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UChicago Law Welcomes Class of 2029

Meet the newest cohort of JDs to join the Law School community
An aerial view of the 202 students standing together for a group photo; they are all wearing maroon shirts
Photos by Lloyd DeGrane
By
Nadia Alfadel Coloma

The University of Chicago Law School welcomed 202 JD students to campus this fall for the 2026-27 academic year. The impressive group hails from 34 states, 88 undergraduate institutions, and a remarkably wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. Selected from a pool of nearly 6,400 applicants, the class of 2029 represents 65 different undergraduate majors. 

A group of students wearing maroon shirts talking to each other while walking down a hallway inside the Law School building

The top majors? Political science, economics, philosophy, history, humanities, English, mathematics, policy studies, psychology, and computer science. 

Some fun facts about the Class of 2029: 

  • 16 are college athletes
  • 39 play at least one musical instrument
  • 98 have worked as research assistants
  • 105 speak a language other than English.

Spanish is the most common second language spoken by the group, followed by French, Mandarin, and German. In addition, 58 students know at least one coding language.

The Class of 2029 includes the Law School’s first two participants in the Weil Legal Innovator’s Program (WLI), in which admitted students defer their first year of study to complete one year of public service at a WLI nonprofit partner organization.

Two women wearing maroon stand in front of large white letters that spell UCHICAGO LAW in front of the Law School building
Associate Dean Perry (left) with Dean of Students Brandi Welch

“The Admissions and Financial Aid team is thrilled to welcome the Class of 2029 to Hyde Park,” said Ann K. Perry, associate dean for admissions and financial aid. “They were wonderful to get to know during the application cycle, and we are excited for the rest of the Law School community to get to know them as well.”

Joining the new JDs this fall are also 81 new LLM students from 26 countries. 

A Look at Orientation Week 2026

Orientation for the Class of 2029 took place on the week of September 14. Dean’s fellows, a group of upper-class student mentors, took the lead in welcoming 1Ls  and shepherding them through the week’s various activities. 

The lineup for the week included an improv workshop, an introductory lesson on legal research and writing, an optional “Parent and Partner 101” session, a resource fair, building and campus tours, and a fun “Taste of Chicago” dinner, in which students got to enjoy quintessential Chicago foods, like the famous Italian beef.

Students wearing maroon shirts stand in front of a hot dog cart with a red and yellow umbrella while they help themselves to hot dogs
Students help themselves to Chicago-style hot dogs (Photo by Lloyd DeGrane)

There were also faculty-led workshops on free expression, intellectual life at the Law School, and AI and the legal profession. 

New this year: Dean’s fellows and Dean of Students Brandi Welch led a notetaking workshop for the 1Ls, sharing tips on effective notetaking in law school. And Career services staff offered a resume workshop and sessions on job opportunities in the legal sector.

Students took the Pledge of Professionalism and afterwards enjoyed a Q&A with Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, ’79, of the Northern District of Illinois. 

The beloved tradition of the Entering Students Dinner—a formal dinner held in the Green Lounge that includes a pre-networking reception, a faculty member who delivers a speech, and faculty member attendees—was another hallmark of the week. Professor Samuel L. Bray, ’05,  delivered this year’s speech, in which he shared the different ways that UChicago Law “future-proofs” a student’s legal education.

Prof. Sam Bray wearing a black suit stands at the lectern delivering his speech to the new JD students
Professor Sam Bray, '05, addresses the 1Ls at the Entering Students Dinner on September 17 (Photo by Alexander Fridge)

“Of all the law schools in the United States, and really of all the law schools in the world,” said Bray in his remarks, “there is none that is so characterized by this kind of intellectual curiosity and free inquiry and unwillingness to accept the solved problem as the University of Chicago. That is a skill of a future-proofed lawyer.”

The week following Orientation, the Class of 2029 enjoyed a boat cruise on the Chicago River. 

The evening cruise offered a fun opportunity to socialize and connect against the backdrop of Chicago’s iconic skyline—just before the start of fall classes on September 28. 

The short bus ride to downtown Chicago, where they boarded the cruise, was also a chance to see just how close the Law School’s Hyde Park neighborhood is to the heart of the city.

See more photos from Orientation.

Meet a Few of Our Class of 2029 Students

A male student standing and wearing a suit against a black background
Drew Basile, '29, said that choosing UChicago Law was a "no brainer" and that he'd always pictured himself coming here. "I think the world’s changing, and that there will be a growing need for the law to adapt and respond to developments like AI. It’d be great if ... I could contribute in some small way to these questions," he said. Read his spotlight for more.

Drew Basile’s, ’29, unconventional path to the Law School includes studying at Oxford and starring in a few reality TV shows.

Roni Kane, ’29, comes to UChicago Law with an international background spanning education, advocacy, and legal research.

Hunter Strauss, ’29, brings a wide-ranging background to UChicago Law as a Georgia Tech graduate with degrees in biomedical and aerospace engineering.

Sharp Queener, ’29, comes to UChicago Law with a background spanning international human rights and grassroots advocacy. 

Vyomika Gandhi, ’29, brings an interdisciplinary background in science and public service to UChicago Law. 

Madison Van Doren, ’29, brings a background in linguistics and artificial intelligence research to UChicago Law. 

Grant A. Booker, ’29, comes to UChicago Law as an active-duty officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Class of 2029, we are so glad you are here!

Nadia Alfadel Coloma