Dean's View
Dean’s View
Welcome to another exciting edition of the Gargoyle. I’m excited to share with you all the wonderful ways University of Wisconsin Law School’s faculty, staff, students and alumni are pushing boundaries and shaping the future of the legal profession.
Features
Fresh Scholars, Bold Ideas
Three of UW Law’s recent hires are focused on the emerging issues of technology, including the uses and impacts of AI.
Rewriting the Program
Legal writing at UW Law emphasizes mentorship and growth so students can apply skills and approaches to succeed in many practical applications.
When Democracy Is Challenged
LADD fosters a global network of scholars investigating the role of lawyers and judges in resisting and enabling authoritarianism in contexts of democratic backsliding.
News & Notes
In Brief
Read the latest news and updates from University of Wisconsin Law School.
Taking a ‘Second Look’ at Excessive Prison Sentences
UW Law’s Second Look Clinic, directed by Kate Finley, offers hope to Wisconsinites who face decades of incarceration.
UW Law Faculty and Staff Updates
This fall, University of Wisconsin Law School greeted several familiar faces in different faculty and staff roles.
J. Willard Hurst Summer Institute: ‘Thrilling’ Tradition for Legal History Scholars
Every two years in June, the “spirit of the Hurst Institute” makes a lasting impact on 12 early career legal history scholars from around the world.
Highlights
Alumni
Dress for Success
The Career Closet has become a “vital and valued part” of the UW Law community. It was created to ensure all Law students have access to professional attire to pursue their goals.
Building Connection, and Badger Spirit
Last fall, UW Law launched its Law Firm Giving Program to encourage the philanthropic spirit among alumni at individual firms and create friendly competition among the participating law firms.
Sampson Yimer ’11 on Career in Sports, Entertainment and Media
When Sampson Yimer ’11 stepped onto the UW campus, he didn’t know it would shape not just his legal mind but his entire career in the sports and entertainment business.
The World of Steven Hendrix ’87
Steven E. Hendrix ’87 has seen the world — and made an impact on it. Wherever his job took him, he reminded himself it was about the people in need, not the accomplishment.
Donor
A ‘Game Changer’ for Estate Planning
Giving back is important. It’s a fundamental belief held by Jeffry Brown ’79 and Kristin Brown. It’s also the motivating factor behind their establishment of the Jeffry (Class of 1979) and Kristin Brown Endowed Professorship Fund at UW Law School, which is structured as a gift of carried interest.
Alumni (Continued)
SanDee Priser ’02: ‘I Keep Going Back to the Practicality of Things’
For SanDee Priser ’02, it all comes down to making practical impacts. It’s what first drew her to UW Law and what most excites her as a member of the Board of Visitors.
Kyle Nakatsuji ’12 Named 2025 Forward Recipient
Double Badger Kyle Nakatsuji ’12 didn’t follow the traditional path to entrepreneurship — he carved one of his own.
Ryan Packer ’04: Law, Love and Lambeau
Ryan Packer ’04 met the second love of his life at Reunion. His first love? The Green Bay Packers. Just like millions of other kids who grew up in Wisconsin.
Spotlights
Students
Carrying the Wisconsin Idea Forward
Growing up with a younger brother with P.A.N.D.A.S, Mariah Bader 2L witnessed educational inequality firsthand. As a result, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in law and advocacy.
A Quest to Enact Meaningful Change
A year ago, Ben Willstein 3L was excited to serve as the first vice president of well-being for the Student Bar Association at UW Law School, even if the duties and expectations were unclear.
Faculty
Navigating the Gray
All work is semi-autobiographical. So it makes sense that Joshua Braver, who had a rebellious streak in junior high, would explore the idea of rule-breaking in his scholarship.
In Focus
Connect and Celebrate
In September, UW Law School hosted the 2025 Legal Education Opportunities & Affinity Group Networking Event. The gathering brought together local attorneys, alumni, students, faculty and other friends of the Law School for an evening of connection and community.
Class Notes
Class Notes
See what’s new with 1980s-2020s UW Law classmates.
In Memoriam
Join us in honoring the memory of these UW Law alumni.
The Last Word
Congressman Bryan Steil ’07
Congressman Bryan Steil ’07 always wanted to be a Badger. Today, the Janesville native represents Wisconsin’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Why Gargoyle?
In 1963, when the existing Law School was demolished to make way for a new building, Dean George Young found and rescued a sandstone gargoyle from the rubble. This figure and its twin sat on the roof of the 1893 building for almost 70 years.
That rescued gargoyle, which is now permanently installed in the Law School’s atrium, gives its name to this magazine, representing the indomitable strength and spirit of our University of Wisconsin Law School and its many graduates.
