In October 1872, 60 students joined the inaugural class at Boston University School of Law. The school swiftly earned its place at the forefront of legal education, initiating advancements such as the sequenced, three-year curriculum that is now the common standard for legal education in the United States. Today, BU Law is recognized among the top US law schools, with 25,000 alumni living in all 50 states and more than 100 countries around the world.

Over the past 150 years, BU Law’s faculty and alumni have made a profound impact. They have argued some of the nation’s most consequential cases. They have advanced the cause of civil rights and equal justice for all people. They have fueled innovation in industries from mass media to technology to healthcare. They have fundamentally reshaped our nation’s understanding of the law and, in some cases, literally changed the course of history.

Over Alumni Weekend, the BU Law community kicked off a yearlong celebration of the school’s sesquicentennial with the 150th Anniversary Gala. CBS analyst Rikki Klieman (’75) emceed the celebration while distinguished guests enjoyed a meal with friends and colleagues. Featured speakers—including President Robert Brown, Dean Onwuachi-Willig, Imara Joroff (’24), Michael Fricklas (’84), and noted sociopolitical comedian and filmmaker W. Kamau Bell—reflected on the school’s legacy and envisioned its future.