About
Our Mission
The mission of Wake Forest Law is to advance the cause of justice by creating knowledge and educating students to meet the legal needs of the world with confidence, character, and creativity. We instill in students a respect for the law, a devotion to the ideal of service, and a commitment to professional values. We educate students from around the world in a richly diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.
Our Vision
Wake Forest Law graduates will be prepared to manage and create change in increasingly complex environments where their ability to communicate across differences will bring about lasting, meaningful solutions that are supported by the rule of law. They will go on to have a positive impact at the local, state, national, and international levels.
Our Core Values
Character
Character shapes our actions. At the School of Law, we value acting with honor and integrity, appreciating expertise, embracing different perspectives, and following an ethical compass that is guided by the calling of the University’s Pro Humanitate motto. We expect members of our community to use their knowledge and talent with compassion, being deliberate and thoughtful in advancing the values and goals of the legal profession while respecting the wide diversity of traditions on which communities are built.
Collaboration
Collaboration connects us. We provide a personalized experience that enables our students to learn from each other and engage in respectful discussion of differences and tension, improving their ability to reach productive resolutions of conflict. Whether they pursue careers in non-profit or governmental organizations, law firms, as in-house counsel, or in practices anywhere in the world, their ability to effectively collaborate will lead them to produce informed and sustainable solutions.
Creativity
Creativity unlocks potential. We encourage an interdisciplinary, all-inclusive view of the world that recognizes the law’s potential to offer novel solutions to seemingly intractable problems. We value agile, inventive thinking that accelerates the pace of innovation. Our students graduate with skills that empower them to create the legal frameworks needed to invent the future.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion empower everyone. We pursue equity and equality as goals for our community. We strive to critically examine different perspectives and experiences, to treat people with dignity, and to listen to every voice in order to arrive at a deeper understanding of problems and possible solutions. We believe that understanding, respecting, and promoting these values is paramount to developing culturally competent legal professionals who are able to engage with an increasingly diverse and globalized community.
Leadership
Leadership paves the way to success. We produce legal professionals who recognize strengths, explore options, and strive for equitable solutions that have a positive impact on all stakeholders. We encourage strategies for learning from experience, an appreciation of the need to listen to others while evaluating facts, and an ability to lead with confidence through any challenge.
Resilience
Resilience gives us power. Disruption, polarization, and complexity demand perseverance, problem-solving, and agility. Our students learn that adversity and defeat are inevitable but not determinative. They are trained to embrace change, meet challenges with conviction, learn from failure and success, and begin again with resolve.
Service
Service is a calling. Our students learn the importance of service and the need to serve the needs of clients — whether they are individuals, businesses, communities, or entire nations. Our graduates will serve the community by promoting access to the legal system and the fair, orderly administration of justice and their clients by providing vigorous, ethical, professional legal representation.