The Law School welcomed the Class of 2019 with a series of orientation events that included the Entering Students Dinner and participation in the Kapnick Leadership Development Initiative.

The Entering Students Dinner, which was held on September 22, began with cocktails beside the Levin Reflecting Pool.

Students had a chance to relax and get to know their classmates.

Dean Thomas J. Miles, the Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and Economics, chatted with students.

Among the many faculty at the dinner were Assistant Clinical Professor Sarah M. Konsky, the Director of the Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy Clinic; Emily Buss, the Mark and Barbara Fried Professor of Law; and Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Claudia Flores, the Director of the International Human Rights Clinic.

Clinical Professor Jeff Leslie, Director of Clinical and Experiential Learning, also got to know new students.

Inside, students enjoyed dinner and listened to a speech by William Baude, the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Law. This group is seated with Randal C. Picker, James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law and the Ludwig and Hilde Wolf Teaching Scholar.

Baude gave the students advice about law school in a speech that used as its theme the musical "Hamilton," which opened in Chicago five days later.

The week of the dinner, students also participated in the Kapnick Leadership Development Initiative.

Now in its third year, the Kapnick Initiative is a program designed to foster self-awareness and lay the groundwork for gradually developed, but enduring, leadership skills.

Kapnick begins with a two-day leadership retreat that includes an outdoor ropes course.

The program is based on the Booth School of Business's successful LEAD program. The Kapnick Initiative, run jointly by the Law School and Booth, was made possible by a gift from Scott, JD/MBA ’85, and Kathleen Kapnick, ’84.

In classroom sessions, led by Law School and Booth students who have been trained as facilitators, students receive feedback on first impressions; explore how their own personality traits affect group participation, leadership, and conflict-management tendencies; and discuss strategies for building relationships and communicating effectively.

On September 26, the first-year students officially started classes.

The University of Chicago Law School welcomed the Class of 2019 last month with a series of orientation events that included the Entering Students Dinner, during which William Baude, the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Law, delivered a talk about new beginnings, law school, and  Alexander Hamilton. Students also participated in the Kapnick Leadership Development Initiative.