UMass Law: Year in review: Top 10 stories of 2024

UMass Law

Year in review: Top 10 stories of 2024

Ten stories that defined UMass Law in 2024

1L Class of 2027 pictured outside the Law School after the first day of orientation

UMass Law Class of 2027 pictured after completing orientation.

As 2024 comes to a close, UMass Law reflects on a year of achievements, growth, and milestones that underscore its mission to pursue justice, increase access and opportunity to the legal profession, and provide exceptional legal education.

From celebrating the successes of graduates and alumni to launching innovative clinics and welcoming the largest, most diverse incoming class in its history, UMass Law continues to make a significant impact as the Commonwealth's only public law school.

Class of 2024 graduates are ready to pursue justice

On Friday, May 17, UMass Law conferred 112 Juris Doctor degrees to the Class of 2024. Family, friends, and faculty gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates. The Class of 2024 completed 9,979 hours of pro bono legal and public service.

UMass Law forms Dean's Advisory Board

Prominent business, legal, and public service leaders from throughout the Commonwealth will draw on their combined decades of experience in law, business, politics, and public service, to provide strategic guidance and support to Dean Sam Panarella.

UMass Law creates State Attorney General's Office and Housing & Eviction Defense clinics

Thanks to strategic partnerships with the State Attorney General's Office and South Coastal Counties Legal Services, UMass Law created two new clinics for students this fall, expanding the school's offerings to seven clinics. 100% of UMass Law students are guaranteed either a clinical or internship placement.

Dean Spencer secures a "win for women"

UMass Law Associate Dean Shaun Spencer secured a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision preserving an alimony award that reflected the pattern of savings that the parties followed during their marriage.

Alumnus Jonathan Goldman '21 wins U.S. Supreme Court case

In a rare unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of choice of law/forum selection clauses found in marine insurance contracts in a case prepared by Jonathan Goldman '21 and his brother, Michael. The case was argued before the Court in the fall of 2023.

UMass Law repeats strong practical training ranking in preLaw magazine

For the second consecutive year, UMass Law ranked 2nd among ABA-accredited law schools in Massachusetts and 3rd in New England for its program of practical legal training.

Rebecca Wood named UMass Law's 10th Rappaport Fellow

A Public Interest Law Fellow (PILF) and JD candidate for the class of 2026, Wood was awarded a $10,000 stipend and spent her summer interning full-time for the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office in the Division of Open Government.

UMass Law students gain global perspective in inaugural study abroad trip to Portugal

In June, 10 UMass Law students completed a two-week trip to Portugal for their study abroad program in partnership with the Católica School of Law in Lisbon. Accompanied by Dean Panarella and Chancellor Professor Richard Peltz-Steele, students completed a two-credit course on comparative law, while also navigating historical and legal sites in Lisbon.

Ten UMass Law students and Professor Richard Peltz-Steele pose by the Universidade Católica Portugues campus logo.

Veteran's Law Association awarded citation for hurricane relief efforts

Massachusetts State Representative Chris Markey awarded UMass Law's Veteran's Law Association with a citation acknowledging the group's effort in organizing a food drive that received approximately 300 pounds of nonperishable food to be donated to residents impacted by recent hurricanes in Florida and North Carolina.

Class of 2027 the largest and most diverse in school history

After a three-day orientation in August, UMass Law welcomed its largest and most diverse class in the school's history. Hailing from 25 states, 13 countries, and 94 different undergraduate institutions, the class of 2027 brings a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to the Commonwealth's only public law school.