the ucla school of law, also referred to as ucla law, is one of 12 professional schools at the university of california, los angeles. ucla law has been consistently ranked by "u.s. news & world report" as one of the top 20 law schools in the united states since the inception of the "u.s. news" rankings in 1987. its 17,000 alumni include more judges on the u.s. court of appeals for the ninth circuit than any other law school, as well as leaders in private law practice, government service, the judiciary, sports and entertainment law, and public interest law. as part of a renowned public university, the school's mission is to provide an excellent legal education while expanding access to the legal professional to those who otherwise would not be able to pursue a legal degree. the dean of the school is jennifer l. mnookin., an evidence scholar who joined the ucla law faculty in 2005 and became the school's ninth dean, and third female dean, in 2015.