Southwestern Law School (formerly known as Southwestern University School of Law ) is a private ABA-accredited law school located in Los Angeles, California (Mid-Wilshire), with about 1,000 students on a campus that includes the Bullocks Wilshire building, an admired art deco landmark completed in 1929. Southwestern is an independent law school with no affiliation to any undergraduate university.
History
Southwestern Law School was founded on November 25, 1911 as the Southwestern College of Law. John J. Schumacher, its founder, intended the nonprofit institution to be a law school that reached out to women and minorities. The school is one of the oldest law schools in the state of California and the second oldest law school in Los Angeles.
Southwestern received a university charter in 1915 after it expanded to include a number of other disciplines including a business school. 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 and Second World War took a severe toll on the school's 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.
In 1994, Southwestern acquired the adjacent Bullocks Wilshire building, an historic landmark which was subsequently renovated to house the school's law library, classrooms, faculty offices, and a high-tech state of the art court room and advocacy center.
Campus
The campus is located in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles. Currently the campus contains two buildings, the Westmoreland Building and the Bullocks Wilshire Building . Both buildings 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 (featuring treadmills, exercise bikes, and StepMaster-style machines as well as nautilus and free weights, and a studio for aerobics and Yoga), a dining area, and a number of student lounges.
The Westmoreland Building is a building typical of college and university campuses, while the Bullocks Wilshire Building is a fully-restored art deco landmark that pays tribute to its history in many ways. Every level of the building is has been renovated (back to its original 1929 state) down to the smallest details such as the clocks on the walls and the "showcases" in the area now occupied by the library.
At over 83,000 square feet (7,700 m 2 ) and featuring over 470,000 volumes, the Leigh H. Taylor Law Library is the second largest academic law library facility in California.
The school's location is near downtown Los Angeles. Currently, Southwestern Law School has no on-campus housing, so the student body is composed entirely of commuters. The current layout of the campus reflects this, with about one-third of the campus devoted to a dual-level parking facility. Plans are being formulated to build on-campus housing in the future.
Transportation - Metro Rapid 720 bus (runs along Wilshire Boulevard), stops within a few blocks of the law school, while standard Metro Bus 18 and 20 stop in front of the school, and Metro Rail Red line entrance is one block west of the law school.
Dean Bryant G. Garth
Southwestern's current dean is Bryant G. Garth. Prior to joining Southwestern, Dean Garth was the Director of the American Bar Foundation (ABF), and formerly the Dean of the Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington, from 1986-1990.
Dean Garth succeeded Dean Leigh H. Taylor.
Recent changes under Dean Garth include hiring additional staff, adding resources for counseling, and bringing the grading curve in line with that of other law schools so that the average grade is now a B rather than a C+.
Along with Professor Catherine Carpenter's study on law school curricula for the American Bar Association, Dean Garth assisted in changing the first-year curriculum to better fit the needs of the students. The curriculum is now more focused on career development and lawyering skills, including interviewing, counseling, and negotiation. As part of the new program, the first week of school is dedicated completely to the new LAWS program (Legal Analysis, Writing, and Skills).
According to Brian Leiter's study of Most Cited Law Professors By Specialty 2000-2007 , Dean Garth's scholarship in Law and Social Science has been cited at least 550 times.
Academic Rankings and Faculty Reputation
Established in 1911, Southwestern is an ABA accredited school and ranked in the third tier by the 2009 U.S. News and World Report
Southwestern's Part Time program is ranked 27th in the country by U.S. News and World Report .
Southwestern is ranked 82nd in the nation by the 2010 Super Lawyers Law School Rankings.Super Lawyers
In 2008, Southwestern's moot court team was ranked 11th in the U.S., and is currently ranked 47th.
Southwestern's negotiation team finished first place in the 2008-09 regional negotiation competition sponsored by the American Bar Association .
According to the Internet Legal Research Group (ILRG), Southwestern graduates rank in the top 10 of all U.S. law schools by median salary in public practice, and in the top 50 for median salary overall.
Nationally, Southwestern ranks 43rd in the percentage of students employed at graduation with 85.2%.
A compilation of Brian Leiter's study of Most Cited Law Professors By Specialty 2000-2007 reveals that Southwestern faculty ranked in the top 50 of the nation's law schools in total citations.
Curriculum
Juris Doctor (J.D.)
Full-Time Day Program (3 years)
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. In 2007, Southwestern introduced its new, innovative first-year curriculum based on doctrinal legal theory foundation with focus on legal research, writing, interviewing and advocacy skills to bridge the gap from theory to practice. Southwestern's curricular reforms led the school to be chosen as one of ten distinguished schools by the Carnegie Foundation to participate in a groundbreaking study on the future of legal education.
Part-Time Evening (4 years)
Ranked 27th in the nation, the Evening program is four academic years of part-time study based on the traditional curriculum, designed for working professionals and other students who are unable to devote full-time to the study of law.
Part-Time Day (also known as PLEAS) (4 years)
PLEAS (Part-time Legal Education Alternative at Southwestern) is a part-time day program designed for students with child or elder care responsibilities. Its four academic years of part-time study is based on the traditional curriculum and daytime classes.
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 with emphasis on interdisciplinary study, critical thinking and simulation training. SCALE's frequent deadlines, challenging curriculum, extensive writing assignments, intense schedule, and demanding workload 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 of select highly motivated and exceptional students, which requires applicants to interview with the Program Director as part of the application process.
Joint Degree Programs
J.D./M.B.A.
Southwestern has joined forces with The Drucker Graduate School of Management to create dual-degree programs that will expand students' educational and career options. Students at Southwestern and the Drucker School, part of Claremont Graduate University (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.). The combination of legal training and management skills is increasingly in demand, and this new collaboration presents an excellent opportunity for both Southwestern law students and Drucker management students to expand their academic credentials and professional opportunities. The collaboration reflects the two institutions' core values and the genui
Southwestern Law School
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Southwestern Law School offers three-year (3-year) J.D. (full-time) and four-year (4-year) J.D. (part-time day or evening) programs, an alternative two-year (2-year) J.D. program ...
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Southwestern Law School (formerly known as Southwestern University School of Law) is a private ABA-accredited law school located in Los Angeles, California (Mid-Wilshire), with ...
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