Overview

Applicants
2,045
Acceptance Rate
47%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.31
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
373

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
152 - 157

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
April 1

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

Application Fee
$60

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
Yes

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Deferred Admission
Yes

Other Admission Factors

Academic

LSAT Score
Undergraduate GPA
Letters of Recommendation
Essay / Personal Statement

Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
9:1
Total Faculty
169

48
Female
29
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

Founded more than 100 years ago, Southwestern Law School is deeply tied to the city of Los Angeles. Located along the city's Public Interest Corridor, the school has plenty of connections within the entertainment industry and municipal government. It's also known for its innovative curricular approach (including Full-Time, Part-Time, and accelerated Juris Doctor programs) and a model that incorporates experiential learning. Everyone at Southwestern can choose to concentrate in one of 5 preset areas, or they can customize their own combination of courses (the school has more than 200 electives to help with that), externships, clinics, and co-curricular activities. That curriculum also offers upper-division students access to 50 professional courses (skills, capstones, and special mini-terms) taught by international legal experts, all of which place an “emphasis on teaching students practical skills to hit the ground running after the bar.” All first-year students at Southwestern are required to take a year-long Legal Analysis, Writing, and Skills (LAWS) course that provides an introduction to key lawyering skills, which they can then utilize in a hands-on advocacy experience. Students say that the Public Service Program and the legal clinics “are the quickest ways to get practical experience.” They also boast about the buildings and resources: “The research facility is substantial,” and “the research librarians are very cheerful.” Classrooms are “spacious, easy to get to, [and] equipped with outlets at every single desk,” and the school “does a fantastic job of keeping us abreast of all the research tools available to us on campus and online.” As one student notes, “The available resources are incredible.” And the “swathe of academic assistance and support” includes “excellent networking opportunities” as well as “countless opportunities to improve and maximize our likelihood of passing the bar and finding employment.”

As for faculty, many “make themselves available outside of their office hours through phone calls or even FaceTime,” and “the Career Services Office and the Externship Office make students their number one priority.” Teachers are “knowledgeable in their field” and proficiently present material. They also serve as “good mentors, and if you reach out, there [are] great connections to be made. Students speak highly of “the willingness of professors to assist you outside of the class both academically and professionally,” and the number of faculty that are currently practicing “expands the anecdotal awareness of what it is like to practice [a given] area of law in a real-world situation.” Overall, Southwestern has a history of public service and a sterling “reputation in the Los Angeles basin,” and though it is particularly known for criminal, international, and entertainment and media law, “the vast majority of classes available for any particular legal field” are also present.

Career overview

Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
76%
Median Starting Salary
$75,000
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
87%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
37%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
100

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
Sheppard Mullin, Lewis Brisbois, Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi, Haight Brown Bonesteel, Donaldson Callif Perez, LA County DA, LA County PD, Ventura County DA, Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Children's Law Center, SAGAFTRA, NBC Universal

Graduates Employed by Area

57%
Private Practice
16%
Business/Industry
8%
Public Interes
3%
Judicial Clerkships
2%
Government

Graduates Employed by Region

83%
Pacific
1%
South
1%
MidWest

Prominent Alumni

Tom Bradley
L.A. Mayor for 20 years; only Black Mayor of Los Angeles

Daniel M. Petrocelli
Chair of O?Melveny?s Trial Practice and a Vice Chair of the firm; American Lawyer's 2020 Trial Lawyer of the Year; entertainment, music, and media top lawyer

Camille Vasquez
Partner, Brown & Rudnick; represents high-profile celebrities in litigation matters

Brian Panish
Top U.S. trial attorney; obtained one of the largest personal injury verdict in U.S. history; represented the family of slain "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

Shawn Holley
Only woman on O.J. Simpson's legal defense team; attorney for high-profile clients; instrumental to the release of Alice Marie Johnson

Dates

Financial Aid Rating
Jun 1
Application Deadlines
Jan 15

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$71,078

% Students Receiving Some Aid
91%

Expenses per Academic Year

Tuition
$56,146
Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$19,503
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$21,690
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$1,800
Fees
$0

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
805

Average Age at Entry
27

% International
2%

Demographics

29.80%
% Under-represented Minorities

78% are full time
22% are part time
57% female
43% male

Campus Life

Students Say

“The overall environment is peaceful and friendly” at Southwestern, and “most students tend to get along, [so] there is always someone willing to help” should you need it. It is “the equivalent of a community and family dynamic,” and “the student body is close amongst each other and the staff.” It is “such a welcoming community that fosters growth academically and professionally,” and “everyone truly cares about seeing every individual succeed in and out of the classroom.” Southwestern Law is a diverse school centered in a “beautiful historic building” with “a lot of support for first generation students.” This is by no means a cutthroat institution—“everyone is very genuine”—but among students there is “a healthy dose of competition in order to better ourselves and each other.” Even beyond classroom support, Southwestern “is concerned for our well-being and is there for us whether related to academic, mental, or financial issues.”

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Lisa Gear
Associate Dean for Admissions

Address
3050 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite 102
Los Angeles, CA 90010-1106

Phone
213-738-6834

Email
admissions@swlaw.edu


Articles & Advice