yes.

14,000-plus and counting— that’s how many aspiring lawyers and leaders, to date, have answered the call to attend Stanford Law School. Every “yes” affirms the distinctions that set SLS apart. Every “yes” initiates a unique and immersive learning experience. Every “yes” unfolds a story of promise and impact.

Read on to discover just a few.

“ I never imagined I’d be where I am today, in a career that is in harmony with my unique identity. SLS opened doors and gave me the courage to walk through them.”

The Honorable Hilary Tompkins ’96

Born near the Navajo reservation in Zuni, New Mexico, adopted and raised in Southern

New Jersey in a multiracial family—Hilary Tompkins has made many life choices

guided by her unique Navajo background. Choosing a law school was no exception.

After graduating from Dartmouth, with its strong history of educating Native students,

Tompkins returned to the reservation, where she worked as a paralegal, took the

Navajo bar exam, and practiced in the Navajo courts. Encouraged by other lawyers

and tribal lay practitioners, she set her sights on law school. “I applied to the top

five,” Tompkins says, “thinking to myself, ‘Go big or go home!’” Tompkins said yes to

SLS for many reasons: “the feeling of community, the diverse student body, the high

academic standards. And I was wowed by the beauty of the campus.” It all added up

to an unforgettable chapter in her life. “I was happy in law school, challenging myself

among the best and brightest legal minds,” Tompkins says. She hasn’t forgotten one

encouraging message from a professor on her first day: “Congratulations! You’ve done

the hardest part—getting into SLS!” As her experience unfolded, Tompkins found

generous support for Native students, including the chance to study Navajo traditional

law on campus with Navajo Nation Supreme Court Justice Raymond Austin. “Here

I was at a prestigious law school that was giving credence to my tribe’s legal system,”

she recalls. “It was transformational.” Since graduating from SLS, Tompkins has

served as chief counsel to the governor of New Mexico and as Solicitor for the U.S.

Department of the Interior. “Having a Stanford Law diploma made me confident that

I could excel in the legal profession and give back in a meaningful way,” she says.

“I thought, ‘Go big or go home.’”

“ At SLS, I’ve been given much more flexibility and responsibility than I ever imagined possible for a student. Having direct impact in the world as a student has been a powerful experience that will help me as an attorney.”

Vincent Mazzurco ’16

“It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.”

For New York City native Vince Mazzurco, 9/11 was more than a pivotal date in

U.S. history—it was a personal turning point. Called to serve, Mazzurco graduated

from the Naval Academy and commissioned into the Marines. He deployed twice

to the Middle East and Africa for counter-piracy and contingency missions. Over

time, Mazzurco was drawn to law, and with strong East Coast roots, he applied

to New York schools. But when SLS said yes to Mazzurco, saying yes to SLS came

naturally. “It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made,” he recalls. His admissions

experience—welcoming, personal—reflects SLS as a whole. “The sense of

community here is palpable,” he says, “with small classes, incredibly smart and

friendly people, and beautiful places to gather and interact.” Mazzurco learned

quickly that SLS is also a veteran-friendly school, with a strong and supportive

alumni network. An alum funded a fellowship that enabled Mazzurco to work pro

bono on veterans’ issues. “SLS said, ‘We trust you. Take it and run!’ Getting that kind

of opportunity in law school blew me away,” he says. Mazzurco used the fellowship

to set up walk-in clinics at VA hospitals, where vets can get help with legal issues,

such as benefits. Now, he is excited to pursue an emerging interest in criminal law.

“The beauty of SLS is that you have options at all levels—criminal justice reform,

policy, direct services.” Entering his final year, Mazzurco is looking forward to

working in the Criminal Defense Clinic—and one last football season. “I don’t just

go to Stanford Law,” he says. “I go to Stanford University.”

“Yes” to a collegial community.

“ As a young attorney, I found that not everyone knew my name or reputation, but everyone knew Stanford. A JD from SLS can give the right first impression. It’s up to you to live up to that expectation.”

Hannah Gordon ’08 VicePresident,LegalAffairs San Francisco 49ers

Hannah Gordon had set her sights on a career in athletics. As a student at UCLA, she

worked at the Daily Bruin and became the first female beat writer for the football

team. Gordon fell in love with the sport and saw a law degree as an opportunity to

expand her options. After a gig writing for the NFL Players Association website, she

was working in media relations in athletics at UC Berkeley when she applied to law

schools. And SLS was her first choice. “I remember the day I was admitted,” Gordon

says, “and the feeling of joy, gratitude, and excitement I shared with everyone in

my life.” As an SLS student, Gordon found faculty and staff deeply committed to

her education, who encouraged her plans to return to sports and aim for the NFL.

And she still keeps in touch with some of her mentors. Today, Gordon advises the

San Francisco 49ers on legal and business issues, a position that gives her a taste

of everything from class action litigation to real estate and labor law. She played

a key role in the naming rights deal for Levi’s® Stadium. And she has negotiated

sponsorship agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Aspiring sports

lawyers frequently ask Gordon if they should choose a school that specializes

in sports law. “I always remind them that sports are an industry, not an area of

practice,” says Gordon. An exceptional legal education, she believes, means more

than any particular class or concentration. “I still would have chosen Stanford,”

Gordon says, “even if it didn’t have a single sports class.”

“I still remember the joy, the gratitude, the excitement …”

“ Stanford Law’s focus on cross-disciplinary education, recognizing the need for lawyers who can work across fields, is truly visionary. It reflects the way the world works.”

Alexander Benard ’08 ChiefOperatingOfficer Schulze Global Investments

Alex Benard was always interested in law school, just not in being a lawyer. Raised

among diplomats, foreign policy scholars, and leaders in politics and government,

Benard was drawn to international business and finance, politics, policy, and

national security—not law. But as he neared the end of his undergraduate education

at Claremont McKenna College, where he majored in economics and international

relations, Benard took notice: The people whose careers he admired had something

in common—a law degree. When he began looking at law schools for himself, Benard

knew he wanted an intimate learning community, and more. “SLS stood out for its

small size,” he says, “and because it has so much to offer beyond the law school.

I really value Stanford’s ability to bring in business and international dimensions.”

Accepting admission to SLS, Benard found many ways to pursue his interests: He did

research at the Hoover Institute. He took classes at Stanford’s top-ranked business

school. He forged lasting relationships with faculty members whose legal expertise

overlaps with his interests. And in a neighborhood where startups flourish, he co-

launched a successful entrepreneurial venture, the Afghanistan Legal Education

Project (ALEP). Enriched by these experiences, empowered by his SLS degree,

Benard now unites the realms of international finance and global relations as COO

for a private equity firm at work in frontier markets, such as Ethiopia, Georgia, and

Mongolia. In his work, Benard finds that SLS is very well regarded internationally.

“And with the global center of gravity for innovation clearly shifting to Silicon Valley,

Stanford Law’s reputation will only grow,” he says.

“SLS has so much to offer beyond the law school.”

“Yes” to an environment that inspires excellence.

“ During Admit Weekend I saw that whatever your dream is, SLS will help you achieve it. And if you don’t have a dream yet, Stanford will help you discover yours.”

Jennie Oxley ’16

Most people expect law school to be a pressure cooker of stress and hard choices.

By the time she applied to SLS, Jennie Oxley had already lived that life. After a

military-kid upbringing and an East Coast education that included a graduate degree

in conflict resolution from Georgetown, Oxley worked as an analyst for the federal

government. She spent her days (and often nights) assessing complex information

on which lives depended and advising senior policy makers. Deployed to Iraq and

Afghanistan, she worked crazy hours, learned hard lessons, and began to wonder:

What are the legal protections and rights of federal employees? The question led her

to consider a law degree. “Finding a school where I could interact with professors as

mentors was a top priority for me,” says Oxley. “And SLS had that reputation.” Admit

Weekend showed her SLS offered even more. “The turning point was a presentation

by the student who started Project ReMADE, which helps formerly incarcerated

entrepreneurs get ventures off the ground,” Oxley recalls. “Hearing how SLS enabled

her to turn an idea into a successful program, it clicked: Students can thrive here.”

With a large gap between undergrad and law school, Oxley wondered if she would

fit in at SLS. She was relieved to find: “Everyone is collegial, mature, has great ideas,

and has done amazing things. And they bring it all to the classroom.” SLS, Oxley has

found, also supports the kind of work/life balance she seeks. “Any day of the year, you

can hike in the foothills,” she says. “Within 30 minutes, you can be in a completely

different landscape.” One constant in these adventures, Oxley finds, is the good

company of SLS friends.

“It clicked: Students can thrive here.”

“ SLS offers plenty of leadership opportunities, but not in the sense that you simply get to be president of an organization. It’s leadership with meaning. Where else do you get the chance to manage a program like ALEP with a multi-million dollar budget as a law student?”

Daniel Lewis ’12 Founder and CEO Ravel Law

Daniel Lewis comes from a family of lawyers—both parents, an older brother, a

younger brother now at SLS. His whole life, he has seen that exciting careers can

grow from a law degree. And of course, when he thought of his future, Lewis wanted

an exciting career of his own. After four years immersed in international studies at

Johns Hopkins, during which he interned for the Natural Resources Defense Council

and United States Senator Barbara Boxer, Lewis joined a think tank in Washington,

D.C., as a national energy and transportation policy analyst. Two years later, the

West called him back. “Connections to Silicon Valley, Stanford’s B-school, d-school,

and computer science department; a diverse array of clinics; a strong rule of law

program—for me, saying yes to SLS was a no-brainer,” says Lewis. “It was a place

where I could scratch all the itches.” Pursuing his many and diverse interests, Lewis

served as a co-director of the Afghanistan Legal Education Project (ALEP), practiced

in the Criminal Defense Clinic and, along with a classmate, founded Ravel Law with

venture capital backing. Today, the company’s high-power platform uses intuitive

visualization and analytics technology to mine huge flows of legal information.

Tens of thousands of law students and lawyers now rely on the product, which

earned Lewis a place on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list of young game changers for 2015.

Today, Lewis is dedicated heart-and-soul to Ravel, but he hasn’t ruled out the power

of an SLS degree to shape his next opportunity in unexpected ways.

“It was a place where I could scratch all the itches.”

“Yes” to an intimate learning experience.

“ SLS is a community full of power but without a lot of ego. People don’t wear their reputations on their sleeves. They preach about their vision, not their accomplishments.”

David White ’00 National Executive Director Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA

During four years at Grinnell College and a stint at Oxford University as a Rhodes

Scholar, David White developed an appetite for excellence to match his passion for

community. To take a break from academics, White did something few 23-year-olds

would undertake: He started a community youth development organization. “I didn’t

know what I was doing,” White confesses. But he found someone who did: a great

lawyer. “He could see around corners,” White says, “and I wanted to do that, too.”

By then, it was the go-go late ’90s, and White’s peers were jumping on the startup

bandwagon. Instead of following, White searched out a particular type of law school.

“I wanted a place where I could master the skills of legal analysis, and where I would

be happy spending three years of my life,” he says, “because you don’t get those

years back.” The SLS community won White over. “At Stanford Law, the intellectual

standards are high, but the atmosphere is relaxed,” White adds. “You’re challenged

by ideas, not by competing with each other.” And SLS is so respected, White says,

students can be at ease about their job prospects, compared to East Coast schools,

where people compete for the same local posts. “It makes SLS a true learning

environment,” says White. And when it comes to turning a degree into a career,

opportunities abound. After SLS, White specialized in labor and employment law

at a high-profile firm that served the Screen Actors Guild. Today, he works directly

for SAG-AFTRA, drawing on his experience with nonprofits, law, and business in

pursuit of his original passion: serving community.

“You’re challenged by ideas, not by competing with each other.”

“ Before taking on any endeavor, I ask myself: Will it sharpen the mind and soften the heart? An SLS education does both.”

Joy Basu ’15 ChiefofStafftotheManagingPartner TPG Growth

“I was an unconventional law student,” says Joy Basu. “I never did prelaw. I had

few law role models.” She did, however, have inspiration. Born in rural eastern

India, Basu’s parents were among the lucky few to get an education and immigrate

to the United States in the 1970s. Raised in Illinois—“a fairly traditional Midwest

upbringing,” says Basu—their daughter grew up grateful, and aware that her life

was different from the lives of others. That awareness led to studies in economic

development and foreign policy at Duke. After graduating, Basu helped launch

international food security initiatives for the World Economic Forum and McKinsey

& Company. It was gratifying to see her own impact on agricultural development

practices. But Basu also cared about social issues, and she saw two ways to drive

change in that sector: “Hire a lawyer, or be a lawyer,” she says. On a visit to SLS,

where she connected with professors renowned for their work on the rule of law

and criminal justice, Basu’s choice came into focus. “In the span of 24 hours, I came

to see SLS as a place where people care deeply about justice and are engaged

with social issues,” she recalls. “It just felt right.” At SLS, Basu widened her scope

by pursuing a JD/MBA. And for her post-Stanford work, she chose something that

would have been off her radar before law school: She helps guide private and social

sector investments in emerging markets where people are hungry for opportunity.

Her path, Basu knows, has been anything but conventional. “But ‘unconventional’

is exactly the kind of law student SLS welcomes,” she says.

“This is a place where people care deeply about justice.”

“Yes” to innovation and a focus on the future.

“Yes” to innovation and a focus on the future.“Yes” to innovation and a focus on the future.

“ The schools SLS is often compared to carry the weight of tradition. Not SLS. You won’t hear people say, ‘It’s always been done this way.’ The entrepreneurial spirit at Stanford generates opportunities for students to do great things.”

Pamela S. Karlan KennethandHarleMontgomery Professor of Public Interest Law Co-Director, Supreme Court Litigation Clinic Stanford Law School

Pam Karlan was interested in coming to Stanford Law for decades. “A diverse

population puts California on the cutting edge of so many issues and makes SLS

a great place for someone interested in civil rights,” Karlan says. But when she

applied as a student, she got wait-listed and chose Yale instead. Yale BA, MA, and

JD in hand, Karlan interviewed for an entry-level teaching position at SLS. Someone

else was picked. Today, as one of the nation’s leading experts on voting and the

political process, Karlan is a productive scholar and an award-winning teacher—

at SLS. “I guess third time’s the charm,” she says. It was worth the wait, because

of the students. “Extremely bright, from so many backgrounds, ambitious but not

crazy—they are among the biggest attractions of SLS,” Karlan says. Spending time

with students makes a profound difference, Karlan finds, in the vitality of her own

scholarship. Reading and dialogue with students, including through Stanford’s

excellent Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, which Karlan co-directs, sometimes

catalyzes ideas that inspire Karlan’s pacesetting legal research. Cooking and dining

together, parties with a mariachi band (famous at SLS), night tours of Alcatraz,

biking across the Golden Gate Bridge—these are just a few ways Karlan enriches

the learning experience with something students rarely associate with law school

(or law professors): fun. “With so many ways to get away—onto the Stanford campus,

out in nature—SLS doesn’t have that claustral feeling you get at other schools,”

Karlan says. “You’ll be stretched here, but it will be a comfortable stretch, one that

lets you do your best work. When you stretch, you grow.”

“SLS will stretch you—comfortably.”

“Yes” is a powerful word. It opens doors to opportunity and challenge. And in response to an invitation from Stanford Law, “yes” initiates a transformative learning experience. I know this because I have seen the difference SLS makes for students, alumni, and faculty—and because I said “yes” myself, to this collegial and innovative community, with its focus on the future.

As you plan your own future, consider the possibilities. What doors will a “yes” to SLS open for you?

M. Elizabeth MagillRichard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean

law.stanford.edu

Nondiscrimination PolicyStanford University admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the University. Consistent with the obligations under the law, Stanford prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law in the administration of the University’s programs and activities. Stanford also prohibits unlawful harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding this nondiscrimination policy: Director of the Diversity and Access Office, Mariposa House, 585 Capistrano Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-8230; 650.723.0755 (voice), 650.723.1216 (TTY), 650.723.1791 (fax), equal.opportunity@stanford.edu (email). Stanford’s Title IX Coordinator has been designated to handle inquiries regarding sexual harassment and sexual violence: 450 Serra Mall, Building 160, Stanford, CA 94305, 650.497.4955 (voice), 650.497.9257 (fax), titleix@stanford.edu.

Clery ActStanford University complies with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act. Stanford’s policies under this act are posted on the Department of Public Safety website at http://www.stanford.edu/group/SUDPS/safety-report.shtml. A paper copy can be obtained by calling the Stanford Department of Public Safety at 650.723.9633.

Copyright 2015 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University. Reproduction in whole or in part, without permission of the publishers, is prohibited.

Printed on recycled paper with 30% post-consumer waste.