As you’ve probably heard by now, this will be my last year as dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law. This issue of Baltimore Law vividly illustrates why I am so proud of this wonderful school and why it will be hard for me to say goodbye.
When I came to Baltimore in 2012, the legal job market was over-saturated. Applications to law schools across the country were in a free-fall as many questioned the value of a law degree. Enrollment declines challenged the financial well-being of tuition-driven schools like ours. Some schools closed, but we made the tough choices needed to weather the storm.
Now, 11 years later, we enjoy stable enrollment, a healthy budget and impressive employment outcomes for our graduates. We emerged from the global pandemic stronger than ever, integrating cutting-edge technology into our classrooms and curriculum.
Through it all, our graduates have continued to use their law degrees to make a positive difference in Baltimore and beyond. In this magazine you will read about alumni doing just that. Whether it’s by logging hundreds of pro bono hours, like Michelle McGeogh, J.D. ’07, or hosting expungement clinics to help people move on from past mistakes, these alumni are passionate about using their law degrees to help others.
University of Baltimore students learn to deliver justice, and to take action when it is being denied, from our outstanding faculty. From foundational first-year classes to our nationally ranked clinical law program, our students acquire the skills and values they need to undertake impactful work in our community.
For example, our cover story focuses on four University of Baltimore-trained lawyers committed to righting the scales of justice by exposing police and correctional misconduct. They not only seek damages for their clients, they also advocate for statutory reforms that will eliminate obstacles to justice for others like them.
The stories in this magazine make me confident I will hand my successor the reins to a highly successful law school. After 11 years as dean (more than twice the national average!), I knew this was the right moment for me to pursue new challenges and allow the school to benefit from fresh leadership. Learn more about my decision, and the national search for my successor. (link to news story)
It will not be easy for me to leave my role in a community that has embraced me so warmly, and of which I am so fond. But I’m sure you will welcome your new dean next summer and help her or him continue the long tradition of excellence that makes this law school so special.
Ronald Weich
Dean