August 1, 2020

Dear Students,

The University of Wisconsin Law School will be open for the Fall 2020 semester, though things may look and feel a bit different from usual.  

The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges for all of us, including students, staff, and faculty. But at UW Law, we see every challenge as an opportunity. Relying on our long and continuing tradition of curricular innovation, we will offer a mix of online and in-person instruction this semester.  My predecessor Dean Margaret Raymond mobilized a working group on Excellence in Remote Delivery which has been busy planning courses, researching best practices, and helping faculty develop top-notch online and hybrid instruction. Our faculty and staff have spent months preparing for the return to class and are dedicated to delivering the highest quality legal education.

In keeping with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Smart Restart plan, the Law School will welcome students back to class in September. We must all be careful to observe physical distancing guidelines, while wearing masks or face coverings to protect ourselves and other members of our community. After Thanksgiving, all courses will move to a virtual format for the final days of the fall semester, and exams will be conducted remotely. This is a necessary precaution, to prevent the spread of the virus within the University and to our loved ones back home.   

The situation is dynamic. We’ll continue to update this website as the situation develops. Responses to frequently asked questions may be found here.

We understand that some students aren’t comfortable with in-person learning, even with the precautions the University is taking. If that’s the case for you, please reach out to our academic advisor Lauren Devine. We’ll do our best to accommodate your needs and concerns, consistent with University policy and our educational mission.

We are all committed to keeping everyone in our community safe and healthy, while still offering the law-in-action approach to legal education for which UW Law is justifiably famous. There are no perfect solutions, certainly none that all of us can agree on. But if we support one another, we will get through this together.

Yours, 

Daniel P. Tokaji