Message From the Dean

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The law degree opens up a remarkable array of possibilities - including legal practice as litigator or deal-maker, service in the judiciary, leadership in business, public service inside or outside government, and careers in education. Prospective law students understand that law school is an investment. They must be willing to devote a tremendous amount of time, energy, and resources to obtain the knowledge, degree and admission to the bar necessary to open up the full range of possibilities.

At Southwestern, we believe that the law school must make a comparable investment in each one of its students; and that this investment must continue on both sides into the future, long after the student has left campus for professional life. Southwestern's investment takes many forms, such as encouraging continuing personal relations through the extended alumni and professional network. There is also a mutual investment in building an even stronger Southwestern identity linked to proud traditions, bold innovations, and an unwavering commitment to professional success.

For nearly a century, Southwestern's investment in its students has paved the way for generations of lawyers. Its first graduate was a woman at a time when women were generally deemed unfit for professional leadership. The late Mayor Tom Bradley, who served five terms as the first African-American mayor of Los Angeles, was a graduate of Southwestern, as is retired Justice Arleigh Woods, the first African-American woman appointed to the appellate state judiciary in the United States. A remarkable number of major figures in the legal and business sides of the entertainment industry also come from Southwestern - as do many leaders of more traditional legal careers in both private and public sectors.

"The essence of an educational institution is the people associated with it. We invite you to step through our doors to round out your understanding of Southwestern by talking with our faculty, staff, students and alumni."


Over the last decade, Southwestern has made an extraordinary investment in its facilities. With the completion in 2004 of the $29 million restoration and adaptive reuse of the Bullocks Wilshire building, one of the great art-deco structures in the United States, Southwestern now has one of the finest and most beautiful law school campuses in the country. This historical property now incorporates the most advanced technology in the service of teaching and research. The investment in the building reflects a commitment to maintain Southwestern's proud traditions while taking the law school to the next level.

As you determine where you will make your own investment, we invite you to explore this viewbook and our website, which offer an extensive overview of Southwestern University School of Law. We encourage you also to remember that the essence of an educational institution is the people associated with it. You can glean some idea of the diverse and talented individuals who make up the Southwestern community from the variety of profiles presented within these pages. Profiles, however, are no substitute for the experience of meeting and talking to the members of the Southwestern community. We invite you to step through our doors to round out your understanding of the law school by talking with our faculty, staff, students and alumni. We would welcome the opportunity to share with you our perspectives on all of the many reasons why Southwestern is an exceptional and exciting place to study law.

Sincerely,

Bryant G. Garth
Dean

News and Events

EVENT MARCH 11, 2010

Treusch Public Service Lecture: Hon. Denise Moreno Ducheny '79

12:30 p.m. Hon. Denise Moreno Ducheny '79 Senator, State of California, District 40 (San Diego) The Paul E. and Phyllis...

EVENT MARCH 13, 2010

Admissions Admitted Student Event

9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Please join us for a special admitted student event at Southwestern. To RSVP, please contact...

EVENT MARCH 19, 2010

Admissions Information Session

4:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. All aspects of the application process will be discussed at the Information Session for Prospective...

EVENT MARCH 25, 2010

Wildman & Schumacher Scholarship Reception

6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Please join us at a reception to honor recipients of the Wildman/Schumacher Scholarship Merit...

EVENT APRIL 21, 2010

Treusch Public Service Lecture: Professor Noah R. Feldman

12:30 p.m. Noah R. Feldman Bemis Professor of Law, Harvard Law School The Paul E. and Phyllis Treusch Public Service Lecture...

EVENT MAY 05, 2010

Admitted SCALE Event

6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Please join us for a evening specially designed for admitted SCALE students. RSVP by contacting...

NEWS FEBRUARY 05, 2010

Southwestern Student Honored by GRAMMY Foundation

Elissa Felman, a second-year day student, was selected as one of five scholarship recipients from a nationwide pool of talented...

NEWS JANUARY 15, 2010

Law Review Symposium Discusses Reshaping and Rebuilding the American Economy

No longer viewed as a refuge of last resort, bankruptcy is now seen as a process that may be useful in resolving a number of...

NEWS JANUARY 12, 2010

Jared Jussim of Sony Pictures Entertainment in Conversation at Southwestern

Jared Jussim, Executive Vice President, Intellectual Property Department and Deputy General Counsel of Sony Pictures...

NEWS JANUARY 02, 2010

Southwestern Mourns the Loss of Professor Max Goodman

Professor Max A. Goodman, one of the leading family law experts in California who served on the Southwestern faculty for over...

NEWS DECEMBER 07, 2009

Southwestern Team Wins Arbitration Competition

They came. They argued. They won. Southwestern students achieved great success in their first appearance at the ABA Law Student...

NEWS NOVEMBER 17, 2009

Professor Lind to Direct Biederman Institute

Professor Robert C. Lind, who initiated some of the earliest entertainment law courses at Southwestern when he joined the...

NEWS NOVEMBER 05, 2009

Argentinean Lawyers Study Human Rights Law at Southwestern

Two Fulbright Scholars look toward impacting criminal justice reform in Argentina Argentinean attorneys and legal educators...

NEWS OCTOBER 19, 2009

First Strategic Alliance Scholarship Established

Expert in strategic business alliances, Larraine Segil creates scholarship fund for students in concurrent JD/MBA program of...

NEWS OCTOBER 16, 2009

Southwestern Mourns the Loss of Professor David Kohler

David C. Kohler, Professor of Law and Director of the Donald E. Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute at...

NEWS MARCH 10, 2006

Southwestern Launches New First-Year Curriculum

Cutting-edge program promises more study time, electives and professional focus The members of the entering class arriving...