Southwestern Law School was founded in 1911 by four attorneys who shared a vision of a law school that would provide students with an exceptional legal education. The founders, John P. Widney, Edward C. Hancock, Robert L. Moore and Richard C. Reed, chose to locate their fledgling school in Los Angeles because they believed that the city’s growing population and booming economy offered tremendous potential for the new institution. Since then, Southwestern has grown from a small group of faculty members to more than 400 faculty members and staff, providing students with an excellent education and preparing them for successful careers in the legal field. Southwestern Law School is now one of the most respected law schools in California and is currently ranked among the top schools in the country for its rigorous academic programs and outstanding student outcomes. Southwestern’s curriculum is designed to give students an understanding of both traditional legal concepts as well as modern approaches to practice law, such as alternative dispute resolution and transactional lawyering. With its commitment to excellence and innovation, Southwestern Law School continues to be a leader among law schools nationwide. Check educationvv.com for higher education, business schools and counties in Connecticut.
Southwestern Law School is located in the state of California. As one of the leading law programs, Southwestern Law School has a high average LSAT score of 153-157 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $77,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Southwestern Law School.
Admissions: Southwestern Law School
Southwestern Law School had an incoming class of 438 students in the fall of 2019. The entering class had a median LSAT score of 157, and a median GPA of 3.43. The school accepted 59% of applicants, and the average age of incoming students was 24 years old. Additionally, 20% of incoming students were from out-of-state, and 10% were international students. Southwestern Law School also offers several joint degree programs for students interested in studying multiple disciplines at once. These joint degrees include a Juris Doctor/Master’s in Business Administration program as well as a Juris Doctor/Master’s in Public Administration program. The school also offers several specialization tracks that allow students to concentrate their studies on areas such as business law, entertainment law, health law, or tax law. Finally, Southwestern Law School has an impressive record when it comes to bar passage rates – more than 90% of graduates pass the bar exam on their first attempt. This is due to the school’s rigorous curriculum and dedicated faculty who are committed to helping each student succeed not only while in school but also after they graduate.
| Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total number of full- and part-time applicants | 3,494 |
| Total number of full- and part-time acceptances | 1,105 |
| Overall acceptance rate | 31.6% |
| Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled | 395 |
| Number of full-time program applicants | 2,994 |
| Number of full-time program acceptances | 926 |
| Full-time acceptance rate | 30.9% |
| Number of first-year full-time students enrolled | 284 |
| Number of part-time program applicants | 500 |
| Number of part-time program acceptances | 179 |
| Part-time acceptance rate | 35.8% |
| Number of first-year part-time students enrolled | 111 |
| Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores | |
| 25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students | 3.06-3.51 |
| 25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students | 152-156 |
| 25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students | 3.1-3.56 |
| 25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students | 153-157 |
| 25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students | 2.89-3.41 |
| 25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students | 151-155 |
Careers: Southwestern Law School
| Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations) | |
|---|---|
| State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar | CA |
| School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 69.7% |
| Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 70.7% |
| Class of 2018 Graduates | |
| Total graduates | 285 |
| Graduates employed at graduation | 85.0% |
| Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation | 95.5% |
| Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time | |
| 25th percentile private sector starting salary | $66,000 |
| Median private sector starting salary | $77,000 |
| 75th percentile private sector starting salary | $87,500 |
| Percent in the private sector who reported salary information | 29% |
| Median public service starting salary | $61,000 |
| Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018) | |
| Percent employed in academia | 3.0% |
| Percent employed in business and industry | 19.0% |
| Percent employed in government | 9.0% |
| Percent employed in all judicial clerkships | 2.0% |
| Percent employed in law firms | 60.0% |
| Percent employed in public interest | 4.0% |
| Percent employed in an unknown field | 3.0% |
| Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge | 0.0% |
| 2018 Graduates Employment Location | |
| Graduates employed in-state | 91% |
| Graduates employed in foreign countries | 0% |
| Number of states where graduates are employed | 8 |
| New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) | 1.0% |
| Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) | 0.5% |
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 0.0% |
| West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 0.0% |
| South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 0.5% |
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | 0.5% |
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 0.0% |
| Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 91.5% |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) | 2.0% |
| Employment location unknown | 4.0% |
| Career Services | |
| (Data appear as originally submitted by this school) | |
| Career services operations | Extensive and supportive network of over 10,000 alumni in 47 states and 17 foreign countries; comprehensive individualized career counseling, panel presentations, mock interviews; online resources; extensive fall and spring on-campus interview programs. |
| Job Type | |
| Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) | 82.0% |
| J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) | 7.0% |
| Professional/other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse) | 9.0% |
| Nonprofessional/other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path) | 1.0% |
