Since its founding in 1911, Southwestern has sought to make a comprehensive legal education accessible to all qualified applicants and to contribute to diversity in the legal profession. Today, minority enrollment in the law school consistently constitutes over 35 percent of the student body, while women make up approximately 50 percent or more of the student body. Southwestern students, faculty, and staff are diverse in gender, race, age, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Within the full-time faculty, more than a third are women, over 20 percent are minorities and several members identify as LGBT.
Diversity Awards | Dean of Students and Diversity Affairs Office | Law Student Organizations | Admissions Initiatives | Scholarship Programs | Partnership with California State University | Participation in Pipeline Initiatives | Outreach to Local Public Schools
Leaders in the Legal Profession and Community
Southwestern has a long, proud history of providing educational opportunities for underrepresented groups. And from the beginning, alumni quickly became trailblazers in the profession and the greater community. The law school's first graduate in 1915, Betty Trier Berry, was the first woman to serve as a public defender in Los Angeles. The first Latina judge and the first female African-American judge in California, as well as the first Latina trial judge and the first female African-American appellate justice in the nation are Southwestern alumni. The first Chinese-American in the continental United States to serve as a federal judge is also a Southwestern graduate.
Among Southwestern's many prominent minority alumni are the Hon. Arleigh Maddox Woods, Presiding Justice, California Court of Appeal (ret.); Hon. Ronald S.W. Lew, Senior Judge of the United States District Court; Hon. Otis Wright, Judge of the United States District Court; the Hon. Frances Munoz, Judge of the Superior Court of California, Orange County (ret.); the late Hon. Tom Bradley, Mayor of Los Angeles for 20 years; the late Hon. Julian C. Dixon, Member, United States Congress; Hon. Matthew Fong, former Treasurer of California; Hon. Denise Moreno Ducheny, Member, California State Senate; Richard Orosco, former Director of the IRS, Los Angeles district; and Hon. Ricardo Torres, former Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Diversity Awards
Southwestern has received recognition for its historical emphasis on diversity. The law school was presented with the LEXIS-NEXIS Law School Racial and Ethnic Diversity Award by the California Minority Counsel, which cited Southwestern's "long history of encouraging diversity, its comprehensive efforts in admissions, financial aid, academic support and placement, support of its diverse student organizations, and its community outreach programs." Southwestern received the Myra Bradwell Award (the first law school to be so honored) by the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, for "promoting and advancing women lawyers and issues important to women." Hispanic Business magazine has also recognized Southwestern as one of the "top law schools for Hispanic students" for several years running. And the Mexican-American Bar Foundation presented Southwestern with an award for its commitment to diversity. Southwestern is also a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
Dean of Students and Diversity Affairs Office
The Dean of Students and Diversity Affairs coordinates the development and implementation of initiatives to increase the admission, retention, and graduation of students of color, and students from other underrepresented groups, and also works with a variety of departments to foster a campus environment that recognizes, celebrates, and values diversity. The office offers one-on-one counseling and support for students and conducts diversity student orientation workshops, among other programs. The office also sponsors outreach efforts to local undergraduate and community college students as well as high schools. Crucial input is provided by the Dean's Black Advisory Council composed of prominent minority alumni and faculty.
Law Student Organizations
Broad-based and diverse student groups on campus include the Arab Law Students Association, Armenian Law Students Association, Asian-Pacific-American Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, Jewish Law Students Association, Latino Law Students Association, Native American Law Students Association, OUTLaw, and the Women's Law Association. These groups provide a supportive academic and social atmosphere to foster personal development and to facilitate transition into the legal profession. They sponsor workshops, tutorials,
mentoring programs, study groups, volunteer opportunities, community outreach, cultural and social events, alumni networking receptions, and hundreds of speaker presentations to meet diverse student interests.
Admissions Initiatives
The law school's admissions recruiting program is designed to reach prospective students from all walks of life, including minority and other candidates from underrepresented groups, which includes identifying potential students from colleges that have substantial minority populations. As part of the recruiting calendar of events around the country, Southwestern reaches out to these schools with representatives visiting campuses during graduate school fairs and other activities geared toward traditionally underrepresented students. Special attention is given to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and high density Hispanic Colleges and Universities. The Admissions Office also encourages diverse groups of prospective students to visit Southwestern through a series of Open House programs and works with the Dean of Students and Diversity Affairs and officers of minority student organizations such as the Black Law Students Association, the Latino Law Students Association, and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association in coordinating myriad outreach programs and on-campus events.
In the review of applications, the Admissions Committee critically considers each candidates' significant work experience, upward trends in UGPA, the strength of the personal statement, letters of recommendation, overcoming a disadvantaged background and other life experience factors which would demonstrate the ability and motivation to succeed in law school.
Scholarship Programs
Southwestern offers scholarships and financial aid programs to assist students from all backgrounds and financial need. The Wildman/Schumacher Scholarship Program provides up to full tuition renewable awards for entering students with exceptional leadership qualities and academic potential. Students from traditionally underrepresented groups are also encouraged to apply for other scholarships with specific criteria established by the donors, such as:
- Scholarships awarded to minority students (e.g., Bernard Burch Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Hon. Nate Holden Scholarship Fund)
- Scholarships awarded to women law students (e.g., Nancy H. Newman Memorial Scholarship Fund, Esther Harris Scholarship Endowment Fund, Molly Dilman Zimring Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund)
- Scholarships awarded to students of particular ethnicities (e.g., Sarah Kim Scholarship Fund for Korean-American students; Eileen Camillo Cochran/The California Women Lawyers Association Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund for women law students of Italian-American descent; Dino Hirsch Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund for Hispanic law students; Justice Arleigh M. Woods Scholarship Endowment Fund for African-American students; and Robert and Gloria Devitch Scholarship Fund for Mexican-American students)
- Scholarships awarded to gay, lesbian, and bisexual law students (e.g., the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Law Students Association Scholarship Fund, the Greener/McAllister Public Interest Grant)
Additionally, Southwestern assists students with applications for outside scholarships, such as the MALDEF Scholarship Program sponsored by the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Mexican American Bar Foundation scholarships, the Los Angeles County Bar Association Minority Scholarship Fund, the Beverly Hills Bar Association Foundation Scholarship Fund for minority law students, the Japanese American Bar Association Education Foundation, and the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association Scholarship, among others. As one example, $75,000 in scholarships was awarded to outstanding law students of Latino heritage at the 16th Annual Scholarship and Awards Gala of the Mexican American Bar Foundation, and of the 15 students chosen, a record eight scholarships were awarded to Southwestern students.
Partnership with California State University
Southwestern recently developed a joint JD/MA degree program with a local undergraduate university as a means of attracting top minority candidates to the law school and generally increasing the interest of minority students in the field of law. The joint-degree program is offered in association with California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), the second-most diverse higher education campus in the nation. The law school also approved a 3/3 program with CSUDH to encourage especially motivated and talented minority students with a law degree program that commences after only three years as an undergraduate.
Participation in Pipeline Initiatives
Southwestern is involved in various Pipeline initiatives in California to encourage youth from underrepresented communities to pursue careers in the law. These include the Southern California Legal Diversity Pipeline Coalition, the Los Angeles County Bar Association Diversity Summit, Wingspread and the California State Bar efforts to ensure that those at each level within the pipeline are being sufficiently identified, trained and mentored. The law school has also developed Pipeline programs in partnership with the Los Angeles Public Defender's Office, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the Constitutional Rights Foundation, among other entities.
Outreach to Local Public Schools
Over the years, student groups, faculty and administrators at Southwestern have created programs and activities to encourage local inner city primary, secondary, and community college students to pursue higher education in general and to consider law school.
The law school regularly hosts students and faculty from Dorsey High School and Los Angeles City College. As part of the program, co-sponsored by the Student Bar Association and groups such as the Latino and Black Law Students Associations, Southwestern students present a mock trial demonstration or client negotiation problem in the law school's Julian C. Dixon Courtroom, followed by discussions about higher education and opportunities in the legal profession.
One of the most rewarding ways Southwestern students have become involved in the community is through the law school's 20+ year association with Hoover Elementary School. The outreach efforts at Hoover are designed to help local disadvantaged youngsters gain a better understanding of the legal system, as well as develop a sense of responsibility and desire to continue their education. Law students conduct ADR exercises at the Hoover campus, and mock trial and criminal law discussions at the law school for fifth graders from this local school that has the largest minority student population in the region. Southwestern students also connect with Hoover children and families beyond just law-related programs. For example, the Latino Law Students Association sponsors annual food, clothing and holiday toy drives, the latter of which provides the 1,000+ students at Hoover with the only holiday gift many of them will receive.
