The University of San Diego School of Law (USD Law) is the law school of the University of San Diego, a private

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Founded in 1954, the law school has held ABA approval since 1961. It joined the

Association of American Law Schools The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 176 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) n ...

(AALS) in 1966.

Academics

USD Law offers Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees in either a three-year full-time or a four-year part-time program. Advanced law degree programs offered include

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

(LL.M.) degrees in

Taxation A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, o ...

International Law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

, Criminal Law,

Intellectual Property Law Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

, Business and Corporate Law, Environmental and Energy Law, Employment and Labor law, and in

Comparative Law Comparative law is the study of differences and similarities between the law (legal systems) of different countries. More specifically, it involves the study of the different legal "systems" (or "families") in existence in the world, including the ...

for graduates of international law schools. Concurrent degree programs are offered to achieve a J.D. degree with either a

Masters in Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

, International Master of Business Administration, or

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

International Relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

Rankings

USD Law placed 64th among the nation's "Top 150" law schools in 2022 according to the '' U.S. News & World Report''. It previously was ranked 71st in the 2016 rankings, and 86th in the 2020 rankings. In April 2010, USD was ranked 6th in the nation in

tax law Tax law or revenue law is an area of legal study in which public or sanctioned authorities, such as federal, state and municipal governments (as in the case of the US) use a body of rules and procedures (laws) to assess and collect taxes in a ...

and first in the Western United States among law schools with graduate tax programs. In January 2011, USD Law was given a "B+" in the "Best Public Interest Law Schools" listing by ''The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students''. The school is a member of the

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...

, a national law school honorary society.

Dean

The dean of the law school is Robert Schapiro. Prior to his tenure as dean, Robert A. Schapiro was the Dean of

Emory University School of Law Emory University School of Law is the law school of Emory University and is part of the University's main campus in Druid Hills, Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1916 and was the first law school in Georgia to be granted membership in the Am ...

. Dean Schapiro is Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law and Co-Director of Emory School of Law’s Center on Federalism and Intersystemic Governance. From 2012 to 2017 he served as Dean of Emory University School of Law. Schapiro, an internationally recognized scholar of federalism, is the author of Polyphonic Federalism: Toward the Protection of Fundamental Rights (University of Chicago Press, 2009). A graduate of Yale Law School, he served as editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal. He clerked for Judge Pierre N. Leval of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and for Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Faculty

In a 2003–2004 survey based exclusively on academic criteria,

Brian Leiter Brian Leiter (; born 1963) is an American philosopher and legal scholar who is Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School and founder and Director of Chicago's Center for Law, Philosophy & Human Values. ...

of the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the law school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is consistently ranked among the best and most prestigious law schools in the world, and has many dis ...

ranked USD Law 22nd in the nation for faculty scholarly reputation. Leiter rated USD Law as "Also Strong" in Criminal Law & Procedure, Jurisprudence/Legal Philosophy, Law & Religion, and Legal Ethics. Six faculty members are members of the American Law Institute, a legal research organization.

Notable guest professors

On numerous occasions, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia judged the final round of intramural

moot court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...

competitions on campus prior to his death in 2016. Along with this, he was a guest lecturer of

Constitutional Law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fe ...

classes as well as classes on Oral Advocacy.

Media appearances

Faculty member

Junichi P. Semitsu Junichi P. Semitsu (Japanese: 瀬光淳一; Armenian: Ջունիչի Սեմիցու; Greek: Τζουνίτσι Σεμίτσου; Hebrew: יוניצי פ סמיצו) is a professor of law at the University of San Diego and the exclusive blogger fo ...

appeared on ''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and l ...

'' and faculty member Frank Partnoy appeared on an episode of ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...

'' discussing his book ''The Match King: Ivar Kreuger, The Financial Genius Behind a Century of Wall Street Scandals''.

Students

In 2007, the 75th percentile of

Law School Admission Test The Law School Admission Test (LSAT; ) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates. It is designed to assess reading comprehension as well as logical and verbal r ...

(LSAT) scores was 164 and the 25th percentile of LSAT scores was 161 for admitted full-time students.

Bar passage rates

71% of USD Law graduates who took the California Bar in July 2018 for the first time, passed, compared to 54.1% for all first time applicants who completed the July 2018 California Bar Examination. Based on a 2001–2007 6 year average, 76.3% of USD Law graduates passed the California State Bar.

Post-graduation employment

Based on a 2001–2007 6 year average, 90.6% of USD Law graduates were employed in some capacity 9 months after graduation.

Advocacy programs

Appellate Moot Court

The law school's Appellate

Moot Court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...

team is composed of two boards, the Executive Board and the Associate Board. The Appellate Moot Court Board hosts two intramural competitions each year, the Alumni Torts Moot Court Tournament and the Constitutional law focused Paul A. McLennon Sr., Honors Moot Court Competition. Both competitions are open to all students after completion of their first year. Additionally, the Board hosts the National Criminal Procedure Competition each fall open to national moot court teams from law schools across the country.

National Trial Team (Mock Trial)

USD Law's National Trial Team trains students for regional and national trial competitions, competing in five major tournaments each year.

Transactional Law Team (TLT)

The Transactional Law Team competes in the National Transactional Law Meet.

Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (VICAM)

USD Law's Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (VICAM) team competes in the area of international commercial law and arbitration, also known as alternative dispute resolution. Members of VICAM compete in the

Willem C. Vis Moot The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot or Vis Moot is an international moot competition. Since 1994, it has been held annually in Vienna, Austria, attracting more than 300 law schools from all around the world and spurring the ...

in Vienna, Austria and the Vis East in Hong Kong. USD VICAM hosts the Michael Thorsnes International Commercial Arbitration Competition each year. The competition serves as preparation for the

. It is an international competition, and in 2017 twenty-two teams from ten schools participated, including schools from Japan and Russia.

Student publications

* ''San Diego Law Review'' * '' San Diego International Law Journal'' * '' San Diego Journal of Climate and Energy Law''

Employment

According to the University of San Diego's official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 67% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, JD required employment nine months after graduation. The University of San Diego's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 24.6%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2018 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at the University of San Diego School of Law for the 2017-2018 academic year is $74,086. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $270,135.

Notable alumni

* Thomas J. Barrack Jr., 1971, real estate investor and CEO

Colony Capital DigitalBridge Group, Inc. is a global digital infrastructure investment firm. The company owns, invests in and operates businesses such as cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Digita ...

* Shelley Berkley, 1976, Member U.S. House of Representatives *

Mark Brnovich Mark Brnovich (born 1966) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 26th Attorney General of Arizona from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was an unsuccessful candidate for its nomination in the 2022 U.S. Senate ...

, 1991, Arizona Attorney General * Larry Alan Burns, 1979, federal judge specially appointed for a spree murder trial for the

2011 Tucson shooting On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people were killed, including feder ...

in Arizona. *

Dave Camp David Lee Camp (born July 9, 1953) is a former American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2015. Camp represented since 1993, and previously served one term representing . A member of the ...

, 1978, Member U.S. House of Representatives, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee * Theo Epstein, 2000, formerly the youngest

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

in the history of MLB; president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs * Jonathan Fahey, former

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...

director *

Jan Goldsmith Jan Ira Goldsmith (born January 26, 1951) is a Republican politician from San Diego, California, United States who served as the San Diego City Attorney from 2008 to 2016. Education He received his undergraduate degree from American Universit ...

, 1976, City Attorney of San Diego and former California State Assemblyman and judge * Joseph Ghougassian, 1980, diplomat *

Robert Kardashian Robert George Kardashian (February 22, 1944 – September 30, 2003) was an American attorney and businessman. He gained recognition as O. J. Simpson's friend and defense attorney during Simpson's 1995 murder trial. He had four children with h ...

, 1967, lawyer for O. J. Simpson and father of reality show personalities

Kourtney Kardashian Kourtney Mary Kardashian (born April 18, 1979) is an American media personality and socialite. In 2007, she and her family began starring in the reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''. Its success led to the creation of ...

, Kimberly "Kim" Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian Odom, and Robert Kardashian Jr., with his former wife

Kris Jenner Kristen Mary Jenner ( Houghton , formerly Kardashian; born November 5, 1955) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She rose to fame starring in the reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (2007� ...

. * Judith N. Keep, 1970, Chief District Judge of the Southern District from 1991 to 1998 *

Ron Mix Ronald Jack Mix (born March 10, 1938) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle. He is a member of the American Football League (AFL) All-Time Team, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 19 ...

, Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle * Thomas P. O’Brien, 1993, United States Attorney for the Central District of California * Rod Pacheco, 1983, former California Assembly Member and District Attorney of Riverside County * Ron D. Parraguirre, 1985, Chief Justice for the

Supreme Court of Nevada The Supreme Court of Nevada is the highest state court of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the head of the Nevada Judiciary. The main constitutional function of the Supreme Court is to review appeals made directly from the decisions of the distric ...

* Wade Sanders, Deputy Assistant United States Secretary of the Navy for Reserve Affairs and convicted sex offender * Lynn Schenk, 1970, former Member U.S. House of Representatives * Michael J. Streit, 1975, Associate Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court *

Frances Townsend Frances M. "Fran" Fragos Townsend (born December 28, 1961) is an American lawyer and business executive who served as Homeland Security Advisor to United States President George W. Bush from 2004 to 2007, and was formerly the executive vice pr ...

, 1984, former

Homeland Security Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" t ...

Advisor *

Danny Tarkanian Daniel George John Tarkanian (born December 18, 1961) is an American attorney, businessman and perennial candidate for elective office. A Republican, he has mounted unsuccessful campaigns for the Nevada Senate (2004), Nevada Secretary of State (2 ...

, Nevada politician, former college basketball player, and son of legendary college basketball coach

Jerry Tarkanian Jerry Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Rebe ...

* Nancy Halliday, United States Ambassador to

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1267&context=bjil *

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

, American football player

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:San Diego School Of Law, University Of ABA-accredited law schools in California Catholic law schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1954

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

1954 establishments in California