University of San Francisco School of Law

Not to be confused with San Francisco Law School.
University of San Francisco School of Law
Motto Pro Urbe et Universitate
For City and University
Parent school University of San Francisco
Established 1912[1]
School type Private, Jesuit
Parent endowment $225 million
Dean Jeff S. Brand
Location San Francisco, CA, US
Enrollment 702[2]
Faculty 81[2]
USNWR ranking 100[1]
Bar pass rate 78% (ABA profile)
Annual tuition $40,464 (2010-11)[3]
Website www.usfca.edu/law
ABA profile USF School of Law

The University of San Francisco School of Law (USF Law) is the American Bar Association (ABA) approved law school of the private University of San Francisco, California. Established in 1912, the law school has approximately 700 students. It received ABA approval in 1935.[4] It joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1937.[5]

Contents

Campus

The University of San Francisco School of Law's Koret Law Center occupies two buildings on the 55-acre (220,000 m2) hilltop USF campus overlooking Golden Gate Park, the Pacific Ocean and downtown San Francisco.

Kendrick Hall recently completed a thorough renovation which included modernized classrooms, a new 70-seat moot court room, additional space for signature programs such as trial advocacy and dispute resolution, brand-new faculty offices and expanded administrative offices. Also added was a new café, student lounge, a student boulevard with lockers, mail boxes and e-mail stations, and numerous areas for students to gather.

The Dorraine Zief Law Library is a modern, technologically advanced building that features a comfortable, flexible, fully accessible and fully wired research and study environment. Opened in 2000, the library is fully equipped with the latest technological infrastructure.

Academics

USF offers full and part-time programs leading to the J.D. degree. Students can also enroll in the J.D./M.B.A. program which takes four years of study. The majority of the student body has LSAT scores in the 80th percentile or higher. J.D. students can also receive certificates at graduation in Public Interest Law, Intellectual Property and International Law.

USF also offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree program in Comparative Law and International Transactions for foreign lawyers who have first degrees in law from a non-American university as well as an LL.M. in Intellectual Property and Technology law for foreign and American lawyers.

Rankings

See also: Law school rankings in the United States

The US News & World Report ranked USF Law 100th in 2010 and its' part-time program was ranked 20th.[1]

The 2010 Super Lawyers U.S. Law School Rankings placed USF Law 62nd in the United States.[6]

The National Jurist and Princeton Review rank USF Law 32nd based on the average starting salaries of graduates.[7]

It was listed with a "B+" in the March 2011 "Diversity Honor Roll" by The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students.[8]

Bar passage rates

Based on a 2001-2007 6 year average, 70.3% of University of San Francisco Law graduates passed the California State Bar.[9]

Post-graduation employment

Based on a 2001-2007 6 year average, 92.3% of University of San Francisco Law graduates were employed 9 months after graduation.[9]

Publications

The Law School has several school-sponsored publications in which students can participate. The Maritime Law Journal is one of two journals devoted to maritime law in the country and is subscribed to by the United States Supreme Court.

Student life

USF sponsors student groups encompassing a wide range of interests, which reflects the diversity and drive of the student body. The various organizations sponsor lectures from notable attorneys and judges as well as a Last Lecture series highlighting the outstanding scholarship of the faculty. In addition, the Public Interest Law Foundation holds an annual auction, drawing lawyers, judges and other community members in support of the school's commitment to public service.

According to the Princeton Review, the average starting salary for USF Law graduates is $90,000. The median LSAT scores and GPA for entering students were 159 and 3.32, respectively.[10]

Institutes, centers and special projects

USF sponsors a range of institutes, centers and special projects. Those with an international focus include the Center for Law and Global Justice which develops and implements international rule of law projects. In addition USF sponsors study abroad programs for its students in Prague, Dublin and Budapest. The exchange programs include instruction at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Relevant international coursework includes the study of European Community Law, International Business Transactions, and European Constitutionalism. The latter has been taught by the late prof. Vojtech Cepl, the principal drafter of the post-communist Constitution of the Czech Republic. Following his role in the Velvet Revolution of 1989, Mr. Cepl was nominated a justice of the Czech Constitutional Court and briefly participated as an advisor in post-war Iraq.

USF is also home to the McCarthy Institute for Intellectual Property and Technology Law, the Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Project, which provides legal assistance to those in need of intellectual property advice, and Picturing Justice, which focuses on images of law in film and television.

In addition, USF hosts programs designed specifically for students such as the Keta Taylor Colby Death Penalty Project, which places students in the South working on death penalty appeals. Students can also participate in the Intensive Advocacy Program, which brings students from a variety of law schools and places them in an intensive trial advocacy class featuring notable local practitioners as teachers.

The school also provides ongoing mentoring through its chapter of Inn of Court. The USF chapter is the American Inn.

Dorraine Zief Law Library

In 2000, the law school doubled in size when the new Dorraine Zief Law Library opened. Three years later, the law school's main classroom and administration building, Kendrick Hall, reopened after an extensive renovation. The library is also frequented by students of other local law schools, attesting to its comfort and functionality. The staff of the law library maintain a web site with useful information tailored to the needs of law students, practitioners and other legal researchers at http://www.usfca.edu/law_library.

Notable faculty

Notable faculty sitting judges

Notable alumni

Notable alumni sitting judges

References

  1. ^ a b c "U.S. News & World Report, "Best Law Schools: University of San Francisco"". http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/school-of-law-03020. Retrieved April 14, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b University of San Francisco School of Law Official ABA Data
  3. ^ [1]
  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. ^ AALS Member Schools
  6. ^ . http://www.superlawyers.com/toplists/lawschools/united-states/2009/. 
  7. ^ . http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/nationaljurist0108/. 
  8. ^ Larsen, Rebecca (March 2011), "Most Diverse Law Schools (Diversity Honor Roll)", The National Jurist (San Diego, California: Cypress Magazines) 20 (6): 30–37, http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/nationaljurist0311/#/32 
  9. ^ a b "Internet Legal Research Group: University of San Francisco School of Law, 2009 profile". http://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/view.php/153. Retrieved April 13, 2011. 
  10. ^ . http://www.princetonreview.com/UniversityofSanFranciscoSchoolofLaw.aspx. 
  11. ^ Marin County District Attorney
  12. ^ UC Acting General Counsel
  13. ^ Cupcake Brown
  14. ^ National Association of Legal Career Professionals
  15. ^ USF Office of Career Planning
  16. ^ Paulino Duran
  17. ^ Folger Levin and Kahn
  18. ^ Susan C. Lee
  19. ^ Mark Massara
  20. ^ U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  21. ^ Illinois Supreme Court

External links

Academics
Campus
Athletics
Student Life
People
California law schools approved by the American Bar Association
Approved Law Schools
Provisionally Approved Law Schools