Dean Lawrence Mitchell’s Welcome

I am proud to invite you to explore one of the most vibrant and dynamic law schools in the world. We have everything other top law schools have - an accomplished and nationally-known group of scholars, a rich and varied course offering, multiple joint degree and certificate programs, and a world class clinic.

But we offer you so much more -- opportunities you simply can't get anywhere else. Our rapidly expanding experiential learning program leaves you ready at graduation to hit the ground running. And there's a reason. Our CaseArc lawyering program complements your classroom work and provides you with four semesters of training in the art and craft of lawyering, taught by a full-time faculty of highly experienced lawyers.

All law schools teach research and writing. But we also teach negotiation, contract drafting, trial practice, appellate work, and dealmaking as a required part of your education, using professional actors and real cases where appropriate to give you the skills you will need. Most students top this off with a first-rate clinical experience. This is what leads employers to hire our graduates.

We also give you the opportunity to do semester-long externships around the world in a number of fields, and our labs, in areas ranging from intellectual property, the arts, and entrepreneurship, to international law, put you in a law-firm setting, doing research and writing memoranda for real clients including a variety of international courts and local businesses.

Many law schools have summer programs abroad, typically taught by imported American faculty. But we invite you to spend a semester studying abroad in courses taught by each university's full-time faculty, perhaps at one of our partner law schools in China or Canada, or in a program you find on your own. We continually work to expand our partnerships to create new opportunities for you.

Our faculty work constantly to bring cutting-edge ideas into the classroom, spend long hours evaluating their own teaching, and always are available to our students, for everything from office conversations on important current issues to a beer at the Barking Spider.

Our faculty is also recognized internationally for its scholarship, and has been counted among the most productive faculty in the country. Its work not only advances knowledge and provides solutions to practical problems, but also finds its way into the classroom, as our scholars' constant engagement with ideas keeps their teaching fresh and relevant.

Finally, we are at the heart of a world-class university. Many of our schools and programs are at the top of their respective fields. Our students have the opportunity to take advantage of all of them, and we help and encourage them to do so.

No description of our law school is complete without mentioning our wonderful city. Our reach is global, but our home is Cleveland. And Cleveland is a great place to live and to study law. As a native New Yorker, who retains undying loyalty to his home city, I can tell you that I fell in love with Cleveland in about 24 hours. Our sports teams, cultural amenities, exciting nightlife, natural beauty, and the exciting buzz as our city continues to build into the modern innovation economy, are superior to a number of cities many times our size.

Cleveland also is unique in a way that matters for law students. Law is one of our major industries. Several of the world's largest law firms are headquartered here, and many dozens of others, from large to smaller, serve clients everywhere. Opportunities for public service work abound, as we continue to search for partnership opportunities in public defenders' offices, governmental agencies, courts, and not-for-profits.

And Cleveland is fun. From the restaurants, bars, theaters, and concert venues in our vibrant downtown neighborhoods to the college-town atmosphere of Coventry, all just minutes away from campus, our students from all over the world leave with a deep affection for our city. Or they simply choose to stay as Cleveland becomes home to them. Whatever your choice, you will finish your studies at Case Western Reserve School of Law knowing that you always have a home with us, no matter what life brings.

I very much hope you'll consider Case Western Reserve University School of the Law for the launch of your career. Please don't hesitate to write or call me with any questions you have and, if you come to campus, please make a point of stopping by my office to say "hello."