Welcome Back—Fall 2025
Dean Daniel Abebe shares a welcome back message with the community for the fall semester.
Dear members of the Columbia Law School community,
The fall semester is now officially upon us, and our campus is once again enlivened by the conversations, ideas, and aspirations that make Columbia Law School extraordinary. It has been heartening to see a full complement of our newest students—including 1Ls and LL.M.s who have traveled here from around the world—already embracing the spirit of inquiry and engaging deeply in the pursuit of knowledge. These shared values have united Columbians across generations, and they continue to anchor and guide our collective pursuit of excellence today.
I am proud of the momentum we have built and look forward to welcoming new faculty members, reopening the Law Library, and advancing strategic priorities for the Law School in the year ahead. Five highly accomplished legal scholars and practitioners—Kate Redburn, Rob Smit ’86, Nicole Smith Futrell, Reilly Steel ’17, and Rebecca Wexler—join our full-time faculty. The reimagined Law Library—the largest investment in the student experience in generations—is scheduled to open this fall following an extensive, multi-year renovation. We will also launch initiatives to support our faculty’s pathbreaking scholarship and teaching, strengthen our commitment to free expression, and position our students for success in a profession increasingly shaped by generative AI.
From the very beginning of my time as Dean, I have seen firsthand the Law School’s positive, even transformational impact here on campus and in the world at large. Our students, faculty, staff, and alumni are leading with principle and purpose. Columbia Law School continues to move forward, and I am eager to partner with you to deliver on our enormous potential.
Best,
Daniel Abebe
Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law