Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law Celebrates 57 Years of Greater Purpose at Annual Law Dinner

Framed by Pepperdine’s “For Greater Purpose” theme, the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law hosted its annual law dinner, one of its most prestigious convenings. On September 26, 2026, Caruso law faculty, administrators, alumni, students, and distinguished guests came together to celebrate the school’s 57th year and historic achievements over the past year. The evening featured remarks from Paul Caron, Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean and Professor of Law, and welcomed United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., for a discussion on a wide range of topics.

Jim Gash (JD ’93), President and CEO of Pepperdine University, offered remarks during the event, reflecting on his great fondness for the law school considering his tenure as a former two-time associate dean, former faculty member, and alumnus. Gash then discussed this year’s presidential theme, “Courage,” and how that virtue is necessary for a principled career in law.

Gash discussing the virtue of courage

Gash stated that law students must prepare for the responsibility of advocating for the truth and serving those in need by taking their character formation as seriously as their competence. Standing for recognition at Gash’s request, the law students and faculty in attendance were met with a resounding roar of applause. Gash also celebrated the second five-year appointment of Paul Caron, Deanof Caruso School of Law, the 16th-longest-serving dean among the nation’s 199 law school deans.

“We must have lawyers with the wisdom to identify the right path—even when it is contested or unclear—and with the courage to then choose that path,” said Gash. “It takes great knowledge to be a good lawyer, but it takes great courage to be a great lawyer. Thegood news is that the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law is raising up just such great lawyers.”

Following Gash’s remarks, second-year law student Alyssa Schmidt was announced as the winner of the Armand Arabian Advocacy Tournament, a moot court competition named in honor of the late Armand M. Arabian, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California from 1990 to 1996. Justice Alito, Judge Andrew Oldham of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and Judge Allison Jones Rushing of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, presided over the Arabian Advocacy Tournament.

In his remarks, Caron celebrated the law school's 57 years of excellence and attainment of several historic achievements. These included Caruso Law students’ all-time highs in median LSAT score, median undergraduate GPA, California bar passage rate, and 100 percent full-credit job placement rate. In addition, Caron noted that the faculty’s national academic reputation, professional reputation, and scholarly metrics also are all at all-time highs.

These student and faculty achievements have cemented Pepperdine Caruso Law’s ranking as a Top 50 U.S. News law school since 2020, with a current annual ranking of #46.

“For the past 57 years, our students have been at the heart of everything we do,” Caron said. “As important as all of our all-timehighs are, they are not the North Star that guides our staff and faculty. Our North Star shapes the culture and community that makes our law school truly unique among the nation’s 199 law schools.” Caron credited the law school community’s commitment “to love God and to love each other” for the exceptional triumphs of the past year.

Paul Caron celebrating the school’s 57th year and historic achievements for 2026.

Throughout the evening, student and alumni testimonials were shared, such as that of Luke Landers (JD ’16), who credited the hands-on mentorship of Danny Dewalt, Senior Vice president for Global Impact and Chief of Staff, as integral to his success in law school and as an attorney thereafter. Faculty who were “willing to go the extra mile,” Landers said, “made me work harder, because I was around people who believed in me.”

Considering the practice of law as a means of grace to the broken—both situations and people—Landers sees the vocation to be a noble cause. Reflecting on his greater purpose, he said, “My greater purpose is to be a minister of reconciliation. My job at Pepperdine has equipped me for that more than anything else has.”

To close the evening, the dinner’s featured guest, Justice Alito, discussed, his approach to constitutional interpretation, the role of faith and civic virtue in the law, and the experiences and mentors that have shaped his career. With Caron as moderator, Justice Alito addressed these topics with Brittney Lane Kubisch (JD ’12), Associate Professor of Law; Barry McDonald, Professor of Law; and Andrew Oldham, Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Justice Alito (middle) speaking with McDonald (left) and Kubisch (right)

Asked how the American constitutional experience can inform our understanding of the conditions necessary for the republic to flourish, particularly in light of the nation’s 250th anniversary, Justice Alito responded that civic virtue, prized by the founders, is necessary for a nation’s success.

“[The founders] understood that the constitutional system that they took pains to create could not function properly unless the peopleof the country, the citizens of the country, were practicing virtue in that they did not think only about furthering their own interests and satisfying their own desires and needs, but were dedicated to broader the theme of tonight's dinner serving the community—For Greater Purpose,” Justice Alito said.

Discussing his role on the Supreme Court, Justice Alito described originalism as an effort to remain faithful to the Constitution’s original meaning while accounting for precedent. He cautioned against overemphasizing the pursuit and application of idealistic principles, which he described as “Icarian originalism,” and “archaeological originalism,” which places excessive emphasis on thequest for obscure historical details.

Justice Alito also spoke about his Catholic faith and the importance of his constitutional oath. “I take the oath of office that I tookwhen I was sworn in to the Supreme Court very seriously,” Justice Alito said, describing it as a promise to faithfully discharge the duties of his office. Seeking and defining truth requires great courage and integrity, he said, encouraging the law students in attendance to remain steadfast in those virtues.

Justice Alito and the discussion panel standing for recognition

Oldham, a former law clerk to Justice Alito, likewise discussed the greater purpose and driving forces behind his career, including his deep faith, love for family, and desire to be a “strong, fearless, and principled federal judge.” With regard to Justice Alito’s mentorship, Oldham said, “One of the greatest things about working with Justice Alito is you see a man as the same under pressure as he is in private. He illustrates that courage, principle, integrity; they're not just for these cases. As C.S. Lewis very famously wrote, courage ‘is the form of every virtue at its testing point.’”

Along with remarks by the aforementioned speakers, the dinner also featured moving musical performances of “How Great ThouArt” and a rendition of “The Book of Love” by Bella Hicks, recording artist, songwriter, and musical theater performer. In addition, Lauren Cosentino (’97, MBA ’12), Vice President of Advancement and Chief Development Officer at Pepperdine, offered opening remarks at the dinner.

“For Greater Purpose is not simply the theme of tonight’s dinner,” said Cosentino. “It is a calling that animates everything we do at Pepperdine—and, we hope, everything our students carry with them into their lives and careers . . . The best of Pepperdine Law has never simply been what happens on our campus. It is what happens in the lives of the people who leave it—and the lives they go onto touch. That is the legacy we are celebrating tonight.”