McGeorge School of Law

University of the Pacific,
McGeorge School of Law
Parent school University of the Pacific
Established 1924[1]
School type Private
Dean Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker
Location Sacramento, California, US
Enrollment 1,026 (Full- and part-time)[1]
Faculty 119 (Full- and part-time)[1]
USNWR ranking 100[1]
Bar pass rate 77% (ABA profile)
Annual tuition $39,989 (Full-time)
$26,603 (Part-time)[1]
Website www.McGeorge.edu
ABA profile McGeorge School of Law

University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law is a private, ABA approved law school in the Oak Park neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the University of the Pacific.

Originally founded in 1924, the school merged with and became part of the University of the Pacific in 1966. The current dean of McGeorge School of Law is former CIA General Counsel Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker.[2] On April 22, 2011, Parker announced her decision to step down as Dean of University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, effective June 30, 2012.[3]

Contents

History

The school that eventually became McGeorge began in 1921 when Stanford Law School graduate and Standard Oil executive Verne Adrian McGeorge began teaching law students at night in downtown Sacramento, California. After its formal establishment as a school in 1924, this Sacramento Law School, subsequently renamed in Professor McGeorge's honor as the "McGeorge School of Law," merged with the University of the Pacific in 1966 to become Pacific McGeorge.[2] McGeorge became an integral part of Pacific in 1991.[2]

Accreditation, memberships, rankings

McGeorge is fully approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1969.[4] and by the Committee of Bar Examiners of The State Bar of California. The first year curriculum at McGeorge consists of 27 units.[5] McGeorge law students must also complete 29 units of upper-level required curriculum.[6] Therefore, 56 units out of the 88 units to graduate are required courses.[7] All students take the same required courses. Most required courses in the first and second years are year-long.[8]

Memberships

McGeorge joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1974.[9] It has a chapter of the Order of the Coif, a national law school honorary society founded for the purposes of encouraging legal scholarship and advancing the ethical standards of the legal profession.[10]

Rankings

McGeorge was recently again ranked among the nation’s Top 20 in both Advocacy and International Law programs according to U.S. News & World Report annual guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools”. In 2008 it was tied for #3 in the West for its international programs and was also #45 for its student diversity. In the 2011 rankings, McGeorge was ranked 100 overall,[1] the Advocacy Program was ranked #5, and the International Law Program #15. The law school is now ranked #40 for student diversity.

It is listed as "B-" in the January 2011 "Best Public Interest Law Schools" ratings by The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students.[11]

Academic programs

McGeorge offers degree programs leading to the award of the J.D. (Juris Doctor), the LL.M. (Master of Laws) and the J.S.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science) degrees.

McGeorge offers both a three-year day division program and four evening division program. As an ABA approved law school, McGeorge graduates are eligible to sit for the bar examination in any American jurisdiction.

Areas of specialization

In addition to completing requirements for the J.D. Juris Doctor degree, McGeorge students who wish to add additional value to their legal education may elect to complete additional requirements for a specialization or concentration certificate in the following areas of law:

LL.M. programs

Other

The school offers a J.S.D. degree program in International Water Law.

The school has a specialized program to train Chinese Law Professors (Experiential Education in China) funded by a USAID Grant.

Bar passage rates

Based on a 2001-2007 6 year average, 69% of McGeorge Law graduates passed the California State Bar.[12]

Location

The McGeorge campus is located at 3200 Fifth Avenue in the Oak Park area of Sacramento, the capital of California.[13] The stand-alone, law-only campus is a 13 acres (53,000 m2) wooded area.

Journals and publications

Faculty-edited publications

Law journals and student publications

Noted people

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "U.S. News & World Report, "Best Law Schools: University of the Pacific (McGeorge)"". http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/mcgeorge-school-of-law-03010. Retrieved April 14, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b c History of McGeorge School of Law
  3. ^ Rosenhall, Laurel (April 23, 2011). "McGeorge School of Law dean to step down". Sacramento Bee. http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/23/3573399/mcgeorge-school-of-law-dean-plans.html. Retrieved 18 August 2011. 
  4. ^ "ABA-Approved Law Schools by Year". ABA website. http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/aba_approved_law_schools/by_year_approved.html. Retrieved April 20, 2011. 
  5. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". First-Year Required Curriculum. http://www.mcgeorge.edu/Academic_Programs/Catalog/The_JD_Program/First-Year_Required_Curriculum.htm. Retrieved 18 August 2011. 
  6. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Upper-level Required Curriculum. http://www.mcgeorge.edu/Academic_Programs/Catalog/The_JD_Program/Upper-Level_Curriculum.htm. Retrieved 18 August 2011. 
  7. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". Degree Requirements. http://www.mcgeorge.edu/x6726.xml. Retrieved 18 August 2011. 
  8. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". McGeorge School of Law. http://www.mcgeorge.edu/Academic_Programs/Juris_Doctor_Program/Required_Courses.htm. Retrieved 18 August 2011. 
  9. ^ AALS Member Schools
  10. ^ Order of the Coif member schools
  11. ^ Weyenberg, Michelle (January 2011), "Best Law Schools for Public Interest", The National Jurist (San Diego, California: Cypress Magazines) 20 (4): 24–28, http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/nationaljurist0111/index.php#/24 
  12. ^ "Internet Legal Research Group: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 2009 profile". http://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/view.php/161. Retrieved April 13, 2011. 
  13. ^ McGeorge campus map and directions
  14. ^ California State Bar Membership Records

External links