Hello, DePaul Law alumni!
As the new interim dean of our beloved DePaul Law, I am thrilled to lead this school with such a fierce student body, dynamic faculty, and dedicated alumni.
By way of introduction, I started my legal academic journey at Howard University School of Law where I first learned the power of the law to effect social and economic change. I practiced banking and consumer credit law with Morrison & Foerster in their Washington, D.C. office before launching a real estate development company. I entered academia first teaching at Georgetown University Law Center, with its Jesuit mission of social justice and leadership in clinical legal education, where I found my love of teaching. I then joined DePaul University College of Law, with its Vincentian mission of social justice, where I have taught my students about the humility attorneys must bring to the immense responsibilities we have to our clients. Throughout it all, I respect the obligations we have as educators to use the power of the classroom podium responsibly and equitably. We must, as I tell our students, lift as we climb.
DePaul Law has been my professional home for the past thirteen years. I started here as an untenured Assistant Professor and have served as a Full Professor, Associate Dean, and now Interim Dean. During this time, I have consistently believed in our mission and our amazing student body, and I am eager to continue our current momentum as we transition from our long-term dean of nine years.
This year, the DePaul Law community welcomes 166 new JD students, 148 in our day program and 18 in our evening program. This incoming class is strong, with our median LSAT increasing from 155 to 158 in the past five years. Additionally, our recent graduates continue our DePaul Law excellence, with our first time Illinois July bar passage increasing 10 percentage points over the past four years to 77% compared to the state first time July bar passage rate of 81%.
We would not have been able to strengthen our fundamentals without your financial and time support for our students and your love of our DePaul Law.
Julie D. Lawton
Interim Dean and Professor of Law