Trinity Law School 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 ...

Trinity International University Trinity International University (TIU) is an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Bannockburn, Illinois. It comprises Trinity College, a theological seminary (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), and a law school ( Trinity Law Sch ...

, which is an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

university in

Bannockburn, Illinois Bannockburn is a village in West Deerfield and Vernon townships in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,013. A northern suburb of Chicago, the village is generally considered part of the North Shore ...

. Trinity Law School is accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

(as part of Trinity International University) and approved by the

State Bar of California The State Bar of California is an administrative division of the Supreme Court of California which licenses attorneys and regulates the practice of law in California. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law ...

. It is not 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 ...

(ABA). The school offers a

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 ...

(JD) program on campus or online, and an online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) program.

History

Trinity Law School was founded in 1980 as the Simon Greenleaf School of Law. It was originally located at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, in Santa Ana, California. In 1982, it relocated to

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

. In 1997, it relocated to its current location at 2200 N. Grand Ave. in Santa Ana. It was named in honor of the nineteenth century

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

law professor,

Simon Greenleaf Simon Greenleaf (December 5, 1783 – October 6, 1853), was an American lawyer and jurist. He was born at Newburyport, Massachusetts before moving to New Gloucester where he was Admission to the bar in the United States, admitted to the Cumbe ...

, who was an authority on the laws of evidence. The Simon Greenleaf School of Law was cofounded by

John Warwick Montgomery John Warwick Montgomery (October 18, 1931 – September 25, 2024) was an American-born lawyer, academic, Lutheran theologian, and author. From 2014 to 2017, he was Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University, Wisconsin ...

. In 1980, the founding board of trustees collaborated with Montgomery to establish the Simon Greenleaf School of Law. It commenced operations by offering classes for the JD degree as well as a Bachelor of Science in Law (BSL). Additionally, a one-and-a-half year post-graduate course in Christian Apologetics and International Human Rights was offered that led to the conferral of a Master of Arts degree. In 1997, the law school became a part of

(TIU), headquartered in

Deerfield, Illinois Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, Lake and Cook County, Illinois, Cook counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A northern Chicago metropolitan area, suburb of Chicago, Deerfield is located on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore, ...

Accreditation and curricula

Trinity Law School is one of 20 law schools to be approved by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the

. It became regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association accreditation when it joined Trinity International University in 1997. Trinity Law School is not accredited by the

(ABA). In July 2023, 18% of Trinity graduates taking the California bar exam for the first time passed, compared to an overall pass rate of 64% among first-time takers.

Notable People

Notable founding members of the faculty teaching in the defunct Master of Arts program included Harold Lindsell, Walter Martin,

Josh McDowell Joslin "Josh" McDowell (born August 17, 1939) is an evangelical Christian apologist and evangelist. He is the author or co-author of over 150 books. In 2006, his book ''Evidence That Demands a Verdict'' was ranked 13th in ''Christianity Toda ...

, and

Rod Rosenbladt Rod Rosenbladt (January 3, 1942 – February 2, 2024) was an American Lutheran theologian and academic who was Professor of Theology at Concordia University Irvine in California, and was also well known among Lutheran, Reformed, and Evangelical Chr ...

. The first dean of the law school during the transition from Simon Greenleaf University to Trinity International University was Shannon "Verleur" Spann (a 1990s graduate of Simon Greenleaf Law School), whose husband,

Johnny Micheal Spann Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann (March 1, 1969 – November 25, 2001) was an American paramilitary officer in the Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division. Spann was the first American killed in combat during the United States ...

(a CIA paramilitary operations officer), was the first American killed in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.Widow of CIA officer shows her resolve.
Orange County Register, December 13, 2001. Accessed May 25, 2015.

References

External links

* * {{Portalbar, Schools, California, Education, Greater Los Angeles Universities and colleges established in 1980 Law schools in California Trinity International University