About Pepperdine School of Law

Dean's Message

"First principles" matter to me. Whether in the law, in one's faith or in one's personal and professional conduct, the ever-present construct of first principles must guide us in life's many endeavors. It was so for me as a judge. It is so for me as a dean of Pepperdine University School of Law.

Our School of Law is blessed with students of high intellectual abilities who consistently choose Pepperdine for their own first principle reasons. Similarly, the faculty with its extraordinary credentials and dedication to excellence in teaching and scholarship embody the kind of first principles legal education aspires to bring to the legal profession.

Our school is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. A fundamental component in the School of Law's contribution toward fulfilling this vision is the student-professor relationship. The abiding goal of our highly qualified faculty is to put students first by maintaining our widely noted traditions of being both excellent and well-prepared classroom teachers and approachable and available mentors. In that regard, we seek to maintain the "open door" as a living reality rather than a mere clichè.

We strive to listen, to learn, and to help every member of the School of Law community define dreams and achieve aspirations. We believe that you will find the school to be an extraordinarily welcoming place where great things are done, with ever-growing contributions to our law, our country, and our troubled world.

As you consider which law school to attend, I urge you to carefully consider joining us. May this be an endeavor of joy based on our shared "first principles!"

Deanell Reece Tacha
Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean and Professor of Law