McGeorge School of Law

University of the Pacific,
McGeorge School of Law
McGeorge School of Law
Parent school University of the Pacific
Established 1924[1]
School type Private
Dean Francis J. Mootz III
Location Sacramento, California, US
Enrollment 416 (Full-time) 137 (Part-time)[1]
Faculty 52 (Full and Part-time) 76 (Total)[1]
USNWR ranking Rank Not Published (Overall), 35 (Part-time), 10 (Trial Advocacy)[1]
Bar pass rate 61% (2014 ABA Profile)
Website www.McGeorge.edu
ABA profile McGeorge School of Law

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

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 Francis J. Mootz III, formerly the William S. Boyd Professor of Law and associate dean for academic affairs and faculty development at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Former CIA General Counsel Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker [2] stepped down on June 1, 2012, after 10 years as dean of McGeorge School of Law.

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 and came to be known as "Pacific McGeorge." [2] McGeorge became an integral part of the University of the Pacific in 1991.[2]

Accreditation, memberships, rankings

McGeorge has been fully approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1969.[3] As a result of its ABA accreditation, McGeorge is also approved by the Committee of Bar Examiners of The State Bar of California.

The first year curriculum at McGeorge consists of 27 units.[4] McGeorge law students must also complete 29 units of upper-level required curriculum.[5] Therefore, 56 units out of the 88 units to graduate are required courses.[6] All students take the same required courses. Most required courses in the first and second years are year-long.[7]

Memberships

McGeorge joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1974.[8] 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.[9]

Rankings

In the 2016 "U.S. News & World Report" law school rankings, McGeorge School of Law was listed as unranked. [10] In U.S. News & World Report's rankings for 2015, McGeorge was ranked 146 in the United States. McGeorge was ranked 124 in the 2014 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

For 2016, several of McGeorge's specialty programs were again ranked among the nation’s best. In particular, the Trial Advocacy program was ranked #10 in the nation, while the International Law program received the #20 national ranking in U.S. News & World Report's annual guide to "America's Best Graduate Schools," placing it in the top 20 for the fourth year in a row. For 2016, the part-time evening program at McGeorge was ranked as #35 in the nation. McGeorge has also received national recognition for its student diversity.

Pacific McGeorge is listed as "A+" in the March 2014 "Best Schools for Practical Training" ratings by The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students.[11]

Costs

McGeorge's tuition and fees for full-time students during the 2014-2015 academic year cost $46,462 per year, while tuition and fees for part-time students are $30,858 per year. The total cost of attendance (including the cost of tuition, fees, and adjusted cost-of-living expenses) at McGeorge for the 2014-2015 academic year is $69,165.[12] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $260,240.[13]

Employment

According to McGeorge's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 36.2% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners.[14] McGeorge's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 47.5%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[15]

ABA Employment Summary for 2013 Graduates[16]
Employment Status Percentage
Employed - Bar Passage Required
  
 41.19%
Employed - J.D. Advantage
  
 15.41%
Employed - Professional Position
  
 3.14%
Employed - Non-Professional Position
  
 2.52%
Employed - Undeterminable
  
 0.0%
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time
  
 2.2%
Unemployed - Start Date Deferred
  
 1.89%
Unemployed - Not Seeking
  
 0.31%
Unemployed - Seeking
  
 32.08%
Employment Status Unknown
  
 1.26%
Total of 318 Graduates

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-year 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

Masters programs

Other

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

Bar passage rates

Students from McGeorge taking the California Bar Exam for the first time in July 2014 had a 61% pass rate.[17] First time California Bar takers from McGeorge in July 2013 had a 67% pass rate.[18]

Location

The McGeorge campus is located at 3200 Fifth Avenue in the Oak Park area of Sacramento, the capital of California.[19] The stand-alone, law-only campus sits on 13 acres (53,000 m2) in a suburban area minutes from downtown Sacramento.

McGeorge is the only law school approved by the American Bar Association in Sacramento County.[20] Situated at 38°55'N latitude, McGeorge is the northernmost ABA-approved law school in the State of California.

Journals and publications

Law journals and student publications

Noted people

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "U.S. News & World Report, "Best Law Schools: University of the Pacific (McGeorge)"". Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 History of McGeorge School of Law
  3. ↑ "ABA-Approved Law Schools by Year". ABA website. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  4. ↑ "First-Year Required Curriculum". Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  5. ↑ "Upper-level Required Curriculum". Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Degree Requirements". Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "McGeorge School of Law". Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  8. ↑ AALS Member Schools
  9. ↑ Order of the Coif member schools
  10. ↑ U.S. News - University of the Pacific (McGeorge)
  11. ↑ {{ | title = Best Schools for Public Interest | journal = The National Jurist | publisher = Cypress Magazines | location = San Diego, California | date = January 2011 | url = http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/nationaljurist0314/#/22 }}
  12. ↑ "Tuition and Expenses".
  13. ↑ "University of the Pacific Profile".
  14. ↑ "ABA Disclosures" (PDF).
  15. ↑ "Univerisity of the Pacific Profile".
  16. ↑ "Employment Summary for 2013 Graduates" (PDF).
  17. ↑ 2014 California Bar Pass Rates
  18. ↑ 2013 California Bar Pass Rates
  19. ↑ McGeorge campus map and directions
  20. ↑ "CalBar list of law schools". State Bar of California. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  21. ↑ "LL.M. Named to Key Azerbaijan Post".
  22. ↑ California Courts: Ronald Boyd Robie, Associate Justice
  23. ↑ California State Bar Membership Records
  24. ↑ http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx
  25. ↑ http://www.mcgeorge.edu/Anthony_Kennedy.htm

External links

Coordinates: 38°32′57″N 121°28′22″W / 38.549167°N 121.472778°W