University of San Francisco School of Law (2024)

Introduction

Founded in 1912, the University of San Francisco (USF) School of Law has a tradition of educating effective lawyers who graduate with the professional skills and theoretical foundation necessary to succeed in the legal profession.

The San Francisco Bay Area is an extension of the campus and plays a vital role in the educational experience. The school is located on a hilltop campus overlooking Golden Gate Park, the Pacific Ocean, and downtown San Francisco. It is minutes away from the Civic Center, home to federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as federal and state courts, including the California Supreme Court. The city and its surrounding communities provide exceptional learning, practice, and service placements to complement the academic program. Students represent clients in law school clinics, extern in major national and international law firms, clerk for judges, and work for public interest organizations.

The USF School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

Commitment to Justice

The USF School of Law offers a rigorous education with a global perspective in a diverse, supportive community. Our graduates are skilled, ethical professionals prepared for any legal career, with a commitment to social justice as their enduring foundation. Our inclusive Jesuit mission integrates humanity and ethical conduct into the practice of law. Evidence of this mission in action includes our extensive list of programs dedicated to serving communities throughout the United States and around the globe and our unique curriculum focused on ethics and professional responsibility.

Inspiring Facilities

The USF School of Law is housed in the Koret Law Center and comprises Kendrick Hall, where classrooms and faculty offices are located, and the Dorraine Zief Law Library. Kendrick Hall features a rotunda skylight, spiral stairways, and circular configurations that enhance natural light and offer informal gathering spaces for students and faculty. Students prepare for trial practice in a state-of-the-art, 70-seat moot courtroom. Administrative offices are located in Kendrick Hall to provide easy access to services and staff. Office space for student organizations and clinical programs, a student lounge, and a café are found here as well.

Linked to Kendrick Hall by a soaring glass atrium, the Dorraine Zief Law Library is a modern, technologically advanced study environment. It houses an extensive collection and connects to countless online resources. The library also features individual and group study rooms equipped with audiovisual equipment, computer classrooms, and research rooms.

As part of a larger campus community, USF law students benefit from the amenities and facilities of a major urban university, including the outstanding recreational and fitness facilities of USF’s award-winning Koret Health and Recreation Center. The university’s 55-acre campus also features a main library, bookstore, student center, and dining facilities.

Educating Legal Professionals

The core curriculum in both the full-time andpart-timeprograms includes courses essential to a solid understanding of dominant legal concepts. The core curriculum is complemented by a rich offering of courses and programs providing opportunities for specialized study and practical experience. Elective courses, which full-time students may pursue in their first year, are constantly updated to reflect changes in the law, to meet the pace of technological change, and to match student interest.

JD certificate programs and elective clusters offer concentrated study for students who wish to pursue particular career objectives or develop specialized skills. Notable among these are courses in international and comparative law, employment law, public interest law, advocacy and alternative dispute resolution, business law, and intellectual property and technology law.

There are also vast opportunities to hone practical skills in one of our many externship programs or by handling real cases under the supervision of a professor in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Law Clinic, Data Privacy Law Clinic, Employment Law Clinic, Entrepreneurial Ventures Legal Services Project, Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic, Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic, Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Clinic, Investor Justice Clinic, Mediation Clinic, and Racial Justice Law Clinic. Our Civil and Criminal Law Externship Program matches students with private law firms, district attorneys, public defenders, or one of our other over 250 preapproved employers throughout the city and region, while the Judicial Externship Program facilitates student placements in a variety of courthouses.

The JD Program

Degree Programs

The USF School of Law offers full- and part-time Juris Doctor (JD) programs that empower students to develop their analytical abilities, master legal writing and research skills, acquire a firm foundation of basic law, explore an array of specialties, and refine their professional legal skills in practical settings. Thefull-timeprogram requires three years of study, while the part-time program can be completed in four years. Students in the part-time program may accelerate their studies and complete the degree in seven semesters or they may convert to thefull-timeprogram after the first year and graduate in three years. The law school offers several dual-degree programs, including a JD/Master of Business Administration (MBA) with the USF School of Management, and a JD/Master of Urban & Public Affairs (MUPA) with the USF College of Arts and Sciences’ Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good.

International Program

Our menu of international programs provides exceptional opportunities to study and extern abroad. We have semester-exchange programs in China (Beijing and Hong Kong), the Czech Republic, and Luxembourg, and externship placements in Europe (Alicante, Copenhagen, Lichtenstein, Milan, Paris, Rome), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi), and Mexico (Mexico City). USF’s innovative Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic affords many students the opportunity to personally present their research and policy proposals to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva or the Commission on the Status of Women in New York.

Career Services

The Office of CareerServicesis staffed with attorney-counselors who have diverse legal experience and networks upon which to draw as they work with you on career planning, job search strategy, and connecting you with alumni and other contacts and opportunities in the legal community. Services include:

• Individual career counseling
• Resume, cover letter, and social media review
• Connecting you with alumni and other potential employers
• Online jobs database
• On-campus recruiting
• Career skills workshops
• Mock interviews

Academic and Bar Exam Success Program

The Academic and Bar Exam Success (ABES) Program provides comprehensive and holistic academic support to all USF students, starting during orientation and continuing through passing the bar exam.

Financial Aid

Financial aid at USF consists of merit-based scholarship aid as well as educational loans offered though the federal government as well as private lenders. All applicants are reviewed for merit-based scholarship at the same time they are reviewed for admission and scholarship award notification is included the admission notice.

New admits are encouraged to complete a current FASA application as soon as the current application becomes available as financial aid award notices for new admits are typically sent in late March.

Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers

Application Review Process

The Admissions Committee uses a rolling admission system and typically begins the review process in late September. The Admissions Committee will not review an application until the law school has received all required documentation. Applicants are encouraged to submit all supporting documents, including recommendations, as soon as possible. Applicants whose files are completed late in the application cycle may jeopardize their chances for admission due to the lateness in their review. Our review process is comprehensive and we review both objective and subjective factors.

The law school considers multiple factors as it goes about admitting students, including an applicant’s undergraduate grade point average (GPA) and the relative strength of the applicant’s Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score(s). We also consider the quality of the applicant’s undergraduate school, the applicant’s course selection and performance in various courses while an undergraduate, and any graduate degrees. In addition, we consider past work experience, community service, and an applicant’s overall potential to render significant contributions to the legal profession.

In addition, diversity, equity and inclusion are core values of the law school and, consistent with our mission, we aim to admit a class from diverse backgrounds, including men and women of differing races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and ages as well as individuals with disabilities. For this reason, applicants may submit an optional essay on diversity.

25-75% UGPA Range at San Francisco:

3.09 to 3.67

25-75% LSAT Score Range at San Francisco:

151 to 156

25-75% UGPA Range at San Francisco:

3.09 to 3.67

25-75% LSAT Score Range at San Francisco:

151 to 156

25-75% UGPA Range at San Francisco:

3.09 to 3.67

25-75% LSAT Score Range at San Francisco:

151 to 156