UW Law's longstanding commitment to diversity is an extension of our commitment to excellence. At UW Law, we believe the best legal education integrates legal theory, doctrine and practice that must be delivered by a diverse faculty to a diverse student body. This is evident in the number of alumni who are prominent in the legal profession, many breaking through the barriers of gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation along the way.
With the Dean’s Advisory Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DAC-DEI), the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and peer, faculty and alumni mentor programs, the law school promotes diversity by creating an open, inclusive academic climate that is welcoming to and supportive of all students of color, LGBTQI students and students with disabilities.
Our students have the benefit of UW Law's minority student organizations, diversity events and a student population who come from myriad races, ethnicities, LGBTQI identities, economic backgrounds and life experiences to help inform them and support our commitment to diversity.
UW Law pursues diversity and inclusion purposefully and rigorously; in this sense, our work is a continual progression. As an institution that shapes the law locally and globally, the law school recognizes that law is a powerful tool for social change. The entire UW Law community is therefore committed to using our privileged leadership position to advance equality and justice throughout Washington state, the United States and the world.
The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations.
The Justice Charles Z. Smith Award is awarded to one student per year from each of the three law schools in Washington state.
Carolyn Purnell ‘71 was one of the first two Black women to graduate from UW Law, almost 70 years after the first Black man, William McDonald Austin, graduated in 1902.
UW community formally recognizes Tamara F. Lawson as Toni Rembe Dean of the School of Law during an inspirational celebration.
The fall quarter Shidler lecturer returns to campus on Feb. 28, 2023, to give the encore lecture for Diversity Week on the IP abuses experienced by artists of color.
Law students celebrate a Washington Supreme Court ruling that is putting judges and attorneys on notice.
