The University of San Diego School of Law (USD Law) is the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

of the

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in San Diego, California, United States. Chartered in 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University ...

, a private

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California. Founded in 1954, the law school has held ABA approval since 1961. It joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1966.

Academics

USD Law offers

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

(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 a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

(LL.M.) degrees in

Taxation A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal person, legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to Pigouvian tax, regulate and reduce nega ...

International Law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

Criminal Law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

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, ...

Business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

and

Corporate Law Corporate law (also known as company law or enterprise law) is the body of law governing the rights, relations, and conduct of persons, companies, organizations and businesses. The term refers to the legal practice of law relating to corpora ...

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

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

for graduates of international law schools. Concurrent degree programs are offered to achieve a J.D. degree with either a Masters in Business Administration, International Master of Business Administration, or

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) 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. Those admitted to the degree have ...

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

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, 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. 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 of the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 180 full-time and part-time facul ...

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 The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars limited to 3,000 elected members and established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and i ...

, a legal research organization.

Notable guest professors

On numerous occasions,

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

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 many 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 ...

classes as well as classes on Oral Advocacy.

Media appearances

Faculty member Junichi P. Semitsu appeared on ''

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

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

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

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

Students

In 2023, the 75th percentile of Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores was 163 and the 25th percentile of LSAT scores was 157 for admitted full-time students.

Bar passage rates

79% of USD Law graduates who took the California Bar in July 2023 for the first time, passed, compared to 64.8% for all first time applicants who completed the July 2018 California Bar Examination.

Post-graduation employment

Of the 245 students who graduated USD Law in 2022, 235 (95.9%) 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 many 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 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 Willem C. Vis Moot. 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 * Shelley Berkley, 1976, Member U.S. House of Representatives * Mark Brnovich, 1991, Arizona Attorney General * Larry Alan Burns, 1979, federal judge specially appointed for a spree murder trial for the 2011 Tucson shooting 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 The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

* Jonathan Fahey, former

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

director * Joseph Ghougassian, 1980, diplomat * Jan Goldsmith, 1976, City Attorney of San Diego and former California State Assemblyman and judge * Nancy Halliday, United States Ambassador to

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

* Robert Kardashian, 1967, lawyer for O. J. Simpson and father of

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

personalities Courtney, Kim, Khloé, and Robert Jr. * Judith N. Keep, 1970, Chief District Judge of the Southern District from 1991 to 1998 * James E. McPherson, 1981, Judge Advocate General of the Navy and Under Secretary of the Army * Ron Mix, 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 * 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 * Danny Tarkanian, Nevada politician, former college basketball player, and son of college basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian * Frances Townsend, 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" to ...

Advisor * Larry 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 Universities and colleges established in 1954

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

1954 establishments in California