Southwestern Law School is a private

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 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is accredited by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

and enrolls nearly 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks Wilshire building, an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

landmark built in 1929. Southwestern is an independent law school with affiliation to the undergraduate program at

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...

History

Southwestern Law School was founded on November 25, 1911, as the Southwestern College of Law. John J. Schumacher, its founder, intended the

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

institution to be a law school that reached out to women and minorities. The school is the second oldest law school in Los Angeles. Southwestern received a

university charter A university charter is a charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superi ...

in 1913 after it expanded to include a number of other disciplines including a

business school A business school is a higher education institution or professional school that teaches courses leading to degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, s ...

. Southwestern's first home was in the Union Oil Building in downtown Los Angeles, followed by a small campus on South Hill Street, where it existed for the ensuing decades. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

took a severe toll on the enrollment, and by the end of the 1930s the law school was the only school that remained. However, as veterans returned home the school experienced a surge of interest, and in 1974, the campus was moved to the school's current location on Westmoreland Avenue in the Wilshire Center area of Los Angeles. It joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1974. It is a member of the North American Consortium on Legal Education. In 1994, Southwestern acquired the adjacent Bullocks Wilshire building, a historic landmark which was subsequently renovated to house the school's law library, classrooms, faculty offices, and court room and advocacy center. The 1989

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

music video " Love in an Elevator" was filmed in what is now the law library. In 2024, Southwestern Law School's online Juris Doctor program became the first fully-online program to receive accreditation by the American Bar Association.

Campus

The campus is in the

Koreatown A Koreatown (), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have only been in existence s ...

area of the Mid-Wilshire district near

downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

. The campus comprises the Westmoreland Building and the Bullocks Wilshire Building. Both house classrooms, administrative offices, and faculty offices. The Bullocks Wilshire Building also houses the Leigh Taylor Law Library (named for a former Dean of the law school), the Julian Dixon Courtroom and Advocacy Center, a fitness center, a dining area, and student lounges. The Westmoreland Building is a typical campus building, while the Bullocks Wilshire Building is a fully renovated

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

landmark restored to its 1929 state, from the clocks on the walls to the "showcases" in the library. At over and featuring over 470,000 volumes, the Leigh H. Taylor Law Library is the second largest academic law library facility in California. As of fall semester 2013, Southwestern opened student housing "The Residences at 7th". The Residences at 7th include 133 units ranging from studio to two bedrooms housing 153 or more students.

Bar passage rate and rankings

In February 2024 results, 71.4% of Southwestern Law graduates taking the test for the first time passed the California State Bar, vs. 44.8% for all first-time takers and 76% for first-time takers who graduated from ABA-approved law schools in California. Southwestern was ranked 145th in the 2024 '' U.S. News & World Report'' "Best Law Schools" rankings. The part-time program was ranked 43rd of 70. Southwestern has been ranked among the top entertainment law schools in The Hollywood Reporter.

Post-graduation employment

According to Southwestern's official 2022 ABA-required disclosures, 62.2% of the Class of 2022 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners.

Costs

Tuition and fees at Southwestern for the 2023–2024 academic year are $58,537 for full-time students and $39,042 for part-time students.

Curriculum

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Full-time program (3 years)

The traditional program is three academic years of full-time study that allows students to pursue a broad-based legal education with opportunities to focus on a particular area of the law, such as: entertainment, criminal, international, business, family, or tax law, among others.

Full-time online program (3–4 years)

The first of its kind, Southwestern's American Bar Association-approved Online J.D. program features a full-time curriculum featuring primarily asynchronous classes, giving students the flexibility to study according to their own schedule from a convenient location.

Part-time programs

The evening program is four academic years of part-time study designed for working professionals and other students who are unable to devote full-time to the study of law.

= Part-time day

= The "PLEAS" (Part-time Legal Education Alternative at Southwestern) program is a 4-year part-time day curriculum designed for students with child or elder care responsibilities.

SCALE Program (2 years)

Established in 1974, Southwestern founded the first two-year J.D. course of study offered at an American Bar Association-approved law school. SCALE (Southwestern's Conceptual Approach to Legal Education) is a unique, accelerated J.D. program. Its intensive schedule is intended prepare students for the rigors of practicing law. Low student-faculty ratio in the classroom promotes cooperative teaching and intellectual discussion among classmates. The program has a limited enrollment.

Study abroad programs

Southwestern offers Semester Abroad options that include: Studying in Canada or Mexico via the North American Consortium on Legal Education; Attending The Hague Law School at The Hague University of Applied Sciences A Summer Abroad can be spent in London learning international media and entertainment law and international public interest law.

Joint degree programs

Southwestern has joined forces with the Drucker Graduate School of Management to create dual-degree programs. Students at Southwestern and the Drucker School, part of

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California, United States. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium which includes five undergraduate and two grad ...

(CGU), will be able to earn a J.D. and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), a J.D. and Master of Arts in management (M.A.M.), or a J.D. and Executive Master of Business Administration (E.M.B.A.). TB.A./J.D. Joint Degree Program Under a partnership agreement with

in which students will be able to simultaneously earn their Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor in six years instead of seven years. Starting in fall 2014, the program enrolls up to 35 incoming CSUN freshmen. Students spend three years completing their undergraduate course requirements and their first year of law school will also count as their fourth year of undergraduate education. Students in the program also receive a $10,000 Wildman/Schumacher entering student scholarship. The scholarship can be renewed provided that a minimum 2.7 GPA is maintained. In order to qualify for the program incoming freshmen must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and have received either a minimum score of 25 on the ACT or 1140 on the SAT. In addition, students in the program must maintain a 3.40 GPA and receive a 156 or higher on the LSAT. According to Dean Austen Parrish, the program will help young, promising undergraduate students pursue a legal education.

Master of Laws (LL.M.)

General studies

Southwestern offers an individualized LL.M. program for students who have already earned a law degree and are interested in furthering their legal education. The program allows students to choose their own focus of study, from American Legal Systems to International Law to Technology Innovation and Commercialization.

Advocacy training

In 2006, Southwestern was awarded a federal grant to train Mexican lawyers and law faculty in advocacy skills as part of a

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

effort to assist Mexican legal reform.

Publications

''Southwestern Law Review''

Law Review is a student-edited quarterly journal that publishes scholarly articles and commentary on a variety of legal issues in California and federal law contributed by prominent jurists, practitioners, law professors, and student members of the Law Review staff. Annual Symposia and the Distinguished Lecture Series are sponsored by Law Review. These programs feature prominent members of the legal community lecturing on areas of legal expertise and participating in panel discussions on relevant emerging and contemporary legal issues.

''Southwestern Journal of International Law''

Formerly the ''Southwestern Journal of Law and Trade in the Americas'', the journal focuses on issues of international law and trade, publishing scholarly articles and notes exploring areas such as international insolvency,

environmental law Environmental laws are laws that protect the environment. The term "environmental law" encompasses treaties, statutes, regulations, conventions, and policies designed to protect the natural environment and manage the impact of human activitie ...

, international trade issues, NAFTA, international arbitration, privatization in Central and South American countries, immigration, human rights, and international crime. On October 3, 2008, the ''Southwestern Journal of International Law'' hosted one of the first U.S. conferences on Arctic sovereignty, featuring legal scholars from both the United States and Canada.

''Journal of International Media & Entertainment Law''

In association with the American Bar Association Forum on Communications Law and Forum on Entertainment and Sports Industries, the ''Journal of International Media & Entertainment Law'' explores the complex and unsettled legal issues surrounding the creation and distribution of media and entertainment products on a worldwide basis, which necessarily implicate the laws, customs, and practices of multiple jurisdictions. Additionally, it examines the impact of the Internet and other technologies, the often conflicting laws affecting those issues, and the legal ramifications of widely divergent cultural views of privacy, defamation, intellectual property, and government regulation.

Clinical programs

The law school has nine clinical programs and two practicum programs.

Noted people

Alumni

Southwestern's 10,000 alumni include public officials as well as founders of law firms and general counsels of corporations.

Politics and government

* Tom Bradley, 38th

Mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, ...

(1973–93) * Patricia Cafferata, first woman Nevada State Treasurer, (1983–1987) * Murray Chotiner, political strategist, campaign manager for Richard M. Nixon * Marcia Clark, lead prosecutor in the

O. J. Simpson murder case ''The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson'' was a Criminal procedure, criminal trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court, in which former National Football League, NFL player and actor O. J. Simpson was tried and acquitt ...

(1995) * Julian Dixon,

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

(1973–78), U.S. House of Representatives (1979–2000) *

Denise Moreno Ducheny Denise Moreno Ducheny (born March 21, 1952) is an American lawyer and former politician from California. She is a former California State Senator who represented Senate District 40, which includes southern San Diego County, part of Riverside Co ...

(1994–2000),

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

(2003–present) * Matt Fong,

California State Treasurer The state treasurer of California is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the Government of California, government of the U.S. state of California. 34 individuals have held the office of state treasurer since statehood. The incumb ...

(1995–99) * Jim Gibbons, 28th

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

(2007–11), U.S. House of Representatives (1997–2006) * Cynthia B. Hall, New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (2017–present) * James O. Page, Father of Emergency Medical Services, Battalion Chief,

Los Angeles County Fire Department The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides firefighting and emergency medical services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, California, as well as 59 cities through Contract city, contracting, including the city of ...

(1959–1975) * Bill Paparian, Pasadena City Council (1987–99) including serving as 52nd Mayor of

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

(1995–97), Green Party nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives (2006) * Robert Philibosian, 38th

Los Angeles County District Attorney The District Attorney of Los Angeles County is in charge of the office that prosecutor, prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within Los Angeles County, California, United States. The current district attorney (DA) is Nathan Hochma ...

(1981–84) *

Norris Poulson Charles Norris Poulson (July 23, 1895 – September 25, 1982) was an American politician who represented Southern California in public office at the local, state, and federal levels. He served as the 36th Mayor of Los Angeles from 1953 to 1961, a ...

(1939–43), 36th

(1954–61) * Ira Reiner, 39th

(1984–92) * Edward R. Roybal, Los Angeles City Council (1949–62), U.S. House of Representatives (1963–93) * Gordon H. Smith, U.S. Senate (1997–2009)

Judiciary

* Stanley Mosk, former Justice of the

California Supreme Court The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sac ...

* Ronald S. W. Lew, United States District Court for the Central District of California * Paul Peek, former Justice of the

* Vaino Spencer, first African-American woman judge in California * Otis D. Wright II, United States District Court for the Central District of California

Entertainment industry

* Jean Casarez, '' Court TV'' correspondent * Erin M. Jacobson, attorney *

Staci Keanan Anastasia Love Sagorsky (born June 6, 1975), best known by her stage name Staci Keanan, is an American lawyer, law professor and former actress. She is best known for her television roles as Nicole Bradford on the NBC sitcom '' My Two Dads'' (1 ...

, actress * Kevin A. Ross, host and producer on '' America's Court with Judge Ross'' * Camille Vasquez, attorney in '' Depp v. Heard'' defamation lawsuit

Sports industry

* Chris Bahr, Olympian, NFL kicker * Jeff Borris, sports agent * Donald Sterling, former owner of the NBA

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

* Jeff Birren, former general counsel of the Los Angeles Raiders

Legal practice

* Roslyn Chasan,

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

attorney, judge pro-tempore, won largest settlement in history of Palos Verdes * William John Cox, public interest attorney (

Holocaust denial Historical negationism, Denial of the Holocaust is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that asserts that the genocide of Jews by the Nazi Party, Nazis is a fabrication or exaggeration. It includes making one or more of the following false claims: ...

case and publication of

Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of List of Hebrew Bible manuscripts, ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). They were discovered over a period of ten years, between ...

), author and political activist * Daniel Horowitz, high-profile defense attorney and legal analyst * Daniel M. Petrocelli, partner, O'Melveny & Myers. Notable clients include Fred Goldman and

Jeffrey Skilling Jeffrey Keith Skilling (born November 25, 1953) is an American businessman who in 2006 was convicted of federal felony charges relating to the Enron scandal. Skilling, who was CEO of Enron during the company's collapse, was eventually sentence ...

* Stefani Schaeffer, defense attorney and winner of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's '' The Apprentice 6'' * Marvin Mitchelson, high-profile divorce attorney and celebrity lawyer who pioneered the concept of palimony * Vicki Roberts, attorney, on-air legal commentator, television and film personality * Shawn Holley, high-profile criminal defense attorney, civil litigator and legal analyst. Notable clients include O. J. Simpson,

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

, Geronimo Pratt,

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, Reggie Bush,

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...

Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...

and

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the celebrity sex tape ...

. * Camille Vasquez, high-profile attorney specialized on plaintiff-side defamation suits. Notable clients include

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...

Authors

* Richard T. Williamson, nonfiction author of books on asset protection,

estate planning Estate planning is the process of anticipating and arranging for the management and disposal of a person's Estate (law), estate during the person's life in preparation for future incapacity or death. The planning includes the bequest of assets to ...

, and

capital gains tax A capital gains tax (CGT) is the tax on profits realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, bonds, precious metals, real estate, and property. In South Africa, capital g ...

planning * Kenneth G. Eade, fiction author of

legal thriller The legal thriller genre is a type of crime fiction genre that focuses on the proceedings of the Criminal investigation, investigation, with particular reference to the impacts on courtroom proceedings and the lives of characters. The genre came ...

and

spy fiction Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intellig ...

Religion

* Howard W. Hunter, 14th President of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

Faculty

Deans

* Darby Dickerson (2021–) * Susan Westerberg Prager (2013–2021) * Austen L. Parrish (2012–2013) * Bryant G. Garth (2005–2012) * Leigh H. Taylor (1986–2012)

Current faculty

* Kevin J. Greene - John J. Schumacher Chair, Professor of Law

Former faculty

* Christopher Darden, prosecutor in the

* James Rogan, California Orange County Superior Court judge. From 1997 to 2001, he was a former Republican member of the House of Representatives who was a House Manager in the Senate impeachment trial of

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

. * Don Biederman, entertainment lawyer and professor who founded the National Entertainment and Media Law Institute and Southwestern University School of Law.

References

External links

* {{authority control Universities and colleges in Los Angeles ABA-accredited law schools in California Universities and colleges established in 1911 Koreatown, Los Angeles Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles Art Deco architecture in California Private universities and colleges in California 1911 establishments in California Southwestern Law School 501(c)(3) organizations