Out of a competitive applicant pool of 4,072, Miami Law welcomed 360 J.D. students to campus August 15 for orientation. Addressing the 1Ls for the first time as dean of Miami Law in the opening plenary session at Gusman Hall, David Yellen noted that the Class of 2025 is distinct and talented, with a 161 median LSAT score and a 3.69 median undergraduate GPA. Building upon Miami Law’s tradition of diversity, the incoming class hails from 32 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 11 countries. Fifty-six percent are female, 46% are students of color, 65% speak one or more foreign languages, and 14% are first-generation college students.
While these numbers are impressive, the admissions committee was drawn to many in this class based on their wide variety of life experiences. Notably, 60% of the incoming class has been out of college for at least one year, during which most worked or earned a postgraduate degree – or both. The class members are former investment bankers, Broadway and TV actors, and real estate agents. Some have also served in the military and organizations such as AmeriCorps and City Year.
In Their Words: Four Students on Why Miami Law
Dillon Richards, a former journalist at KOCO News in Oklahoma, earned his bachelor’s degree in digital and broadcast journalism at the University of Georgia. “I knew I wanted to move back to Florida to be closer to family," he said, "and I chose Miami Law because of its reputation in South Florida for producing knowledgeable and talented lawyers with a commitment to public service. I was also selected as a Public Interest Scholar, which I can already tell will help me gain valuable experience in improving access to justice for everyone.”
Jake Farbman, a musician and former band member of The Catching who studied business as an undergrad at Arizona State University, chose Miami Law due to the “…vast opportunity the school provides. While I’m certainly interested in practicing entertainment law, he said, the beauty of Miami Law is the number of courses offered that allow students to explore a variety of areas of law and ultimately settle on the ones they want to practice. We’re only into week 1 of 1L year and I’m loving it already!”
The community attracted Nicole Vahlkamp, an entrepreneur and business owner with an MBA from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and a master of public policy from the University of Chicago. “From all my conversations with administrators, faculty, and students, I felt that this is a real community where there is a fellowship among the students and real care and guidance from the professors and administrators. I felt welcomed and encouraged in every interaction. Miami Law also offers a huge breadth of courses, so I felt I would get both a great foundation in the law and be able to specialize in whatever area I chose.”
Finally, double ’Cane Tuana Yazici decided to continue at the law school after earning a B.A. in philosophy, politics, and economics and an M.A. in international administration with a concentration in international space law from UM. “UM has been extremely supportive… I chose to go to law school at UM so that I could learn from the wonderful faculty, staff, and the diverse student body, while also continuing my work in the space sector,” she said.
From Around the Globe
Near the conclusion of his plenary address, Yellen emphasized the strength of Miami Law’s unparalleled alumni network and the importance of joining the ranks of lawyers that have attended the school. With over 25,000 law alumni in 85 countries, this year’s incoming J.D. class mirrors Miami Law’s international presence, with incoming students having worked and studied around the globe in places like Israel, the Dominican Republic, Korea, Panama, Jamaica, Turkey, and Brazil.
Miami Law’s 123 incoming LL.M. students come from across the U.S. and 27 countries, including Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
Miami Law welcomed its first students from Canada and Qatar into the new S.J.D. program.
After Yellen’s address, the 1Ls took an Oath of Professionalism, a rite of passage for law students that emphasizes the seriousness of the endeavor they are about to undertake. Given the strong academic backgrounds and diverse experiences of the Class of 2025, watching how they contribute to the Miami Law legacy and the law profession will be exciting.
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