A Celebration of Milestones and Making History
A Message from Dean Leah Chan Grinvald
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the William S. Boyd School of Law — our Silver Anniversary. As I reflect on the past 25 years, I think of the many people it took to create this law school — Nevada’s first. Standing upon their shoulders, our law school continues to make history, some of which is highlighted in this year’s magazine.
The UNLV Immigration Clinic and Kid’s Court School both turn 20 years old this year. Stories that detail these institutions and how they have bettered the lives of our community members can be found on Pages 4-5.
2023 was a big year for professional sports in Las Vegas with the Vegas Golden Knights clinching their first Stanley Cup and the Las Vegas Aces winning their second straight championship. Las Vegas’ arrival on the national sports scene provides students with experiential opportunities and alumni with the chance to use their law degrees to impact the local professional sports industry. Read about them on Page 18.
Boyd Law continues to recruit world-class instructors. The faculty continue to break barriers, including the newly-arrived Professor Danielle Finn, who is the only female Native American professor at UNLV. These new faculty members are exceptional teachers and scholars in their respective fields, which you can read about on Page 38.
Many of Boyd Law alumni continue to make Nevada a better place to live. Ten of them work to make their community safer at the Henderson City Attorney’s Office (story on Page 8), while alumna Silvia Villanueva advocates for those in need in northern Nevada (Page 14). They also continue to make history, like Priscila Venzor, Chapman Noam and Cristian Gonzalez Perez, who were all selected to receive 2023 Immigrant Justice Corps Justice Fellowships (Page 40) and are all working at our Community Advocacy Office.
The 2023 Boyd Law magazine is a celebration of Boyd Law’s past, present, and future and commemorates the many people who have contributed to its successes. It is a glimpse into what the next 25 years has in store for us.
And it is an exciting future.
Leah Chan Grinvald, Boyd Law School Dean