Southwestern Law School

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Located in Los Angeles, California

With a long-standing emphasis on diversity, public service and innovative programs, and a mid-city campus featuring a world-renowned Art Deco landmark, Southwestern Law School reflects the vibrancy of Los Angeles and provides an ideal setting for law study. Founded more than 100 years ago as an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian institution, Southwestern is fully approved by the ABA and is a member of the AALS.* It is the only law school to offer four JD courses of study that differ in scheduling and instructional approach, including full- and part-time programs, as well as a unique two-year accelerated curriculum. Concurrent three- and four-year JD/MBA programs are also offered.

Articles

ALUMNI LIMELIGHT: NAZGOLE HASHEMI

Nazgole Hashemi took a leap that’s increasingly common among recent law school graduates – she started her own firm, LegalAxxis Inc. The firm provides litigation and transactional services and also pro bono services to the disadvantaged. She is a 2013 graduate of Southwestern.

ALUMNI LIMELIGHT: STEPHANIE PEATMAN

Stephanie Peatman is a litigation associate in the Los Angeles office of Dentons, the world’s largest law firm. She earned that position after getting her J.D. in 2014 from Southwestern, where she also did a corporate externship at Halston.

ALUMNI LIMELIGHT: TANNAZ HASHEMI

Tannaz Hashemi founded LegalAxxis with her sister after they both graduated from Southwestern Law School in 2013. In addition to litigation and transactional work, she concentrates on helping children, particularly disabled children, get the benefits to which they are entitled through the Alliance for Children’s Rights.

ALUMNI LIMELIGHT: ORLY RAVID

Orly Ravid already had expertise in digital distribution and business affairs, which she put to work founding The Film Collaborative in 2009. She graduated from Southwestern’s noted SCALE program—the nation’s oldest two-year J.D.—in 2014 and is now an associate at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp.

ALUMNI LIMELIGHT: SHERIN PARIKH

Sherin Parikh graduated from Southwestern in 2014 and landed a coveted job as a litigation associate at O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles. He also is an adjunct professor at Southwestern.

ALUMNI LIMELIGHT: YEALEE SONG

Yealee Song took her passion for social justice from an internship with KTLA to a career in news and web and TV production before she decided to enroll in law school. When she did, she chose Southwestern.

ALUMNI LIMELIGHT: LEAH COHEN-MAYS

Leah Cohen-Mays worked her way through Southwestern as an actress, providing the voice of Cleo in Discovery’s “Tutenstein,” and as a familiar face in Walmart commercials. She began working with Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles while a student and began work there as a staff attorney after graduating in 2010..

ALUMNI LIMELIGHT: ADDISON MARTINEZ

Addison Martinez parlayed a love of entertainment into a five-year stint as an editor, producer, director and writer for a production company, YouTube and web media before enrolling at Southwestern.

Southwestern A Leader in Notable Alumni

Southwestern Law School is one of the oldest law schools in California, founded in 1911. Among its goals since it was established was to graduate diverse attorneys to serve the public….

Dean Limelight: Southwestern Law’s Susan Westerberg Prager

Susan Westerberg Prager has vivid memories of the high school counselor who explained, before she graduated in 1960, the limited career paths available to her….

School Information

3050 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel: (213) 738-6700
Fax: (213) 383-1688
School Website: http://www.swlaw.edu/

Admissions

Acceptance Rate

Applying: 1,909
Accepted: 1,161
First-year attrition rate: 18%

Student Body

Number students enrolled full-time: 687
Number students enrolled part-time: 361

Cost

Tuition and Fees	Full-time	Part-time
Resident	$47,100	$31,470
Non-resident	$47,100	$31,470

Employment

National Employment Rate (2014): 39%

State Employment Rate	State	Percent	Graduates
State 1st Largest Employer	CA	97%	221
State 2nd Largest Employer	TX	1%	2
State 3rd Largest Employer	FL	0.4%	1

More Details

Education Profile

SCHOOL POPULATION
Total number students enrolled: 1,048
Number students enrolled full-time: 687
Number students enrolled part-time: 361
Number of first-year students: 337
GENDER DIVERSITY
% Women faculty: 40%
% Women students: 58%
ETHNIC / RACIAL / GLOBAL DIVERSITY
% Minority faculty: 26%
% Minority students: 44%
% International students: 1%

Academic Profile

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
Number of law journals: 3
Names of law journals: Southwestern Law Review, SouthwesternJournal of International Law, Journal of International Media & Entertainment Law
% of students involved in law journals: 15%
Number of faculty-supervised clinical courses:
Names of faculty-supervised clinical courses:
% of students in faculty-supervised clinical courses: 15%
% of students in field placements: 54%
% of students in simulation courses: 114%
CURRICULUM STRENGTHS
Media-Entertainment/Intellectual Property
International Law
Criminal Justice
Business/Corporate Law
Trial Skills & Litigation
Dispute Resolution
Public Interest Law

Admissions Profile

ADMISSIONS
Admission rate %: 61%
Number students applying: 1,909
Number students accepted: 1,161
First-year attrition rate: 18%
LSAT SCORES 2014
75th percentile: 155
Median: 151
25th percentile: 149
GPA 2014
75th percentile: 3.43
Median: 3.2
25th percentile: 2.93

Financial Profile

Tuition and Fees	Full-time	Part-time
Resident	$47,100	$31,470
Non-resident	$47,100	$31,470

Living Expenses	Full-time
On Campus	$25,770
Off Campus	$30,090

Employment Profile

National Employment Rate	Percent	Graduates
National Employment Rate 2014	39%	122
National Employment Rate 2013	40%	120

State Employment Rate 2014	State	Percent	Graduates
State 1st Largest Employer	CA	97%	221
State 2nd Largest Employer	TX	1%	2
State 3rd Largest Employer	FL	0.4%	1

State Employment Rate 2013	State	Percent	Graduates
State 1st Largest Employer	CA	90%	166
State 2nd Largest Employer	NY	2.2%	4
State 3rd Largest Employer	CO	1.1%	2

First Time Bar Rates

Most Current Reported Data	State	Average School %	Average State %
State 1	CA	73%	71%
State 2
State 3

One Year Prior Reported Data	State	Average School %	Average State %
State 1	CA	61%	71%
State 2
State 3

Two Years Prior	State	Average School %	Average State %
State 1	CA	61%	72%
State 2
State 3

Administration

Dean of School: Susan Prager
Law Degree: BA
School: Stanford University

Director of Admissions: Lisa Gear

Type of School

Accreditation Status: ABA Accredited
Public / Private: Private
Part-time: Yes
Affiliation:
Feeder School 1: University of California-Los Angeles
Feeder School 2: University of Southern California
Feeder School 3: California State University-Northridge