By Dean Andrew Perlman
law briefs
Dear Suffolk Law alumni and friends:
One of my favorite parts of serving as Suffolk Law’s dean is meeting with alumni and learning about their accomplishments. In many of these conversations, alumni will say something like, “If it weren’t for Suffolk Law, I never would have …” They will then share a story of remarkable success that they attribute to their Suffolk experience.
These stories fill me with pride about the work we do. For more than 115 years, we have transformed the lives and careers of promising students from a wide variety of backgrounds and circumstances, a mission that continues today. For example, in this year’s first-year class:
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Photograph by Michael J. Clarke
winter 2023
• 25% of students identify as “first-gen”–the first generation in their families to attend college, let alone law school;
• 24% identify as Hispanic, Asian American, American Indian, Black, or African American (our second most diverse class in 10 years); and
• 16% of students identify as LGBTQ (the highest percentage in our history).
Once these students arrive, they receive the kind of outstanding practice-oriented legal education that many of you remember. In fact, Suffolk Law’s longstanding excellence in this regard is only growing, with programs that are receiving increasing national recognition:
• Suffolk Law’s overall U.S. News ranking has leapt 45 spots in seven years, the fourth-fastest rise of any law school in the country during that period.
• We are the only law school in the nation that has been ranked in the top 20% of all four skills categories (legal writing, clinics, trial advocacy, and dispute resolution) for seven years in a row.
• Our legal tech program has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by National Jurist in its two most recent rankings (2018 and 2021).
• Our employment results are the strongest they have been in at least 30 years.
• Over the last eight years, our employment outcomes have improved at the 15th-fastest rate in the country.
Our emphasis on a practice-oriented education gives our students an advantage when they graduate. For example:
The Law School’s recent successes are attracting aspiring law students from around the country and the world. The number of applicants to Suffolk Law has increased 48% in three years, while applicants nationally are up only 1% over the same time period. Moreover, nearly 50% of first-year students were from outside of Massachusetts (perhaps our highest percentage ever), representing 35 states and seven countries.
These students recognize the power of a Suffolk Law degree. During the first week of classes this fall, a recent graduate of a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) approached me at a reception. She had received a significant new Suffolk Law scholarship for HBCU graduates, and she said something that I regularly hear from alumni: “If it weren’t for Suffolk Law, I never would have been able to…” In her case, she finished the thought with “attend and afford law school.”
Each of you finishes that sentence in your own way, and I never tire of hearing your stories. As we emerge from a challenging few years for our families, communities, and world, I am more excited than ever about working together to advance our mission and ensuring that future generations of students and alumni continue to say: “If it weren’t for Suffolk Law ...”
