AUWCL Welcomes the Class of 2029
American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) opened the 2026–2027 academic year this week, welcoming more than 420 first-year full and part-time JD students and nearly 60 incoming LLM students. Orientation week carried the future lawyers from a day of service across the District to their first law school class, with stops along the way for scholarship, ceremony, and community.
The week began before orientation formally opened, with roughly 200 students fanning out to a dozen sites across Washington, DC, for In My Backyard 2026. The annual day of services gives returning students the opportunity to start their semester early by volunteering in the community and gives incoming law students an early introduction to the city that functions as an extension of the AUWCL classroom.
On Tuesday, 1L students took their professional oath, administered by the Honorable Juliette W. Scales ’86. In remarks to the incoming class, Judge Scales spoke about the obligations that come with earning your law license and the profession's role in sustaining the rule of law.
“I know you will be successful if you just connect with each other, lean on each other, and just do the best job that you can. And I know you will,” Scales said.
Dean Michael F. Barry delivered the welcome address, situating the incoming class within the law school's founding history and its long association with expanding access to legal education. He closed his opening remarks by reminding students of the gravity of their decision to attend law school.
"It’s okay to have uncertainty,” said Dean Barry. "Every decision, every journey through law school is unique. You’re going to choose your path through law school that makes sense for you. And as you’re doing that, what I would ask you to think about, is something greater than yourself.”
AUWCL also welcomed a new class of LLM and SJD students, exchange students, and Humphrey Fellows to campus. Representing more than 35 countries, this year’s incoming community includes three SJD students and seven exchange students, with students coming from Sweden, Spain, Italy, India, Afghanistan, Brazil, South Korea, Belgium, and beyond.