Welcome Back—Fall 2026

Dear members of the Columbia Law School community,

The start of the academic year brings something new for all of us—new modes of inquiry and learning, new perspectives to explore and understand, and new opportunities to connect with one another. Whether you are embarking on your first weeks of study or have been a member of this community for decades, you embody the spirit of discovery and engagement that has long been central to life at Columbia Law School.

We are thrilled to welcome an exceptionally talented group of new students. We are also delighted that Professor Neel Guha, an innovative thinker working at the intersection of law and AI, and Professor Gabriel Rauterberg, a prominent voice on corporate and securities law, have joined our full-time faculty. And, of course, our community is fortunate to have Jennifer L. Mnookin, a distinguished legal scholar and deeply experienced academic leader, as Columbia University’s 21st President.

I want to thank my faculty and staff colleagues for their work in thoughtfully reimagining the Law School’s 1L experience. Beginning this year, every 1L student will join a “House” that serves as a supportive, connected community within the larger first-year J.D. class. The six 1L Houses will foster close relationships among students and with faculty, while creating meaningful opportunities for feedback, advising, and intellectual engagement. I am confident that this new approach will help our first-year students flourish from the moment they set foot on campus. 

We also recognize that the practice of law continues to evolve. Building on the work of last year’s AI Task Force, we have adopted a thoughtful policy for AI use in academic settings, created several new AI-related courses, and introduced new AI training modules. Yet it will be human skills—good judgment, creativity, and resilience—that will set the very best lawyers apart. This fall, we will launch an important new effort to consider how to prepare students to thrive in long and distinguished careers in an era of rapid technological change.

Our brilliant alumni continue to make an outsized impact. This fall, three Columbia Law School graduates begin prestigious clerkships at the U.S. Supreme Court. Others have taken on leadership roles at major law firms and corporations. And, it is a special honor for me to announce today that the Law School has received a new gift from alumnus Max W. Berger ’71. Max’s generous support will further endow the Public Interest/Public Service Fellows Program that bears his name and create a new initiative to engage its growing community of alumni fellows. 

Everywhere I look, I see Columbians—on our campus and across the world—rising to meet the challenges of the moment and seizing the opportunities before us. But, most of all, we are upholding the principles that have defined our great institution from the very beginning: free expression, academic excellence, rigorous inquiry, and a deep commitment to the rule of law. 

Thank you for helping to make Columbia Law School such a special place. And best wishes for the new academic year. 

Best,

Daniel Abebe
Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law