Southwestern Law School

Moot court Southwestern Law School was founded on November 25, 1911, as the Southwestern College of Law . John J. Schumacher , its founder, intended the nonprofit institution to be a law school that reached out to women and minorities. The school is the second oldest law school in Los Angeles. Southwestern received a university charter in 1913 after it expanded to include a number of other disciplines including a business school . Southwestern's first home was in the Union Oil Building in downtown Los Angeles, followed by a small campus on South Hill Street , where it existed for the ensuing decades. The Great Depression and Second World War took a severe toll on the enrollment, and by the end of the 1930s the law school was the only school that remained. However, as veterans returned home the school experienced a surge of interest, and in 1974, the campus was moved to the school's current location on Westmoreland Avenue in the Wilshire Center area of Los Angeles. It joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1974. [ 3 ] It is a member of the North American Consortium on Legal Education . In 1994, Southwestern acquired the adjacent Bullocks Wilshire building, a historic landmark which was subsequently renovated to house the school's law library, classrooms, faculty offices, and court room and advocacy center. The 1989 Aerosmith music video " Love in an Elevator " was filmed in what is now the law library. In 2024, Southwestern Law School's online Juris Doctor program became the first fully-online program to receive accreditation by the American Bar Association. [ 4 ]

The Bullocks Wilshire Building on the campus of the Southwestern Law School The campus is in the Koreatown area of the Mid-Wilshire district near downtown Los Angeles . The campus comprises the Westmoreland Building and the Bullocks Wilshire Building. Both house classrooms, administrative offices, and faculty offices. The Bullocks Wilshire Building also houses the Leigh Taylor Law Library (named for a former Dean of the law school), the Julian Dixon Courtroom and Advocacy Center, a fitness center, a dining area, and student lounges. The Westmoreland Building is a typical campus building, while the Bullocks Wilshire Building is a fully renovated art deco landmark restored to its 1929 state, from the clocks on the walls to the "showcases" in the library. At over 83,000 square feet (7,700 m 2 ) and featuring over 470,000 volumes, the Leigh H. Taylor Law Library is the second largest academic law library facility in California. As of fall semester 2013, Southwestern opened student housing "The Residences at 7th", which include 133 units ranging from studio to two bedrooms housing 153 or more students. [ 5 ]

In February 2024 results, 71.4% of Southwestern Law graduates taking the test for the first time passed the California State Bar , vs. 44.8% for all first-time takers and 76% for first-time takers who graduated from ABA-approved law schools in California. [ 6 ] Southwestern was ranked 145th in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report "Best Law Schools" rankings. [ 2 ] The part-time program was ranked 43rd of 70. [ 2 ] Southwestern has been ranked among the top entertainment law schools by The Hollywood Reporter. [ 7 ]

According to Southwestern's official 2022 ABA-required disclosures, 62.2% of the Class of 2022 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners. [ 8 ]