Southwestern Law School began on November 25, 1911, when a small group of determined students first met with a tutor in the old Union Oil building in downtown Los Angeles. This collective, known as Southwestern College of Law, was organized as a nonprofit, educational institution by John J. Schumacher whose dream it was to provide legal education opportunities for qualified students who might not otherwise be given the chance to pursue such a degree. From the outset, Southwestern actively encouraged the enrollment of women and minorities.
As the second law school in the Los Angeles area, Southwestern experienced immediate growth, prompting the need for larger and larger campuses. By 1915, the college had expanded to include a number of other disciplines (commerce, accounting and finance), received a university charter, and moved to a larger location on Spring Street. More than 100 students were enrolled by 1920, and three years later the school began construction on the South Hill Street campus, which was to serve as the primary site for the next five decades.
During this early period, an active student body established a number of publications, several fraternities and sororities, a debate squad, many athletic teams, and the Southwestern Alumni Association. Perhaps as a measure of the skills of Southwestern students, the 1927 debate squad captured the Southern California Public Speaking Conference championship, while the 1925 "Battling Bisons" football team achieved a "perfect" record of no wins and six losses.
Through the 1930s and World War II, the school's enrollment declined only to resurge as returning veterans came back to complete their education. While the law school once again developed into a strong and popular department, the last of the other educational departments were discontinued as similar programs became more accessible through the then tuition-free community colleges.
In the decades that followed, Southwestern gained full accreditation from the State Bar of California and the American Bar Association, and was awarded membership in the Association of American Law Schools.
To meet the law school's growing needs, the decision was made to find a new campus in 1972, and the following year Southwestern moved to its present facilities on Westmoreland Avenue in the Wilshire Center area of Los Angeles. In 1994, the law school acquired the neighboring historic Bullocks Wilshire landmark to house the law library and other program needs.
Under recent administrations, the law school established innovative courses of study and award-winning cocurricular programs, continued to develop an impressive faculty of legal experts, expanded the physical facility, and dramatically increased the size of the library collection. The academic and extracurricular programs at Southwestern encourage students to strive for individual excellence while promoting group study and support.
For nearly 100 years, Southwestern has continued to provide progressive legal education programs that prepare students with diverse backgrounds to earn positions of responsibility and trust within the legal profession and the community.
