Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Established 1969
School type Private, Non-profit
Dean Thomas Guernsey[1]
Location San Diego, CA, US
Enrollment 650 Full-time; 240 Part-time (approx.)[2]
Faculty 103 Full-time and adjunct[3]
USNWR ranking Rank not published[3]
Bar pass rate 54.7% (ABA profile)
Website Thomas Jefferson School of Law
ABA profile Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL) is an independent law school in San Diego, California. It offers a Juris Doctor and three Master of Laws programs, including one that is exclusively online,[4] as well as a combined J.D./M.B.A. with San Diego State University. Its law program is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).


History

The Thomas Jefferson School of Law was founded in 1969 as the San Diego campus of the Western State University College of Law and operated as such until 1995. It became independent in 1995 and received approval from the ABA in 1996.[5] It joined the Association of American Law Schools in 2008.[6]

In January 2011, TJSL opened a new campus located in the East Village district of downtown San Diego. The campus is an eight-story 305,000-square-foot (28,300 m2) building complies with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Gold Certification requirements and has classrooms, a two-story law library (containing 1,250,598 volumes), offices, collaborative work areas, and a legal clinic.[7][8][9][10][11] A variety of fossils found during construction, including mammoth and whale bones, were donated to the San Diego Natural History Museum.[11][12]

Academics

The program offers Master of Laws (LL.M.), Master of Science of Law (M.S.L) and JSD "Doctor of Laws or Juridical Science" degrees. Certificate Programs in International Financial Centers, United States Taxation, E-commerce, Anti-Money Laundering & Compliance, and Trusts and Estate Planning are available.[13] Faculty for the program are generally part-time and populated with industry professionals from around the globe.[14]

Bar pass rates

The American Bar Association/Law School Admission Council lists a first time bar pass rate at 54.7%.[2]

TJSL has announced its students had a 60% a first time bar pass rate for the February 2012 California bar exam.[15]

The July 2012 first time taker pass rate for TJSL was 52% for the California bar exam.[16]

The school reported out of state bar passage as of February 2012 as:[17]

Rankings

The ranking of the School of Law by U.S. News & World Report is not published, as U.S. News does not publish the ranking of schools that fall below 145.[18] The School of Law is not ranked in National Jurist's rankings of the top 80 law schools in the United States.[19] According to the law professor blog The Faculty Lounge, 28.8% of the Class of 2012 was employed in full-time, long-term positions requiring bar admission, ranking 192nd out of 197 law schools.[20]

Admissions

Students begin classes in January or August, attend the three-year, full-time program or the four-year, part-time program, and accelerate graduation one semester by taking additional classes during the summer. Day and evening classes are offered.

TJSL was listed with a "B+" in the March 2011 "Diversity Honor Roll" by The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students.[21]

Student debt

According to U.S. News & World Report, the average indebtedness of 2013 graduates who incurred law school debt was $180,665 (not including undergraduate debt), and 92% of 2013 graduates took on debt.[22] This information is useful to consider given that only 28.8% of 2012 graduates obtained full-time, long term positions requiring bar admission (i.e., jobs as lawyers) within 9 months after graduation.[23]

2012-13 Tuition:[24]

Law School Transparency calculates that the total debt-financed full cost of attendance for full-time students who do not receive tuition discounts (scholarships) to be $257,905.[25]

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law for the 2014-2015 academic year is $70,670.[26] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $262,645.[27]

Post-graduation employment

Employment statistics

ABA Employment Summary for 2013 Graduates[28]
Employment Status Percentage
Employed – Bar Passage Required (Full-Time, Long-Term)
  
 29.01%
Employed – Bar Passage Required (Part-Time and/or Short-Term)
  
 4.44%
Employed – J.D. Advantage
  
 16.38%
Employed – Professional Position
  
 5.46%
Employed – Non-Professional Position
  
 2.39%
Employed – Undeterminable
  
 0.0%
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time
  
 4.1%
Unemployed – Start Date Deferred
  
 0.0%
Unemployed – Not Seeking
  
 1.02%
Unemployed – Seeking
  
 26.96%
Employment Status Unknown
  
 10.24%
Total of 293 Graduates

According to Thomas Jefferson School of Law's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 29% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[29] Thomas Jefferon's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 43.7%, 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.[30]

In 2013, the National Law Journal reported the college has the worst unemployment rate after graduation (31.5%) amongst all law schools in the country.[31]

Employment Outcomes: According to the law professor blog, The Faculty Lounge, based on 2012 ABA data, only 28.8% of graduates obtained full-time, long term positions requiring bar admission (i.e., jobs as lawyers), 9 months after graduation, ranking 192nd out of 197 law schools.[32]

24.2% of the Class of 2011 were known to be employed in long-term, full-time legal jobs (excepting solo practitioners) nine months after graduation. 54.2% of the Class of 2011 were employed in part-time or short-term jobs, unemployed and seeking employment or pursuing additional education. The employment status of 3.8% of the Class of 2011 was unknown. 0% of the Class of 2011 obtained a federal clerkship. 0.8% of the Class of 2011 were known to be employed in law firms of 101 attorneys or more. 5.1% of the Class of 2011 were known to be employed in full-time, long-term government or public interest jobs. 0% of the Class of 2011 were employed in school funded jobs. [25]

In January 2011, a New York Times article about the inability of many recent law school graduates to get jobs discussed Thomas Jefferson's claim that 92% of the class of 2009 was employed within nine months of graduation.[33] The school's claim was based on a survey of the class of 2009. (Under ABA rules, 25% of graduates who do not participate in employment surveys are counted as employed.).[33] In the New York Times article, the school's Associate Dean for Student Affairs attributed the average debt level to the school's admittance of immigrants and those who are the first in their family to attend law school – people who are statistically more likely to lack individual or family resources.[33]

U.S. News & World Report has reported that the average Thomas Jefferson student graduates with $131,800 in debt and 95% of students graduate in debt.[34] On March 22, 2012, U.S. News & World Report included Thomas Jefferson in its list of "10 Law Schools That Lead to the Most Debt." [35] The Wall Street Journal also ran a story in June 2012 listing TJSL as one of the 'bottom five' schools for 2011 graduate employment.[36]

TJSL has been recognized in recent reports for transparency about graduate employment. In 2012 the National Jurist ranked TJSL as one of the top 15 law schools in the country in transparency, and gave the school an "A" in transparency.[37] Also in 2012, Law School Transparency reported that TJSL was one of only 23% of law schools which received a perfect score for transparency.[38]

Center for Solo Practitioners

Since Fall 2012, TJSL has operated a lawyer incubator program called the Center for Solo Practitioners. The incubator provides space and support for selected alumni who are going into solo practice. It is also intended to help serve under-represented communities.[39]

At the 2013 annual meeting of the American Bar Association, the Center for Solo Practitioners was honored with an ABA award in recognition of "successful implementation of a project or program specifically targeted to solo and small-firm lawyers."[40]

Additional programs offered

Intellectual Property Fellowship Program

In 2009, TJSL initiated an Intellectual Property Fellowship Program[41] for students with undergraduate or advanced degrees in the hard sciences or engineering. The William Mitchell College of Law Intellectual Property Law Institute ranked TJSL 15th nationwide for its Intellectual Property course offerings.[42]

The TJSL Center for Law and Intellectual Property has course offerings in copyright, patent, trademark and unfair competition law as well as cyberspace law, biotechnology law and bioethics, telecommunications and media law, and sports and entertainment law.[43]

Intellectual Property Law Association (IPLA)

The law school has an Intellectual Property Law Association (IPLA)[44] which offers Continuing Legal Education credit. Programs include an Intellectual Property Career Day presented in cooperation with Thomas Jefferson’s Career Office.[45] IPLA has also presented a Patents in China event in cooperation with IP law firm.[46]

International law

The Center for Global Legal Studies[47] offers a specialized program in international law. In 2007, the Center inaugurated a summer study program at Zhejiang University College of Law in Hangzhou, China.[48] TJSL also offers a summer study program in Nice, France.

Social Justice Center

The Center for Law and Social Justice[49] is a research and teaching program in areas of public policy and law relating to civil rights, civil liberties, international human rights, and equal access to justice. Courses include traditional courses in civil rights, civil liberties, international human rights, employment law, and courses that address current issues such as gender and controlled substances law. In 2010, TJSL presented distinguished speakers whose own scholarly work relates to social justice concerns, co-sponsored by UCLA School of Law’s Critical Race Studies program, at the 10th Annual Women and the Law Conference.[50]

Graduate Tax and Financial Law LLM Program

The "Diamond Law School Graduate Tax and Financial Law LLM Program – Online" was founded in 1998, by Professor William H. Byrnes.[13] The curriculum includes International Taxation, Offshore Financial Centres, anti-money laundering, wealth management, compliance (regulation) and E-commerce.[51] The Diamond program offers the degrees of LL.M., JSM, and a research doctorate JSD.[14]

Notable people

Alumni

Faculty

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Press Release" Thomas Guernsey appointed Dean & President, April 3, 2013
  2. 1 2 "Thomas Jefferson School of Law" (PDF). ABA website. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "U.S. News & World Report, "Best Law Schools: Thomas Jefferson School of Law"". Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  4. ↑ "How to enroll in America’s first LLM Program". http://llmprogram.org.
  5. ↑ "ABA Approved Law Schools by Year". ABA website. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  6. ↑ AALS Member Schools
  7. ↑ TJSL Groundbreaking
  8. ↑ "About the Central Library Project in Downtown San Diego" at Support My Library
  9. ↑ TJSL New Campus
  10. ↑ "Local Law School's New Campus To Open Tuesday Thomas Jefferson School Of Law Is Relocating From Old Town". New 10 Now. 19 January 2011.
  11. 1 2 Sloan, Karen. "Thomas Jefferson Law unveils new home — on site of 300,000-year-old fossils", National Law Journal, 18 January 2011.
  12. ↑ Powell, Ronald W. "Dig yields another big find", San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 February 2009.
  13. 1 2 "Advanced Diploma and Certificate Law Programs"
  14. 1 2 "LLM and JSD Faculty"
  15. ↑ TJLS: Message from Dean Hasl May 23, 2012
  16. ↑ "General Statistics Report July 2012 California Bar Examination" (PDF). Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  17. ↑ "The Latest in Disingenuous Statistics From a Law School No Longer Concerned With Its Credibility". Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Thomas Jefferson School of Law". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  19. ↑ "Building a Better Ranking". National Jurist. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  20. ↑ Rosin, Gary. "Full Rankings: Bar Admission Required, Full-Time, Long Term", The Faculty Lounge, 30 March 2013. Retrieved on 2 May 2013.
  21. ↑ Larsen, Rebecca (March 2011). "Most Diverse Law Schools (Diversity Honor Roll)". The National Jurist. San Diego, California: Cypress Magazines. 20 (6): 30–37
  22. ↑ http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/grad-debt-rankings
  23. ↑ http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/
  24. ↑ "Tuition". Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  25. 1 2 "Thomas Jefferson School of Law Profile". Law School Transparency. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  26. ↑ "Tuition and Expenses".
  27. ↑ "Thomas Jefferson Profile".
  28. ↑ "Employment Summary for 2013 Graduates" (PDF).
  29. ↑ "ABA Disclosures" (PDF).
  30. ↑ "Thomas Jefferson Profile".
  31. ↑ http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202595077292&slreturn=20130315011254
  32. ↑ Rosin, Gary. "Full Rankings: Bar Admission Required, Full-Time, Long Term", The Faculty Lounge, March 30, 2013. Retrieved on February 24, 2014, http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2013/03/-full-rankings-bar-admission-required-full-time-long-term.html. -- For the latest Employment Summary Reports from the American Bar Association, Section of Legal Education, see http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/
  33. 1 2 3 (1/08/11) Is Law School a Losing Game? The New York Times
  34. ↑ http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/grad_debt
  35. ↑ http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/the-short-list-grad-school/articles/2012/03/22/10-law-schools-that-lead-to-the-most-debt
  36. ↑ The Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304458604577486623469958142. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  37. ↑ (free reg required).
  38. ↑ See ABA article about the report at http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/about_half_of_law_schools_post_incomplete_job_and_scholarship_data_group_sa/ ; see also http://www.lawschooltransparency.com/documents/Winter2012/Winter_2012_Index_Report.pdf and the corresponding data appendices.
  39. ↑ http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/Mar/29/law-incubators-help-new-attorneys/
  40. ↑ http://www.abanow.org/2013/07/small-business-law-center-at-thomas-jefferson-school-of-law-to-receive-aba-solo-and-small-firm-project-award/
  41. ↑ Intellectual Property Fellowship Program
  42. ↑ William Mitchell College of Law Intellectual Property Law Institute
  43. ↑ Center for Law and Intellectual Property
  44. ↑ Intellectual Property Law Association (IPLA)
  45. ↑ First Annual IP Career Day
  46. ↑ Patents in China
  47. ↑ Center for Global Legal Studies
  48. ↑ "China Summer Program – Zhejiang University Law School"
  49. ↑ Center for Law and Social Justice
  50. ↑ 10th Annual Women and the Law Conference
  51. ↑ "Online LLM White Paper PDF"
  52. ↑ Broder, John M. (2002-11-13). "In a First, a Lesbian Is Elected District Attorney in San Diego". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  53. ↑ "Marjorie Cohn | Thomas Jefferson School of Law". Tjsl.edu. Retrieved 2010-09-03.

32°42′37″N 117°09′15″W / 32.71028°N 117.15417°W / 32.71028; -117.15417Coordinates: 32°42′37″N 117°09′15″W / 32.71028°N 117.15417°W / 32.71028; -117.15417

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