Congratulations to the newest alums of Boyd Nation! Today, we were delighted to celebrate our commencement in person with faculty, staff, students and their families. We are grateful to our namesake, Bill Boyd, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Director, Barbara Buckley, and UNLV President Dr. Keith Whitfield for their messages and to Magistrate Judge and alum, Brenda Weksler for her keynote talk. As always, we are appreciative of the UNLV Boyd and Thomas & Mack communities for coming together to create such a memorable event.

Congratulations also goes out to two of our law students Cecilia

This past year has been particularly stressful and difficult for my family and me, intensified by the pandemic that has caused suffering for so many. Balancing my responsibilities as dean of the law school with the pressing needs of those closest to me has been an ongoing challenge. It is now clear to me that my family requires my full attention. Unfortunately, this means relocating and leaving Nevada to be near my wife and son for the foreseeable future.

With this in mind, and as the year draws to a close, I have made the decision to step down as Dean on June 30th. This is a difficult

On May 14 at 10 a.m., the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law will honor the class of 2021 in the Thomas & Mack Center with a limited-capacity ceremony open to our graduates and their families. This year, we are honored to welcome UNLV Boyd Alumna and Federal Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler as our commencement speaker. Graduation will be broadcast online through this link for those unable to join us.

We are delighted to recognize the outstanding achievements of all of our J.D. and LL.M. students, and extend congratulations to the recipients of the 2021 graduation awards.

William S. Boyd

To the Las Vegas Community,

This past year has been particularly stressful and difficult for my family and me, intensified by the pandemic that has caused suffering for so many. Balancing my responsibilities as dean of the law school with the pressing needs of those closest to me has been an ongoing challenge. It is now clear to me that my family requires my full attention. Unfortunately, this means relocating and leaving Nevada to be near them for the foreseeable future.

With this in mind, and as the year draws to a close, I have made the decision to step down as Dean on June 30th. This is

UNLV Boyd students have the opportunity to participate in the law school's Legislative Externship Program and Legislative Policy Course when our legislature meets every other year. This program lets our students become immersed in the legislative process as legislative externs with law firms and public interest and government placements. Although the session has been virtual for most of the semester, 13 Boyd students have been hard at work researching public policy issues and legislative history, tracking bills, participating in strategy meetings, drafting proposed legislation, attending

Last weekend, UNLV Boyd School of Law students, faculty, staff, and community celebrated in a virtual Barrister’s Ball. Many thanks to Student Bar Association President Reema Hassanieh, and the SBA leadership for all their hard work in coordinating a wonderful evening, which included a toast to the accomplishments and success of the past academic year. Special thanks to keynote speaker, Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Cristina D. Silva. 

I want to congratulate and thank the newly elected leadership of the SBA: President Greer Sullivan, Vice President Michael Brooks, Executive Treasurer

One of the biggest changes to Las Vegas in recent years has been the addition of professional sports teams. The Las Vegas Raiders look forward to their first game in front of live fans, and the Vegas Golden Knights continue to have spectacular success as a new franchise. Here at UNLV Boyd, we are delighted to now offer a new course on Professional Sports Law taught by Peter Sadowski, the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for the Vegas Golden Knights.

This course provides a remarkable opportunity for our students and addresses the legal and practical aspects of operating a

This week we learned that the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law moved up two spots to 60 out of 193 accredited law schools in this year's US News & World Report rankings. We are delighted that our Legal Writing program was ranked first in the nation for the fourth consecutive year. The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution rose to fifth place in Dispute Resolution. Our part-time program was 19th and 10 other law school programs were ranked in the top 100. I invite you to read the press release here.

I am also delighted to share these updates from around Boyd Nation:

Congratulations to

This week, we were honored to present a keynote talk by Congressman James E. Clyburn, the Majority Whip and the third-ranking Democrat in the United States House of Representatives. This event was a continuation of the series Black in America - Addressing Inequality: Securing Civil and Political Rights, as part of the Senator Harry Reid Civic Dialogue Program at UNLV Boyd School of Law. Senator Reid is the Distinguished Fellow in Law and Policy at Boyd, and this Program brings leading public officials, journalists, academics and thought leaders to the law school. This event produced terrific

I want to thank the student leaders at the Society of Advocates, and in particular SOA President Skylar Arkawa-Phamphilon, and Competition Chairs Austin Wood and Grace Warburton, for bringing the sixth annual Schreck Gaming Law Moot Court Competition to UNLV Boyd Law this week. Named for Frank Schreck, one of the great gaming lawyers in the country, this major competition takes place today and tomorrow and brings together law schools from around the country. It is the only competition of its kind, focusing on issues at the intersection of gaming law and regulation. I also want to thank all of