University of San Diego School of Law

Infobox Law School


name = University of San Diego School of Law
established = 1954
type = Private
endowment =
parent endowment =
head = Dean Kevin Cole
city = San Diego
state = California
country = USA
students = 1,000 (approx.)
faculty = 60 full-time; 40 adjunct
ranking = 82
bar pass rate = 80%
annual tuition = $33,740 (full-time); $23,960 (part-time)
homepage = [http://www.sandiego.edu/usdlaw/ www.sandiego.edu/usdlaw/]
The University of San Diego School of Law, commonly referred to as USD Law, is a law school in San Diego, California. Founded in 1954, the law school has held ABA accredition since 1961. The school is a member of the Order of the Coif, the most distinguished mark awarded American law schools. The school is also a member of the American Association of Law Schools.

Academics

USD Law offers Juris Doctor degrees as well as LL.M. degrees in taxation law, international law, business and corporate law, and comparative law (for non-U.S. students).
In 2007, U.S. News and World Report ranked USD Law's Tax Program 10th in the nation, and first among all law schools in the Western United States with graduate tax programs.
In a 2003-2004 survey based exclusively on academic criteria, Brian Leiter of The University of Texas School of Law ranked USD law 22nd in the nation for faculty quality.
USD Law placed 82nd among the nation's "Top 100" law schools by the 2009" U.S. News and World Report rankings. [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/brief/lawrank_brief.php] "One out of every four attorneys practicing in San Diego is a graduate of USD's School of Law."

Full-time and Part-time Programs

USD Law offers either a three-year full-time or a four-year part-time J.D. program for students. Students who are enrolled in their first year in the part-time program may transfer to the full-time program after the successful completion of the first year.

Faculty Quality

In a 2003-2004 survey, Brian Leiter of The University of Texas School of Law ranked USD law 22nd in the nation for faculty quality.

tudents

USD Law is notable for attracting a strong student body and consistently ranks among the top 40 US law schools in terms of student quality.In 2007, the 75th Percentile LSAT scores at 164 and the 25th Percentile LSAT at 161 for admitted full-time students. [http://www.leiterrankings.com/students/2007student_quality.shtml] [http://www.sandiego.edu/usdlaw/about/facts/#stats]

Administration

The dean of the law school is Kevin Cole, former associate dean, professor, and interim dean.

Notable Guest Professors

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia judged the final round of a moot court competition. Along with this he taught con law for a day at the school. Access to the class was limited to students enrolled in the class, secret service was present, and unlike normal classes students were not allowed to use lap top computers.

Environment and location

The University of San Diego School of Law is located on the convert|182|acre|km2|sing=on campus of the University of San Diego, approximately two miles north of downtown San Diego in the community of Linda Vista. From the campus, the communities of Mission Hills, Old Town San Diego, Point Loma, Ocean Beach, Bay Park, Mission Beach, La Jolla, Linda Vista, Crown Point, The Dog Patch, Bay Ho, North Park, South Park, Bankers Hill, Downtown, Mission Valley, and Pacific Beach can be seen. San Diego is the second-largest city in California, and the eight largest city in the United States.

Bar Passage

USD students have historically performed well on the California Bar exam, arguably the nation's most difficult Bar exam. On the July 2007 Bar exam, approximately 80% of USD first-time takers passed.

Job Placement

Based on surveys administered to the 2006 graduating class, 92 percent of the 2006 graduates were employed within nine months of graduation.

Notable alumni

*Steve Altman '86 (J.D.), President, Qualcomm, Inc.
*Theo Epstein '00 (J.D.), General Manager and Executive Vice President of the Boston Red Sox
*Joseph Ghougassian '77 (M.A.), '80 (J.D.), Chairman, Persian Gulf Consultants, Former Deputy Senior Advisor for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, Former United States Ambassador to Qatar
*Frances Townsend '84 (J.D.), Former Homeland Security Advisor
*Theodore Boutrous Jr. '87 (J.D.), [http://www.gibsondunn.com/insidegdc/whoswho/bio/?contactId=dcca542203aac45d Co-Chair] of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's Appellate and Constitutional Law Group
*Karen Hewitt, '89 (J.D.), U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California

Degree programs

* Juris Doctor,
* LL.M in Taxation,
* LL.M in Business and Corporate Law,
* LL.M in International Law,
* LL.M with Concentration in Criminal Law, Environmental Law, Health Law, Intellectual Property, or Labor and Employment Law,
* LL.M in Comparative Law for International Lawyers

Concurrent Programs
* JD/MBA (Master in Business Administration)
* JD/IMBA (International Master of Business Administration)
* JD/MA (Master of Arts in International Relations)

Visiting the Campus

The University of San Diego School of Law is located approximately 10-minutes from the San Diego International Airport. Information Sessions consisting of a tour of the law school by a current law student followed by a Question and Answer session with a Financial Aid or Admissions Officer are held weekly. Prospective students are also invited to sit-on first-year classes by appointment.

Miscellaneous Facts

Law school faculty member Junichi P. Semitsu appeared on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on January 11 and 14, 2008.

External links

* [http://www.sandiego.edu/usdlaw/ University of San Diego School of Law]