School of Law

Pepperdine University, School of Law History

Pepperdine University School of Law was established in 1969 and is a private institution. The 830-acre campus is in a small town 30 miles north of Los Angeles, California. The primary mission of the law school is to provide highly qualified students with a distinctive and solid legal education. The school maintains a Christian emphasis. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Malibu area. Facilities of special interest to law students include the Odell McConnell Law Center, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean; the facility contains an auditorium-classroom, law library, classrooms, an atrium, an appellate courtroom, a trial courtroom, cafeteria, lounges, and student services offices. Housing for students is limited on campus; on-campus apartments house 4 students in each of the 36 apartments. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Pepperdine University, School of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the Master of Dispute Resolution. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.D.R. (Juris Doctor/Master of Dispute Resolution), and J.D./M.P.P. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Policy).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, international law, labor law, tax law, tort law, property law, intellectual property law, advocacy and dispute resolution, public interest, technology and entrepreneurship, and constitutional law. In addition, clinical opportunities are available with the District Attorney’s Office of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and with state and federal court judges in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Also, smaller programs offer training in corporate and securities law, tax law, juvenile law, domestic arbitration, labor law, consumer protection, trade regulation, and with various media industries. Second- and third-year students may study in the London Law Program during the fall and summer semesters. Courses are taught by British and American faculty. The most widely taken electives are the London Law Program, entertainment and sports law courses, and technology and entrepreneurship.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 57 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 72.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Pleadings and Procedure I and II, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Real Property I and II, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law I and II, Corporations, Evidence, Federal Income Taxation, Legal Ethics, Remedies, and Wills and Trusts. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 4-day program that includes introduction to legal ethics, the socratic method, case briefing, note taking, outlining, and legal research and writing.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 72.0.

Pepperdine University, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 342,450 hard-copy volumes and 87,000 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 1300 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as DIALOG, LEXIS, and WESTLAW are available to law students for research. Recently, the library installed 49 computer workstations and 70 open network connections. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 11,415 to 1 and to students is 504 to 1.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by actively encouraging applications from ethnic minorities. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and submit an official law school transcript, a letter from the dean indicating the student’s eligibility to continue his or her studies and indicating the student’s class rank, and supply a photocopy of the current school’s LSDAS report. The student must rank in the top 30% of the first-year law class.

Pepperdine University, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 3450 applied, 909 were accepted, and 273 enrolled. Figures in the above capsule and in this profile are approximate. Thirty transfers enrolled in a recent year. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 77; the median GPA was 3.3 on a scale of 4.0.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. Important admission factors include community involvement and commitment to high moral standard. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

Applicants should submit an application form, a nonreundable application fee, 2 letters of recommendation, resume, personal statement, response to School of Law’s mission, and a seat deposit. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. Check with the school for current appliction fee and deadlines. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Pepperdine University, School of Law Financial Aid

In a recent year, about 87% of current law students receive some form of aid. The maximum annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, was $37,084. Awards are based on need and merit. Need-based financial aid awards are generally a combination of grants, loans, and work-study employment. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. Check with the school for current application deadlines. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students consist of the Diversity Scholarship, based on academic and personal achievement. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at 2 weeks after acceptance notification, if completed.

Pepperdine University, School of Law Students

About 51% of the student body are women; 17%, minorities; 5%, African American; 6%, Asian American; 5%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from California (55%). The average age of entering students is 23; age range is 20 to 55. About 6% of students have a graduate degree. About 5% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons.

Students edit the Pepperdine Law Review, National Association of Administrative Law Journal, and Dispute Resolution Journal. First-year students participate in an appellate advocacy experience. Upper-level students compete for places on teams that attend the National Moot Court and other competitions. Each spring there is the Dalsimer Moot Court intraschool competition. Law student organizations are the Student Bar Association, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and Black Law Students Association. There are local chapters of Delta Theta Phi, Phi Alpha Delta, and Phi Delta Phi.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There is a 7 1/2-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.