics, externships, simulation courses, pro bono hours and moot trial participation.

Continue reading

Pepperdine Symposium: Wealth And Inequality

Symposium, Wealth and Inequality, 48 Pepp. L. Rev. 875-1129 (2021):

• Ari Glogower (Ohio State), Comparing Capital Income and Wealth Taxes, 48 Pepp. L. Rev. 875 (2021)
• Richard Winchester (Seton Hall), A GILTI Fix for an Employment Tax Glitch, 48 Pepp. L. Rev. 915 (2021)
• Bobby L. Dexter (Chapman), Inequality, and the Berlin Walls of the Mind, 48 Pepp. L. Rev. 949 (2021)
• Karen B. Brown (George Washington), Tax Incentives and Sub-Saharan Africa, 48 Pepp. L. Rev. 995 (2021)
• Phyllis Taite (Oklahoma City), May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor: How the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Fortified the Great Wealth Divide, 48 Pepp. L. Rev. 1023 (2021)

Continue reading

WSJ: Fans Pour Funding—And Faith—Into 'The Chosen': A Hit Drama About Jesus

In July, I blogged The Chosen: Christian America’s Must-See TV Show and shared that I love the show so much that my wife and I were going to host weekly watch parties of Season 1 with lunch on Fridays in the fall semester at Pepperdine Caruso Law School. I am thrilled to report that it was such a success that we will be showing Season 2 in the spring semester. The weekend Wall Street Journal has a fascinating report on the show: Fans Pour Funding—and Faith—Into a Hit Drama About Jesus:

Crowdfunding has raised millions for ‘The Chosen,’ an ambitious series exploring characters from the New Testament. Fans have already chipped in enough for three seasons—and are driving ticket sales for a Christmas special coming to movie theaters.

Dallas Jenkins, the filmmaker who created “The Chosen,” says the show’s style is modeled more on “Friday Night Lights” than other Christian TV shows and movies. Mary Magdalene relapses into vice. The apostle Matthew is on the autism spectrum. Jesus’ miracles get back stories.

By fleshing out biblical characters across multiple seasons, the show has inspired fan discussion, debate and squabbling on a level more typical of the Marvel or Star Wars series. Except that for “Chosen” fans, the dynamic is fueled by religious faith. ...

The success of the series is a powerful reminder to Hollywood that faith-focused projects can sometimes become breakthrough hits. But what makes “The Chosen” even more of an outlier is the way it is supercharging the crowdfunding model to sustain production through multiple seasons. Though “The Chosen” is free to watch, viewers have poured $40 million and counting into its production budget, enough to pay for three out of a planned seven seasons. The costs of building the new production facilities, on a 1,200-acre camp owned by the Salvation Army, are being covered by a smaller group of the show’s fans.

Producers say viewership was sluggish when the first season premiered for a fee in 2019. But the audience spiked when they made the series free on a “Chosen” app, now the show’s main distribution hub, and viewers continued to multiply during the pandemic’s lockdown months. The show has been translated into 50 languages, and is licensed to video services from Amazon to Peacock. Producers estimate that its 16 episodes have been viewed 312 million times. Now the “Chosen” audience is set to converge in person in movie theaters.

Starting Dec. 1, about 1,700 theaters will feature screenings of a “Chosen” Christmas special, including musical performances and a new episode in which Mother Mary (a series character played by Vanessa Benavente) flashes back to her son’s birth. Distributor Fathom Events, known for one- or two- day releases of classic movies, live opera and other specialty fare, expanded the “Chosen” event to 10 days. Ticket sales are approaching $6 million so far, putting “Christmas with ‘The Chosen’” on track to be Fathom’s bestseller ever, according to chief executive Ray Nutt.

Continue reading

Rick Cupp Receives Pepperdine University's Highest Teaching Honor

Congratulations to my friend and colleague Rick Cupp, John W. Wade Professor of Law, recipient of Pepperdine University's highest teaching honor, the Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence:

This annual award honors the legacy of Pepperdine University's fifth president, Howard A. White, who was a gifted teacher, history scholar, and a faithful steward of the University throughout his 30 years of service to Pepperdine. The highest distinction given at Pepperdine for teaching, the Howard A. White Award recognizes outstanding educators who embody the institution's commitment to excellence. This award highlights the work of educators who inspire and challenge students to think critically and creatively as well as those who instill in their students a lifetime love of learning. ...

Richard L. Cupp, Jr., John W. Wade Professor of Law, Caruso School of Law:  Professor Cupp is an exceptional teacher. He makes learning fun, holds interesting class discussions, and is dedicated to helping students outside the classroom. I have never had a professor take such a personal interest in me and my academic success.

Continue reading

September 11th At Pepperdine

Today is a very special day at Pepperdine. For the 14th consecutive year, we displayed 2,887 American flags for each American life lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and 90 international flags representing the home countries of those from abroad who also were killed.

Pepperdine University to Commemorate 20th Anniversary of 9/11 with Annual Waves of Flags Display and Remembrance Events:

Continue reading

Pepperdine Seeks To Hire An Entry-Level Tax Prof

Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law:

Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law is seeking several entry-level, tenure-track faculty to join our vibrant community. We invite candidates with research and teaching interests across all areas of law to apply, and have particular teaching needs in Torts, Tax, Criminal Law, Ethical Lawyering and Intellectual Property Law.

The School of Law is an ABA-accredited, AALS member law school located in Malibu, California. Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. The School of Law welcomes applications from people of all faiths and is particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates who would contribute to the diversity and excellence of the faculty. Pepperdine University is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, disability, prior military service or sexual orientation.

For further information, please contact Professor Victoria Schwartz, Chair, Faculty Appointments Committee.

Law schools looking to hire Tax Profs to start in the 2022-23 academic year:

Continue reading

Pepperdine Seeks To Hire An Associate Director of Career Development

This is a great opportunity to join the professional staff at Pepperdine Caruso Law: Pepperdine Jobs, Associate Director of Career Development:

Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law is seeking an Associate Director of Career Development to guide and advise students and alumni on their career paths. The Associate Director of Career Development works directly with students and alumni on their career development and professional skills training, and collaborates with the CDO team to prepare resources, provide programs, and expand opportunities for employment.

Duties

Continue reading

Pepperdine Caruso Law Grad And 2021 All-American Tennis Player Jessica Failla On Faith, Competition, And Community

The Pepperdine Beacon, 2021 All-American Athlete Jessica Failla on Faith, Competition, and Community:

As she concludes her time at Pepperdine, Jessica Failla leaves as an All-American and as the #1 college tennis player on the UTR from January to March of 2021. She won the 2020 ITA National Summer Championships and was the All Tournaments Team #1 Player at National Indoors 2021. Most recently, she competed with Pepperdine’s women’s tennis team where she was the first player in program history to win their singles match in the NCAA Team Finals, scoring their first team point of the finals. The team ultimately finished as the runner-up in the NCAA finals (also best in program history).

She said the opportunity to get to the finals was “just an amazing culmination of six years of playing college tennis.”

Before any of this though, in 2017 Jessica transferred from USC to Pepperdine because she was looking for a university that offered a great tennis program, a rigorous education, and a strong spiritual life community. She found all three at Pepperdine.

“Pepperdine was the perfect fit for me and transferring there was definitely one of the best decisions that I ever made,” she said.

Jessica majored in International Studies-Politics at Seaver, and also holds degrees in the masters in Dispute Resolution and Legal Studies from the Caruso School of Law.

Continue reading

The Best Law Schools For Practical Training

Best Schools For Practical Training, preLaw (Spring 2021):

This year, we’re honoring 65 schools, but every law school invests in practical training. The American Bar Association requires that law students take at least six “experiential credits,” even though some experts cite that figure as being too low. Law schools have been criticized in the past for not producing grads ready to take on real jobs. Expanding practical training offerings beyond the ABA’s requirement has been one response.

Practical Training Methodology
We graded schools on a number of data points, focusing on key practical training offerings such as clinics, externships, simulation courses, pro bono hours and moot trial participation.

Continue reading

Welcome, Pepperdine Caruso Law School Class Of 2024

Welcome to the members of the Pepperdine Caruso Law School Class of 2024 who begin their legal education today in a week-long introduction to law school and professional formation, as well as the over 400 students pursuing joint, LL.M., and masters degrees and certificates, including our LL.M. and certificate programs in Entertainment, Media, and Sports and our online masters in Legal Studies and Dispute Resolution and our online LL.M. in Dispute Resolution.

Our incoming J.D. class is the first to enter our re-named Rick J. Caruso School of Law. We are thrilled that, after being physically separated for 886 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are gathered together today in person. A much higher than expected yield rate produced a class of over 200 1Ls (much larger than our 180 enrollment target), with the highest median LSAT scores (164) and undergraduate GPAs (3.80) in our history, as well as more students of color and first-generation students for the fourth year in a row. 

This is my fifth year as Dean, and I am thrilled that you have decided to join our very special law school community. You will learn and study on our spectacularly beautiful campus in Malibu with easy access to Los Angeles, one of the world's most vibrant cities for young professionals. Beginning today you will experience the faculty and staff's faith-fueled commitment to you and to your success that manifests itself in various ways, large and small, in daily life at Pepperdine Caruso Law. My fervent wish is that you will love your time here as I have since joining the faculty in 2013, and that you will leave here with a deep sense of your professional and personal calling in law and in life.

This is an especially exciting time at Pepperdine Caruso Law. In March, we rose to #46 in the U.S. News law school rankings, for the second year in a row the highest ranking in our school's history. We are well positioned with the resources provided by our $50 million naming gift to continue our ascent. 

The Chosen: Christian America’s Must-See TV Show

The Atlantic, Christian America’s Must-See TV Show:

Have you heard about the hit Jesus TV show? The one that launched with a more than $10 million crowdfunding drive? And that streams for free from its own app, where the view counter has surpassed 194 million as of this writing? And that is honestly much better than I expected?

By the standards of independent media, The Chosen is a success. On Easter Sunday, 750,000 people tuned in to live-stream the Season 2 premiere; for comparison, the first episode of HBO’s Mare of Easttown attracted 1 million viewers that same month. Yet The Chosen—which presents the life of Jesus Christ and his disciples as a multi-season drama with imaginative character backstories and interpersonal conflicts—has been a largely underground phenomenon. Until its appearance on NBC’s Peacock earlier this year, The Chosen wasn’t on a major cable network or TV streaming service. Most mainstream publications have not reviewed it, though scattered reports mention its crowdfunding drives (in sum, the largest ever for a media project). You could pay close attention to the television industry and not know The Chosen exists. That’s because the show’s success so far has arrived not in spite of its insularity, but because of it.

Take it from a critic and a Christian with an aversion to Christian entertainment: The show is good. I’d stop short of calling The Chosen a prestige drama, but it looks and feels downright secular. Despite a wonky accent here and there, the acting is as strong as you’d see on a mainstream network series such as Friday Night Lights or This Is Us. A tracking shot lasting more than 13 minutes opened one recent episode—a typical technique for a filmmaker to flex their skills. The storytelling even inspired me to comply with the show’s promotional hashtag and (ugh) #BingeJesus. ...

Although The Chosen stays faithful to the broad trajectory of the Christian Bible, it also creates some speculative backstories. Scripture mentions Jesus exorcising a demon from Mary Magdalene as almost a passing detail; The Chosen centers it in a tale that explains her subsequent devotion to Christ. Jews who collected taxes for Rome were considered traitors, so the show’s writers depict Matthew the tax collector as on the autism spectrum, reasoning that a social outcast might gravitate toward a profitable but thankless job. The account of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding might be well known, but in the show, the miracle also saves the bride’s working-class parents from embarrassing the groom’s wealthy father.

The goal, Jenkins told me, was to come up with plausible scenarios that still jibe with the holy book. “We’re not trying to contradict the Bible,” he said. “We’re just trying to build a show around the Bible and tell stories that we think are compelling.” As a viewer who grew up attending church and has made studying scripture a central part of my adult life, I’ve found this approach consistently rewarding.

Continue reading

Tax Prof Wedding (Video)

Following up on last Sunday's post, Tax Prof Wedding:

Continue reading

Tax Prof Wedding

Parenthood is filled with many joyous moments, made sweeter by the challenging times. But nothing in my parenting journey can compare to hosting a rehearsal dinner on Friday night and officiating at my son's marriage on Saturday:

Rehearsal Dinner

My toast: 

Some of you know the story that Courtney and I came to our faith in Cincinnati. One of the key elements for me was spending several years in a small group of six men where we would talk about our faith and our lives. We also would occasionally get together for dinner with our wives. At the first dinner in 2003, one of the wives told the story that from the time she was a little girl, she prayed every day for God to bring the right man in her life to marry. God had answered that prayer with her husband. Courtney shouted out “I wish I had thought of that!”

Courtney and I have spent the past 18 years praying each day for God to bring the right life partner for Reed and Jayne, and we are so thankful that God answered that prayer by bringing Sara into Reed’s life. Last week we hosted a dinner that included two Sikhs. They each told the story of how, following their culture, their parents had arranged marriages for them, and how it worked out wonderfully. I can honestly say that if we could have chosen Reed’s wife, we would have chosen Sara. And Sara, you have chosen well in choosing Reed to be your husband.

Continue reading

Getting To Know 0Ls

My wife Courtney and I just completed hosting our fifth annual round of meetings with Pepperdine Caruso Law's incoming 1L students. Last year, due to the pandemic, we replaced our usual Dinner With The Dean in our home with a virtual Coffee With The Carons.  This year, as California emerges from the pandemic, we offered both formats and hosted eight outdoor dinners in our yard for vaccinated students and six virtual coffees for unvaccinated and out-of-state students. 

Continue reading

Pepperdine Seeks To Hire Assistant Vice Chancellor And Senior Director Of Development

Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law seeks to hire an Assistant Vice Chancellor and Senior Director of Development. This is a wonderful opportunity for the right person to help build on our success over the past four years in raising over $80 million in gifts and pledges (including our $50 million naming gift and five other gifts and pledges of $1 million or more). Rebecca Malzahn held the position before her recent promotion to Vice Chancellor for Development at Pepperdine University and will continue to assist the law school in our fundraising.

Assistant Vice Chancellor and Senior Director of Development, Caruso School of Law
The Assistant Vice Chancellor and Senior Director of Development will have primary responsibility for developing, organizing, leading, and implementing a comprehensive fundraising program and strategies for the Caruso School of Law and plays an important front-line fundraising role. As a major gift officer, this position will be expected to personally raise major gifts in support of the dean’s fundraising priorities, focusing on donors with a capacity of $100K to $1M+. In addition, the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Senior Director of Development will mentor and supervise the Director, Law Associates, the annual giving officer at the Caruso School of Law whose primary focus is on gifts of $1K to $25K. The success of our mission to strengthen lives for purpose, service, and leadership depends in a large part on strong financial support from donors who enable us to provide the facilities, programs, faculty, and opportunities necessary to provide stellar, mission driven programs for our students.

Duties

Continue reading

Pepperdine Seeks To Hire Two Visiting LRW Professors

Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law seeks to hire two Visiting Assistant Professors of Legal Research and Writing. We will be conducting a national search in Fall 2021 for two Assistant Professors of Legal Research and Writing to begin in the 2022-23 academic year. Successful applicants for the Visiting Assistant Professor of Legal Research and Writing positions are encouraged to apply for these positions.

Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law seeks two Visiting Assistant Professors of Legal Research and Writing to teach for the 2021-2022 academic year. Each Visiting Professor will teach two sections of our year-long, two-unit-per-semester LRW course, with approximately 45 total students per professor. We have a warm, collaborative LRW faculty team. The LRW faculty creates all course materials together and provides each other with significant support. The position comes with a market-competitive salary, employment benefits, and the title of Visiting Assistant Professor of Legal Research and Writing.

Applicants must have a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school, possess excellent academic credentials, be committed to teaching Legal Research and Writing, and support the goals and mission of the University. Applicants should have at least two years of post-J.D. experience in a position or positions requiring substantial legal writing.

The Caruso School of Law is an ABA accredited, AALS member law school located in Malibu, California. Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. The Caruso School of Law welcomes applications from people of all faiths and is particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates who may bring greater racial, ethnic, and gender diversity to the faculty of the School of Law.

Continue reading

Congratulations, Pepperdine Caruso Law Classes Of 2020 And 2021

We were delighted to be able to host in person commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021 (Friday) and Class of 2020 (Saturday) on the Pepperdine campus. We are grateful to Judge Consuelo Maria Callahan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for delivering the commencement address both days.

Pepperdine Women's Tennis Team Loses In Division I Final To Texas

Congratulations to the Pepperdine women's tennis team, who marched through the NCAA Division I Tournament and beat Stanford, Michigan, UCLA, and North Carolina before a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Texas in tonight's championship final in Orlando.

Pepperdine Caruso Law Baccalaureate Service

We hosted a Baccalaureate Service last night for our Classes of 2020 and 2021 and their families last night before today's commencement. The highlight was the beautiful singing by Asha Madhukar ('19) and powerful spoken word poem delivered by Zach Carstens ('21). 

Continue reading

Prepping For Tomorrow Night's Pepperdine Caruso Law Baccalaureate Service

I did one of my favorite dean duties today:  signing the Pepperdine Caruso Law Bibles we will be giving out at tomorrow night's Baccalaureate Service for our Classes of 2021 and 2020 and their families. Over 150 people have registered for the event — our first in person community-wide gathering in 14 months.

This is our third Baccalaureate Service — I had not yet discovered my Zoom casual attire back in 2019: 

Continue reading

Pepperdine’s Place In The 2022 U.S. News Law School Rankings

By now many of you have seen the news that Pepperdine Caruso Law ranks has risen to #46 in the 2022 U.S. News Law School Rankings. This is the highest ranking in the 50+year history of our law school. 

Our 26-point improvement in three years is the second largest increase of any law school among the Top 100 law schools as ranked by U.S. News (behind only Texas A&M (formerly Texas Wesleyan) from #92 to #53).

We do not chase rankings at Pepperdine Caruso Law. Every decision we make is guided by a single question: what is in the best interest of our students? Often those decisions produce a rankings benefit as well, and we gladly reap those results. I am pleased that our rankings rise is driven by the increasing quality of our students, the improved outcomes achieved by our graduates, the additional resources we have been able to deploy to improve our students’ educational experience, and our growing reputation among legal academics, lawyers, and judges.

Pepperdine Caruso Law also was recognized by U.S. News with Top 50 rankings in four specialty programs based on our reputation among faculty in those fields:  #3 in dispute resolution, #36 in trial advocacy, #39 in tax law, and #49 in international law. 

We are proud of our past, excited by all we have accomplished thus far, and exhilarated at what we will be able to achieve in the future with the additional resources provided by Rick J. Caruso's $50 million naming gift.

• Pepperdine's Place In The 2021 U.S. News Law School Rankings
• Pepperdine’s Place In The 2020 U.S. News Law School Rankings
• Pepperdine’s Place In The 2019 U.S. News Law School Rankings

(Wild)Life On The Pepperdine Campus

Living on the Pepperdine campus these past nine years, we have seen deer, coyotes, and mountain lions. Today was the first bobcat sighting (strolling on a friend's patio):

 

Jennifer Lee Koh Joins Pepperdine Caruso Law Faculty

Pepperdine Caruso Law Welcomes Jennifer Lee Koh as an Associate Professor of Law:

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law is pleased to welcome Jennifer Lee Koh as an Associate Professor of Law. Beginning this coming fall, Professor Koh will be teaching courses related to immigration law, criminal law, and ethics, as well as co-directing the Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics. She has previously taught at University of California, Irvine School of Law, University of Washington School of Law, Stanford Law School, and Western State College of Law.

Professor Koh's scholarship focuses on the convergence of the immigration enforcement and criminal legal systems. Her most recent article, Executive Defiance and the Deportation State, will be published in the Yale Law Journal. Her previous work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the Duke Law Journal Online, Florida Law Review, North Carolina Law Review, Southern California Law Review, Stanford Law Review Online, Washington University Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, and Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, and has been cited by the United States Supreme Court.

Dean Paul Caron said "we're thrilled that Jennifer will be joining our faculty. She is an outstanding teacher, spectacular scholar, and wonderful colleague. When Jennifer visited campus as part of the recruiting process, she brought her husband, two young children, and parents -- we're delighted that they all will be part of our Pepperdine Caruso Law family."

Professor Koh was drawn to Pepperdine because of its Christian mission and commitment to integrating religious faith in legal education and the legal profession. She participated in three annual conferences hosted by the Nootbaar Institute and published an essay, Agape, Grace and Immigration Law: An Evangelical Perspective, in a book collection co-edited by Professor Bob Cochran.

"I'm honored to join the extraordinary community of faculty, staff, administrators and students at Pepperdine Caruso Law. I have long admired the law school's tradition of excellence in teaching and scholarship, commitment to global justice, and history of bringing faith-based perspectives to the law," said Professor Koh. "Pepperdine is the ideal place to pursue my calling to teach and write about law, which I aspire to do with the goal of seeking justice."

Continue reading

Belonging At Pepperdine

  Pepperdine Caruso Law School Baccalaureate Service (May 16, 2019)

Jim Gash (President, Pepperdine University), How We Belong:

The year 2020 was unlike anything the world has ever seen. Our nation has been gripped by a once-in-a-century pandemic. The economic fallout has hurt millions of families and businesses. We have witnessed America's renewed commitment to deliver fully on its highest ideals and the promise that all people are created equal, which has shined a spotlight on racial justice and reconciliation. After a year of so much uncertainty and distance and pain, many have been left frequently wondering how we come together. Where, in the midst of this uncharted journey forward, do we still find togetherness and a genuine sense of belonging?

As a community of believers, our answer is in God's love for us and our love for each other. When I began my presidency, I shared that bringing together our entire Waves community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends would be among my highest priorities for Pepperdine. God designed people to thrive in community, and he commands us to love one another deeply. In John 13:34–35, Jesus said, "So now I am giving you a new commandment: love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

This powerful testament of divine love is at the root of belonging and togetherness, but we must also have the courage to build a unified community that celebrates and uplifts the distinctiveness of each individual. Deepening relationships with those who are different from us—and with whom we may even disagree—matters. An intentional focus on each of these efforts is how we will be better disciples of the Lord and the only way to create a lasting community of belonging at the University and around the world.

Continue reading

My New Year's Wish For 2021

This was my final time in my office in 2020:

My New Year's wish for 2021 is that I get to spend much more time in my office in 2021 (without my mask, but with my dog).

What Do You Say To Students, Staff, Faculty, And Alumni Who Have Soldiered Through A Pandemic With You?

Dear 1Ls,

I want to send you a special note to say how proud we all are of you and your class. The first semester of law school is notoriously difficult. I still have vivid memories of my 1L year forty years ago, including the joy I felt when I completed my Fall 1L exams. You have successfully completed your Fall 1L semester during the most challenging time in the history of our law school. You have shown remarkable resilience, grit, and kindness toward each other. You are, indeed, a very special class. I am confident you will be incredible leaders and advocates.

We eagerly await the day when we will be able to safely gather together in community. I want each and every one of you to know that the administration, faculty, and staff are 100% committed to doing everything in our power to provide you with the absolute best experience possible — academically, personally, and spiritually. On Day 1, my wife Courtney and I will begin inviting you to our on-campus home for dinner, in small groups of 8-10 students. In the meantime, we are praying that you and your loved ones have a safe and restful holiday season and a new year filled with bountiful blessings. No class has ever deserved it more.

Dean Caron

Dear Students,

Congratulations to all of you on completing a uniquely difficult semester. At every milestone in 2020, we hoped and prayed that by the next, we would be on campus together. At each such milestone, you have been called upon to rise to the unforeseen challenge of continued remote learning and physical separation from our community, and you have done so with grace, enthusiasm, perseverance, and commitment to your class work.

You are the first students to start an academic year at our newly named Caruso School of Law. I could not be prouder of what you have accomplished despite our distance from each other. You have organized and participated in numerous virtual events at the law school, won awards in national advocacy competitions, published papers in leading journals, and participated in various student-led groups, all while juggling your studies and home lives. In normal times, your accomplishments fill me with pride. In these times, they also fill me with awe.

While your attention has been likely focused on exams, I hope that you are now able to embrace the upcoming holiday season with joy. It is a time of rest, rejuvenation, and celebration of the gifts we each have in our lives. You are among the most precious gifts in my own life, and I look forward to supporting your growth and victories in the new year.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Dean Caron

Continue reading

Black Lawyers Matter: Strategies To Enhance Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion

I am honored to have the opportunity to update my remarks on A Dean's Perspective on Diversity, Socioeconomics, The LSAT, And The U.S. News Law School Rankings as part of a panel at today's virtual conference on Black Lawyers Matter: Strategies To Enhance Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (more here):

Moderator: 
Leonard M. Baynes (Dean, Houston)

Panelists:
Robert B. Ahdieh (Dean, Texas A&M)
Paul L. Caron (Dean, Pepperdine)
Robert Morse (Chief Data Strategist, U.S. News & World Report)
Victor Quintanilla (Indiana)
Kellye Testy (President & CEO, Law School Admission Council)

Karen Sloan (Law.com), Black Lawyers Matter: The Symposium:

The numbers tell the story of a legal profession divided by race. Less than 8% of first-year law students in 2019 were Black.

In California, 53% of Black bar examinees passed between 2009 and 2018. That figure was 80% for white examinees.

The percentage of 2019 Black law graduates who found jobs requiring a law degree within 10 months was 62%, compared to 80% for white law graduates. And in 2020, white shoe law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore had no Black partners.

Continue reading

Faculty And Staff Find Silver Linings Amid Loss And Isolation During COVID-19

The Graphic, Faculty and Staff Find Silver Linings Amid Loss and Isolation During COVID-19:

The pandemic and social distancing precautions bleed into all aspects of life for University members. Health concerns, COVID-19 related deaths in the community and fully remote instruction continue to impact faculty and staff.

Within the Pepperdine community, the University reported 58 cases of COVID-19 and two deaths since March. Pepperdine decided to conduct classes completely online this semester due to continuing health concerns and restrictions.

Pepperdine faculty and staff struggle with feelings of isolation, adjusting to an online format and the loss of loved ones due to COVID-19. Amid the adverse effects of the pandemic, certain silver linings have emerged — more time with immediate family, improved connections with distant friends and peers and a greater sense of gratitude for in-person time with students, friends and coworkers. ...

The Pepperdine community also faced loss during this time, including the death of Professor of Law James M. McGoldrick on May 16 due to COVID-19 complications. Dean of the Caruso School of Law Paul L. Caron said McGoldrick was “an institution at the law school” as the longest-serving faculty member, and his death greatly impacted students, faculty and staff.

“He contacted me on a Saturday right before they were going to be putting him on a ventilator,” Caron said. “He wanted to talk about how he would assign other faculty to finish his course. That story just really hit the faculty — that at that moment, his concern was for his students.”

Continue reading

History Is Happening Tonight At 6:00 PM PT On Zoom

At the Pepperdine Caruso Law Christian Legal Society weekly bible study:  "What I Wish I Knew About Justice When I Was a Law Student"

California Law School Deans Request Supreme Court To Make Oct. 5-6 Online Bar Exam Open Book With No Proctoring

Letter to Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the California Supreme Court:

We write as deans of the ABA-accredited law schools in California.  We express our appreciation for all of your efforts to deal with the many issues concerning the bar exam at this unprecedented and difficult time.

We write now to urge that California administer the bar exam on October 5-6 without remote proctoring and without limits on what materials the student may consult during the exam.  Indiana and Nevada took this approach in July for their bar exams.

Continue reading

September 11th At Pepperdine

This is a very special day at Pepperdine, as we honored the 2,887 victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with our 13th Annual Waves of Flags Display:

Continue reading

Pepperdine Year In Review (2019-2020)

A Message From Pepperdine Caruso Dean Paul Caron: Our New Academic Year

A Message from Dean Paul Caron: Our New Academic Year:

Dear Friends,
With the first week of law school nearly complete, I want to reflect for a moment on the state of our law school community. No doubt, when we left campus in March, no one anticipated that we would still be operating remotely to kick off our next academic year. But it is in the midst of all this uncertainty—all of this darkness—that Pepperdine Caruso School of Law has shined brighter than ever.

In a normal year, I'd make that assessment based on typical law school metrics. In March, U.S. News and World Report ranked the school number 47 on its annual list of the best law schools in America, the highest ranking in our history. This ranking reflects our commitment to raising the value of a Pepperdine Caruso Law degree for our students and alumni. We continue to increase the academic credentials and diversity of our students, and our graduates continue to pass the bar exam and secure meaningful legal jobs at higher and higher rates.

But this is not a normal year. Our world has been upended by a global pandemic, thrusting everything we know into disorder. Our nation has grappled with sweeping protests against racial inequality, violence in many of our cities, and political polarization in advance of the 2020 election. It is true that our ability to excel with respect to rankings through the quality and performance of our students is of great importance; it represents a promise fulfilled to each student who comes to Pepperdine Caruso Law in the hope of graduating and embarking on a promising legal career. But what has made me so proud in recent months goes well beyond those metrics. It is about our ability to model faith and wisdom, leadership and resilience. And to remind a world teetering on the edge that meeting such challenges demands that we "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God." (Micah 6:8)

Over the past five months, our community has lived and breathed these principles.

Continue reading

Pepperdine Will Not Furlough/Lay Off Any Employees Through Dec. 31, Thanks To Reductions In Executive Compensation

Jim Gash (President, Pepperdine University), Starting Off Strong:

As the school year starts, and as we are learning more about the enrollments at each of our five schools, the Steering Team has been addressing our projected COVID-induced deficit. Last week, I outlined for you a number of steps we have already implemented to backfill this deficit, and I am enormously grateful to our community for instituting the expense optimization measures we have developed. This University-wide effort has made a tremendous contribution to the FY20 budget cycle (which ended on July 31), as well as the FY21 budget.

In addition to the continuation of the general expense optimization measures, we announced last week several specific steps we have taken to help address our deficit. These included deferring certain strategic allocations made in the annual budgeting process, deferring certain capital maintenance and improvement projects, and realigning the telecom allowance. Also included was a one-year suspension of the University's retirement matching program for all employees. This decision, which was approved by the University Benefits Committee, leaves in place the four percent contribution the University makes to employee 403(b) retirement accounts, but suspends the University's match of up to an additional six percent of what employees contribute to their own retirement accounts.

Because this projected deficit is so significant, however, and because personnel costs make up more than 60 percent of our total annual budget, I informed the community at last week's President's Briefing that we would need to go through a due diligence exercise to determine whether furloughs and layoffs would be needed to fulfill our commitment to balance the University's budget.

Furloughs and Layoffs Decision
As Pepperdine's leadership deliberated on this decision, two of the values referenced above came into sharp focus for us, making this a very difficult decision. Those competing values are 1) taking care of our people, our greatest asset, and 2) being good stewards of the resources God has provided for us to fulfill our mission.

Continue reading

Deans Double As Donors

Karen Sloan (Law.com), Spotlight on Law Deans:

This week, I’ve got lots of news about law deans—those hard-working folks who are keeping their campuses moving forward despite the myriad challenges 2020 is throwing at them. ... Finally, I’m checking in with deans at Penn State Dickinson and Pepperdine who are opening their wallets to help students.  ...

Deans Double As Donors
... I’m checking in with Paul Caron, dean of the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law. He and his wife Courtney have donated $125,000 to the law school’s Student Emergency Fund, which is helping students pay for their emergency needs during the COVID-19 crisis. The fund, which was started several years ago by a pair of law students, has since helped more than 100 buy food and supplies, find emergency shelter, and travel home. (The Carons also donated $50,000 to the school’s scholarship fund in November.)

Caron’s not the only law dean reaching into his own pockets to help out. A few weeks ago in this very column, I wrote about Penn State Dickinson law dean Danielle Conway donating $125,000 to her law school’s emergency fund. Caron told me that he was inspired by Conway’s generosity and would like to see a movement of deans offering funds to help their students get through these tough times.

Continue reading

Pepperdine Caruso Law Seeks To Hire Tax, Criminal Law, Evidence And Torts Profs

Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law is seeking to fill two entry-level, tenure-track positions on our faculty. We welcome candidates across all areas of law to apply, with some areas of particular interest including Criminal Law, Evidence, Tax, and Torts.

The School of Law is an ABA-accredited, AALS member law school located in Malibu, California. Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. The School of Law welcomes applications from people of all faiths and is particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates who may bring greater racial, ethnic, and gender diversity to the faculty. Pepperdine University is an equal opportunity employer.

For further information, please contact Professor David Han, Chair, Faculty Appointments Committee.

Law schools looking to hire tenure-track/tenured Tax Profs to start in the 2021-22 academic year:

• Campbell
• Colorado
• Dayton
• Drake
• Howard
• Idaho
• Loyola-L.A.
• Michigan State
• Northern Illinois
• Pace
• Pepperdine
• Rutgers
• St. Thomas
• Vanderbilt
• Wake Forest
• Wayne State

Pepperdine Caruso Dean Follows Lead Of Penn State Dickinson Dean In Giving $125,000 To Help Law Students With Emergency Needs

Last week, I read about and blogged Penn State Dickinson Law Dean Danielle Conway's $125,000 gift to provide relief to her students in financial need due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My wife Courtney and I were so inspired and challenged by Danielle's gift that we decided to follow her lead at Pepperdine Caruso Law:

Caruso School of Law Dean Paul L. Caron Makes Gift to Provide Relief for Students in Need:

Paul L. Caron, Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean of the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, and his wife, Courtney, have made a $125,000 gift to help endow the Student Emergency Fund at Caruso Law.

“Courtney and I have been moved by the difficulties faced by so many of our students during the pandemic. We were inspired by the recent news of Danielle Conway, dean of Penn State Dickinson Law, who made a $125,000 gift to her student emergency fund,” said Dean Caron. “We are enormously grateful for the opportunity to serve in these roles at Pepperdine and believe it is only right for us to try to live out the University's commitment to Matthew 10:8, ‘Freely ye have received, freely give.’ We are especially pleased that our gift will help endow the Student Emergency Fund started by Alex Caruso (JD ’17) and Caelan Rottman (JD ’18) when they were students.”

Continue reading

Welcome, Pepperdine Caruso Law School Class Of 2023

Welcome to the members of the Pepperdine Caruso Law School Class of 2023 who begin their legal education today in a week-long introduction to law school and professional formation, as well as the over 400 students pursuing joint, LL.M., and masters degrees and certificates, including our LL.M. and certificate programs in Entertainment, Media, and Sports and our online masters in Legal Studies and Dispute Resolution and our online LL.M. in Dispute Resolution.

Our incoming J.D. class is the first to enter our re-named Rick J. Caruso School of Law and the first to begin their legal education online. We are thrilled that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a higher than expected yield rate produced a class of over 180 1Ls (much larger than our 160 enrollment target), with higher median LSAT scores (162) and UGPAs (3.68) as well as more students of color and first-generation students than last year. 

This is my fourth year as Dean, and I am thrilled that you have decided to join our very special law school community. We cannot wait until you will be able to learn and study on our spectacularly beautiful campus in Malibu with easy access to Los Angeles, one of the world's most vibrant cities for young professionals. Beginning today you will experience the faculty and staff's faith-fueled commitment to you and to your success that manifests itself in various ways, large and small, in daily life at Pepperdine Caruso Law. My fervent wish is that you will love your time at Pepperdine Caruso Law as I have since joining the faculty in 2013, and that you will leave here with a deep sense of your professional and personal calling in law and in life.

This is an especially exciting time at Pepperdine Caruso Law. In March, we rose to #47 in the U.S. News law school rankings, the highest ranking in our school's history. We are well positioned with the resources provided by our $50 million naming gift to continue our ascent. 

Dedication Of The Jim McGoldrick Faculty Office At Pepperdine Caruso Law

Dedication of the James M. McGoldrick, Jr. Office:

Earlier this summer, our law community mourned the loss of our beloved professor Jim McGoldrick. In the wake of his passing, members of the Pepperdine Caruso Law family joined together to honor his legacy of almost 50 years of service to the school. As a result, the Jim McGoldrick Memorial Law Scholarship was created and will be used to provide scholarship support to students in need.

Additionally, those who were closest to Professor McGoldrick sought to honor their departed friend by organizing an effort to permanently name his office at the school the James M. McGoldrick, Jr. Office. Amongst the organizers were Professors Harry Caldwell, Colleen Graffy, Anthony Miller, Ed Larson, and Steve Schultz. Together, they raised over $30,000 to support the office naming in just under 5 hours. "We are deeply moved by the efforts of the Pepperdine Caruso Law community coming together to honor Jim in such a significant way," said Harry Caldwell, professor of law and longtime friend of Professor McGoldrick. "He will be dearly missed and remembered always."

Continue reading

Pepperdine Caruso Law Hosts Webinar Today On Federal Courts In The Age Of COVID-19

Pepperdine Caruso Law hosts a webinar today on Federal Courts In The Age Of COVID-19 with our three alumni U.S. District Court judges (Hon. Andre Birotte ('91), Central District of California; Hon. Charles Eskridge ('91), Southern District of Texas; and Hon. Jennifer Dorsey ('97), District of Nevada) at 3:00 p.m. ET/noon PT (free registration here).

Update:  Pepperdine Caruso Law Federal Judge Alumni Discuss Courts in the Age of COVID:

Dean Caron began the conversation with a tribute to the Honorable Beverly Reid O'Connell (JD '90), formerly of the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California. Judge O'Connell was Pepperdine Caruso Law's first alumna to serve as a federal judge. Prior to her death in October of 2017, Judge O'Connell was a friend and mentor to the judges on the panel and a stalwart supporter of Pepperdine Caruso Law. Judge O'Connell had accepted a position as co-chair of the law school's new Board of Advisors, but unexpectedly passed away before she could preside over the board's first meeting. Pepperdine Caruso Law is grateful for all she did for the students and alumni of the law school.

The three judges on the panel began the discussion by describing their experiences on the federal bench during the COVID era. Judge Dorsey spoke of the Nevada federal courts, which began to close in mid-March. Criminal and civil proceedings continued via video and teleconferencing, which was authorized by the CARES Act. In June, some matters were resumed in the courthouse, with social distancing and a court-wide mask mandate. Most proceedings, however, are still taking place remotely.

Judge Birotte remarked that the Los Angeles courts, which were completely closed to the public beginning on March 13, are now opening in phases. Phase I of the reopening began three weeks ago with some staff returning to the courts. There have been no in-person hearings and all criminal cases have been handled by video conferencing.

Judge Eskridge commented that the Houston courts closed in late March, which was less than four months after he was confirmed to the bench. A soft reopening of the Houston courts occurred in June for filings only. It was initially decided that no trials would begin that require empaneled juries until August, but that timeline has been rescheduled to after Labor Day.

Judge Eskridge noted, with Judges Dorsey and Birotte agreeing, that lawyers are to be commended during this time for their spirited cooperation and empathetic collaboration. The judges acknowledged that the current unprecedented situation has brought out the best in the legal profession.

Judges Dorsey, Birotte, and Eskridge then turned to answering questions that included their advice to incoming law clerks, how to be effective advocates, the handling of sensitive information, and changes in cases settling, in-person depositions, and the number of COVID-related lawsuits. The three judges do not foresee any changes in externship and law clerk hiring, and Judge Dorsey offered helpful tips for students regarding job candidate interviews over zoom. They also stated that future law clerks should plan to be nimble and comfortable with circumstances changing constantly. The judges noted that the biggest issue they see moving forward will be empaneling a jury.

The three judges agreed that the biggest opportunity right now for the judiciary is the abandonment of the "That's how we've always done it" philosophy. Judge Dorsey conveyed that the embrace of technology has advantages such as allowing criminal defense attorneys to better communicate with the people they represent. Judge Birotte indicated that video and telephonic hearings are not only an efficient way to deal with matters, but are also a savings for the client and government. Judge Eskridge related that zoom and video conferencing have become the new normal, which is a technological advancement that his friend and classmate Judge Beverly Reid O'Connell advocated 10 years ago and would be pleased to see in practice today.

Pepperdine Caruso Law thanks our distinguished alumni judges for their invaluable insight.

A full recording of the event will be available soon on the Pepperdine Caruso Law channel here.

COVID-19, Racial Justice Challenge New Cedars-Sinai Residents

Cedars-Sinai, Meet Our New Residents:

Three of Cedars-Sinai's new residents, from left to right, Shruthi Nammalwar, MD, Jayne Caron, MD, and Maurice Turner, MD. Photo by Cedars-Sinai.

[T]hese are far from normal times. The COVID-19 pandemic first disrupted the final months of many of the new residents’ medical school educations, and now is altering their experiences at the medical center. ...

COVID-19 ... isn’t the only big issue on the minds of the new arrivals. Residents are keenly aware that we are living through a possible inflection point in American history. Even as the nation struggles with the pandemic, which has disproportionately affected minority patients and raised the issue of health equity, Americans are reckoning with calls for social justice from protestors outraged by police killings of Black Americans, including George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“These protests are inseparable from the start of my career,” said Jayne Caron, MD, a new resident in obstetrics and gynecology who attended medical school at New York University.

In fact, social justice concerns helped Caron choose to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. Along with working at a free medical clinic serving many low-income and undocumented immigrant patients during medical school, Caron also participated in research on gender-based violence.

Continue reading

Pepperdine Caruso Law Hosts A Virtual Conversation On Race Today

Pepperdine Caruso Law hosts A Conversation on Race Zoom webinar today with Black members of our Board of Advisors and Dean's Council at 3:00 p.m. ET/noon PT (free registration here):

Continue reading

Pepperdine Caruso Law Receives $1 Million Gift For Dispute Resolution, The Seventh $1 Million+ Gift Over The Past Three Years Totaling Over $75 Million

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Announces $1 Million Gift From the Honorable Daniel Weinstein (Ret.):

The Honorable Daniel Weinstein (Ret.) has made a generous $1 million gift to the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law. The gift will be used to strengthen the academic program and global reputation of the Straus Institute, which has been ranked as the #1 dispute resolution program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 13 of the past 16 years.

The gift will endow the managing director position at the Straus Institute, previously held by professor of law Peter Robinson (2005–17) and held since 2017 by associate professor of law and practice Sukhsimranjit Singh. As the inaugural Judge Danny Weinstein Managing Director, Professor Singh will continue his leadership of the Straus Institute in the training of arbitrators, mediators, negotiators, problem solvers, and peacemakers whose skills have never been more needed in our conflict-ridden country and world.

Continue reading

Pepperdine Caruso Law Names Inaugural Assistant Dean Of Student Life, Diversity, And Belonging

Pepperdine Caruso Law Announces Appointment of Chalak Richards (JD '12) as Assistant Dean of Student Life, Diversity, and Belonging:

Pepperdine Caruso Law is proud to announce changes to its leadership team effective today, July 1. 

Chalak Richards, who served as Assistant Dean of Career Development from 2018–2020, has been named as the first Assistant Dean of Student Life, Diversity, and Belonging. Established in early 2020, the office of the assistant dean of student life, diversity, and belonging has three overarching goals: to create a community where all are welcomed and recognize they belong, to care for the well-being of each individual student, and to oversee the full student life experience. In her new role, Richards will develop programs to create a community that values and celebrates diversity and work on strategic initiatives and policies that strengthen diversity at all levels - student, faculty, and staff.

Richards will also lead initiatives to care for each student by coordinating faculty, peer, and alumni mentorship and by providing mental health and spiritual life support. She will also oversee student life events and student clubs to ensure that students have rich and meaningful community experiences.

Continue reading

July 4th, Hamilton, And The Power Of Forgiveness

Following up on yesterday's post, Hamilton At Pepperdine And On Disney+: my wife and I watched the film version of Hamilton last night. Although we have seen the play several times, we found the film absolutely mesmerizing. The intimacy provides a close-up perspective on the actors and the choreography that is unavailable from even the best seats in a theater.

I was also struck by the film's propitious release the day before the July 4th holiday. As COVID-19 and the killing of George Floyd tear at the fabric of our country, Hamilton provides a timely challenge to all of us to think anew about the "American experiment" (Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)).

The Los Angeles Times review, From Broadway to Disney+, Hamilton Speaks Brilliantly to a Time of Fear and Protest, wonderfully captures this sentiment:

Disney, which acquired the film earlier this year, had originally planned an October 2021 theatrical release. But when theaters closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it decided to make “Hamilton” available for streaming on Disney+ more than a year early — just in time for a July 4 holiday under quarantine and, less expectedly, for our latest convulsive nationwide referendum on systemic racism and authoritarian violence. It’s hard to imagine a more receptive backdrop for a drama that ingeniously recasts the Founding Fathers as people of color, placing America’s oft-repeated “nation of immigrants” rhetoric into the most literal terms imaginable. Nor can I think of a better moment for a musical that reminds us anew that the language of hip-hop is a language of protest.

None of which is meant to suggest that this is “the film we need right now” or to burden “Hamilton” with messianic claims that the show — a celebration of a once-unsung hero and a pointed reminder of the limitations of heroism — would never make for itself. Reviewing the touring production at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in 2017, my Times colleague Charles McNulty noted that “its embodiment of pluralism and diversity will touch anyone who longs to see America live up to its ideals,” and the same holds true of this filmed version. Miranda’s rap-sodic historical epic may not save the soul of a battered republic, but its consolations are real, its pleasures revivifying, its emotional force galvanic. Arriving at a moment of intensifying darkness, it shines a light that is both warm and persistent.

Members of our Pepperdine Caruso Law community tease me (good-naturedly, I think) about how I mention Hamilton and quote or play a clip in most speeches I give. I do so in part because, like Michelle Obama, I think Hamilton is the single greatest work of art in any form that I have seen in my life. But more than that, I think Hamilton is transcendent, brilliantly challenging us to seriously think about our human endeavor, both as individuals and as citizens.

Continue reading

Hamilton At Pepperdine And On Disney+

To celebrate today's release of Hamilton on Disney+, Pepperdine Caruso Law hosted a zoom webinar with Federal District Judge Charles Eskridge ('90) on the historical context of all 46 songs in the musical. Charles previously gave the talk to a full house in 2018 at Pepperdine Caruso Law, and over 75 alums and students joined us online for the reprise on Wednesday.

The movie version of Hamilton looks spectacular:

Continue reading

Eric Wilson Named Pastor Of Pepperdine's University Church

At yesterday's service, Pepperdine's University Church announced that Eric Wilson has been appointed our full-time preaching minister. As long-time readers of this blog know, my wife and I came to faith relatively late in our lives in 1996 at Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, now the third largest church in America. Since moving to Malibu, we have been members of Pepperdine's University Church.

Over the past 25 years, we have been blessed by the the five pastors who have guided us on our spiritual journey: Brian Tome, Brian Wells, Chuck Mingo, Rich Little, and Al Sturgeon. We could not be more excited about Eric's appointment and are very much looking forward to deepening our faith under his leadership. Here is more about Eric:

Continue reading

Your Voices Matter At Pepperdine Caruso Law

Following up on my previous post, A Message On The Death Of George Floyd From Dean Paul Caron:

TO:  Pepperdine Caruso Law Students FROM:  Dean Paul Caron DATE:  June 12, 2020   I want to express my deep appreciation for your attendance at our recent Open Conversations held over the last two weeks. More than 300 people participated over the two events, and many of you have contacted me or the other deans and faculty members directly. You showed up, spoke out, and shared ideas on building a better future for our community. Your voices matter, they are important, and we hear you. Many of you have shared painful truths that we are called to face. Your testimony gives voice to the need to improve diversity at Pepperdine Caruso Law and create a better experience for our Black students and other students of color. Together with our faculty and leaders from all departments, I am implementing a plan to elevate these priorities and take action. As I noted in my message on June 1, listening to each other is the first step. We hear you asking for:  Increased diversity in our faculty and staff Increased diversity in our student body Institutional support for student organizations that promote inclusion Curriculum that addresses present-day inequities in the law A more inclusive and culturally competent law school community Increased opportunities to work for racial justice outside our law school   Our work begins at home. As we move into the fall semester, I will announce the framework of our plan to confront racism and improve diversity and inclusion at Pepperdine Caruso Law. As a school, we are committed to addressing these concerns now and beyond the present moment. Our movement will be woven into the fabric of our community as an integral part of the experience for students, staff, and faculty; all with whom we work; and everyone we serve. If you have not had the opportunity to do so, please review our website’s section on diversity. Chalak Richards, assistant dean for student life, diversity, and belonging, is providing resources for you to access at any time. When I announce our plan this fall semester, this page will house the details and information about how you can directly participate.  You make us better. We have many more ideas to put into action, and we would love your help. Bring your voices to our events, share your feedback, stay in the conversation. And bring a friend. We are strongest when we work together. As we close the books on our first fifty years as Pepperdine Law and begin our next chapter as Pepperdine Caruso Law, we will strive to give renewed meaning to the challenge set before us in Micah 6:8: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."

Continue reading