Class of 2011 - We Miss You! We Need You!

The letter that follows comes to you from that great bar-oath-squatting, shoulder-peeking, Booth-occupying class of 2011, along with a few professor types who have signed on to the message:

Dear Class of 2011:

Recently, over a hundred of us returned to Boalt Hall to be sworn in as members of the Bar. Together, we returned to new buildings, old teachers, and lifetime friends to cross that final Rubicon of law school. We are thankful for those that have helped us make it this far, and we are proud to now be official members of this fine profession.

As one chapter of our education ends, another begins for the Class of 2015. As we uploaded our exams to ExamSoft, they packed their clothes to move to Berkeley, California. And as we swore our oaths, they were preparing for their first torts exam.

Now, more than ever, their education is in our hands. Their ability to enjoy the opportunities that we enjoyed—producing cutting-edge journals, working on death penalty cases, providing legal services to the local community, receiving Edley Grants for public interest internships—all of this depends on our generosity and support.

As you know, Sacramento has steadily withdrawn billions of dollars from California’s higher education system. The University of California at Berkeley, which the State and Cal alumni built over decades to become the pinnacle of the nation’s public higher education system, must now be sustained in large part by Cal alumni, faculty, and students. Reform will come, but in the meantime, it’s on us to preserve this invaluable experience for future generations. It’s on us, as alumni, to continue supporting the school that allowed us to become the leaders that we are and that we will be.

It’s on us to build.

Melissa Murray: Class of 2011, you are missed! Congratulations on entering this new phase of your professional (and personal!) lives! In your absence, things continue apace at Boalt. A new crop of 1Ls has arrived, new professors are settling into their offices, and the new building is bustling with activity. Amidst all these changes, I am reminded of what remains constant. Boalt continues to be a vibrant, exciting place to teach and learn. With your support, we can continue to recruit talented, energetic new students and faculty. We can expand our clinical and skills offerings, which help prepare our students for the challenges of legal practice. We can continue to support student groups and the unique extracurricular culture that Boalt has cultivated over the years. I know that these are challenging times, but I hope you will help us by supporting Boalt.

Eric Talley: To the Class of 2011 - I was thrilled to see so many of you in the CA Bar swearing-in ceremony on Dec. 2. Not only did you get a chance to see the completed new facility actually being put to daily use, but the event provided a real sense of closure for so many of you whom I was pleased to get to know while you were here. Although public education is in challenging territory, the level of excitement and activity at Boalt remains characteristically high. This is in no small part due to our students - both past and present - who continue to make this place so special. Our ongoing support for the Law School community -financial and otherwise - is an essential link in maintaining this institutional energy. Please stay engaged, stay well, and stay in touch.

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Alumni will continue to double all our support of the Financial Aid Fund, ELQ Diversity Scholarship, and LRAP. We have never had as many resources at our disposal – financial, professional, and personal – at a time that our institution is more challenged than at any time. $50 matters – it becomes $100 because of matching alumni funds. Give your old clinic a new printer, and your journal a case of oatmeal. Give an aspiring attorney’s financial aid package a boost.

Happy & Healthy Holidays

Melissa Murray, Eric Talley, Lala Wu, Jay Purcell, and the Class of 2011.