UC Davis School of Law Is "Fully Engaged"

Here are a few excerpts from the interview I gave on how the Law School is, indeed, "Fully Engaged" with our community and the world!

Q. How does community engagement fit into the mission of the UC Davis Law School?

A. Community engagement is central to the mission of the law school, which includes striving to be the best that we can be in terms of scholarship, teaching, and service. The law school, which is housed in a building named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has a long commitment to community service. That tradition carries through to this day, with faculty members active in law reform in the U.S. Congress and California legislature, students committed to serving the community in clinical programs and public interest activities, and alumni serving the greater community. Currently, for example, Darrell Steinberg '84 is President Pro Tem of the California State Senate, and the Chief Justice of California is Tani Cantil-Sakauye '84. Both have close and enduring relationships with the UC Davis School of Law. With the support of the Chief Justice, the law school this academic year opened the California Supreme Court Clinic, which allows law students to brief cases in the state's highest court.

Q. Lawyers are often seen as not having the betterment of society as a personal and professional goal. Do you agree with this?

A. Through its clinical, externship, and other educational programs, UC Davis School of Law seeks to train lawyers for the greater good – smart, ethical, and socially conscious lawyers. All lawyers can do some good. Lawyers in private practice can counsel clients to behave lawfully and ethically. They also can handle cases pro bono publico for people in need.

I am very proud of King Hall's long record of community engaged scholarship, teaching, and service. You can read the entire interview at uoip.ucdavis.edu/FullyEngaged_Johnson.