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Deborah Gonzales wearing judicial robe in court with US flags behind her

Up for a Challenge

Suzi Morales

Deborah Gonzales L'07 began her legal career on the cleaning staff. “I’ve had every position, from the cleaning person, to the receptionist, to the secretary, to the paralegal, to the lawyer, to the partner, to the law professor, and now the judge,” Gonzalez says.

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Book cover of Integrating Doctrine and Diversity: Beyond the First Year

RWU Law Faculty Honored with National Award for Advancing Diversity in Legal Education

Helga Melgar

Nicole P. Dyszlewski, professor and assistant dean for curricular innovation, and Suzanne Harrington-Steppen, clinical professor and associate director of pro bono programs, were recently named recipients of the 2025 Joseph L. Andrews Legal Literature Award from the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). The award honors their co-editorship of the groundbreaking book Integrating Doctrine & Diversity: Beyond the First Year.

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Nicole Dyszlewski accepting the ADI Disruptive Collaborator Award

Disrupting Legal Education for Equity

Danna Lorch

"We are a small law school, and the only one in Rhode Island, but we are punching above our weight in the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging space," Nicole Dyszlewski said.

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Professor Natasha Varyani

No Outsiders in RWU Law Professor’s Classroom

Suzi Morales

As a law professor, Varyani realized that a lack of representation in legal textbooks reflects disparities in who has access to the courts, particularly the appellate courts that make the written decisions that appear in law books. With a new book on systemic racism in property law, Varyani tackles the problem and helps other professors do the same.

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Image of Lorraine Lalli L'01 accepting NAACP Providence Rosa Parks Award 2023

From the Community, for the Community

Suzi Morales

Long before she was the Associate Dean of Student Life and Operations at Roger Williams University School of Law, Lorraine Lalli was an aspiring law student. On her admissions essay for RWU Law, she wrote about how she planned to use the skills she learned in law school to give back to the community.

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Dean Bowman

A More Perfect Union Through a Diverse Judiciary

Gregory W. Bowman

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution is one of the most important written passages in American history. It starts like this: 'We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union

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Close Course Type Descriptions

Course Types

We have classified RWU Law classes under the following headers. One of the following course types will be attached to each course which will allow students to narrow down their search while looking for classes.

Core Course

Students in the first and second year are required to take classes covering the following aspects of the law—contracts, torts, property, criminal law, civil procedure, and constitutional law, evidence, and professional responsibility.  Along with these aspects, the core curriculum will develop legal reasoning skills.

Elective

After finishing the core curriculum the remaining coursework toward the degree is completed through upper level elective courses.  Students can choose courses that peak their interests or courses that go along with the track they are following.

Seminar

Seminars are classes where teachers and small groups of students focus on a specific topic and the students complete a substantial research paper.

Clinics/Externships

Inhouse Clinics and Clinical Externships legal education is law school training in which students participate in client representation under the supervision of a practicing attorney or law professor.  RWU Law's Clinical Programs offer unique and effective learning opportunities and the opportunity for practical experience while still in law school.