Stanford Law launched a new tradition this year with a convening of students, faculty, and staff on September 27 in a convocation to mark the beginning of the new academic year and celebrate the law school community.

“The enlargement of minds and the promotion of the public good require you to speak your minds, to be willing to challenge the conventional wisdom when necessary, and sometimes to take a riskier path in life,” Jenny Martinez, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean, told the 300-strong crowd gathered in Dinkelspiel Auditorium to hear remarks from peers and colleagues about exploring and contributing to one’s community. “A university education requires questioning orthodoxies, taking a look at things from a different perspective, and a certain rough and tumble of ideas. To work well, this requires not just openness to those new ideas, but also empathy.”