Orientation 2025: A New Cohort Joins Columbia Law

Watch scenes from orientation in the video above. 

New cohorts of J.D. and LL.M. candidates arrived on campus to begin their Columbia Law School experiences in August. Highlights of the multiday orientation programming included professional advancement panels and a résumé workshop; sessions on community and academic life; presentations by faculty, administrators, and special guests; and wellness and social activities.

Daniel Abebe, Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, kicked off the events by welcoming the J.D. and LL.M. students to the Law School. Speaking to the members of the Class of 2028, he referenced the “intellectual architecture that makes this institution distinctive,” emphasizing the school’s North Star: “to advance knowledge and to seek truth no matter where it lies.” 

He added that the best way the Law School can accomplish this is by fostering conditions that enable free expression and the open exchange of ideas. “We must grant one another the widest possible latitude to test new ideas, some of which will inevitably come into contestation and conflict with one another,” he said to the incoming J.D. Class of 2028. “It is through this kind of open discussion, debate, and even passionate disagreement that we are able to understand the views of others, that we are able to strengthen our own ideas, and that we are able, at times, to even change our own minds.”

The Dean also told students that during their time on campus, they will “take classes with some of the world’s leading legal thinkers, scholars, and practitioners. … You will discover new ambitions and intellectual interests, and you’ll be exposed to a network of alumni practicing law at the highest levels around the world. You will rise to meet the challenges facing both the domestic and global order, just as Columbians before you have done time and time again. This is the legacy that you inherit. This is the opportunity you have before you.”

J.D. Class of 2028 Orientation Highlights

During the three-day J.D. orientation, students were welcomed to the Law School by Dean Abebe, Associate Dean and Dean of Admissions Nkonye Iwerebon, and Student Senate President Celeste Woloshyn ’26. They learned about what to expect from their 1L year from panels of faculty and upper-year students, and they heard from members of Columbia Law’s three careers offices—the Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law and Careers, the Office of Judicial Careers, and the Office of Private Sector Careers—who discussed some of the exciting pathways to professional practice and the ways in which students are supported throughout their time at the Law School, and beyond.

They also heard from Preet Bharara ’93, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, who offered keynote remarks. He described lawyering as a noble profession that should be practiced nobly. “There is no one better situated to prevent cruelty, promote equality, and preserve liberty than people who have genuinely dedicated themselves to becoming both masters and servants of the law,” he said. “The world is really awaiting your talent, your expertise, your common sense, your counsel, and your advice.”

Members of the class:

• Represent 35 states and the District of Columbia, and 23 countries across four continents.
• Attended 119 different colleges and universities; 79% have been out of college a year or more, and 18% have earned graduate or professional degrees.
• Include actors, dancers, filmmakers, a firefighter, Fulbright scholars, and a horticulturalist.
• Speak or read more than 60 languages, including Catalan, Kiswahili, Polish, and Shanghainese.

“As you make your way into the legal field, I encourage you to reflect on what your purpose may be. Perhaps you are already certain of it. Perhaps you’re here to discover it. Either way, know that there will be distractions, polarizing issues, competing demands, and, at Columbia, so many exciting opportunities pulling you in different directions. Explore, grapple, ponder—but let your purpose guide you.”—Nkonye Iwerebon, Associate Dean and Dean of Admissions

“Everyone comes here with different experiences, strengths, and perspectives. Everyone has something to add to the conversation and to our legal system. This degree will give you the tools to address big issues, help individual clients who are coming to you in some of the worst moments of their lives, and open your eyes even wider to the injustices of our system—so you can do something about it as a lawyer.”—Celeste Woloshyn ’26, Student Senate President

LL.M. Class of 2026 Orientation Highlights

Members of this year’s LL.M. class received a warm welcome from Dean Abebe and Assistant Dean of the Office of Graduate Degree Programs Julie Sculli, got to know one another, and gained useful insights from faculty and other guests on how to best navigate their year at Columbia Law. The students also used this time to meet one on one with their academic advisers for help designing an individualized program of study and to begin their Introduction to American Law and LL.M. Legal Research and Writing courses. 

Members of the class:

• Hold citizenship from 52 countries and received their first law degrees in 54.
• Have an average of four-and-a-half years of professional experience, post–first degree in law, including service as a judge in Korea and clerkships with their home country’s Supreme Court.
• Include nine Fulbright scholars and many with scholarships from their home governments.
• Have nonlegal experience ranging from working as a diplomat in Indonesia to playing midfield for Millonarios Futbol Club.

“One of the things that we know about you already is that you have a lot of courage. You all had a dream. You had a goal. You were seeking some kind of transformation, and you’re making it happen. And that is definitely to be commended.”—Julie Sculli, Assistant Dean, Office of Graduate Degree Programs