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Academics

Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 4 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.A.C. (Juris Doctor/Master of Professional Accounting), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.I.B (Juris Doctor/Master of International Business), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration), J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in finance), and J.D./M.S.A.L (Juris Doctor/Master of Sports Administration and Leadership).

Students must take 15 to 25 credits in their area of concentration. The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, labor law, litigation, tax law, health, commercial law, estate planning, inequality/poverty law, and real estate law. In addition, clinics include the Youth Advocacy Clinic, a 6-credit course in which third-year students, supervised by faculty members, represent clients as youth or status offenders. Seminars are available in numerous limited-enrollment advanced classes, worth 2 to 3 credits, with subjects ranging from First Amendment to Tax Policy to Human Rights. Part-time externships, worth 3 to 4 credits, are available for students in the judiciary and with several preapproved agencies and governmental organizations. Full-time judicial externships, worth 15 credits, are also available. Research programs include work with faculty members conducting research in subjects such as involuntary commitment of mentally ill, and freedom of the press and the First Amendment; independent study on topics of student interest is also encouraged. More than 80% of students are employed in law-related field work positions each year with corporate firms, partnerships, federal, state, and local public agencies, and nonprofit associations. The Alumni/ae Lecture Series brings distinguished scholars, jurists, and practitioners to campus to comment on compelling legal issues. Students may participate in study-abroad programs sponsored by other ABA law schools and receive up to 6 credits. The school also recently entered into a consortium program for students to study abroad in Brazil at Pontifical Catholic University, in Rio De Janeiro and has created a summer-abroad program in South Africa focused on Global Advocacy. The Academic Resource Center, staffed by a tenured professor and full-time J.D. alumna, offers tutorial services as well as group workshops and seminars. The Alternative Admission Program, designed for historically disadvantaged, physically challenged, and older applicants (limited to 30 students a year), is an intensive program integrating first-year classes with group instruction. Minority programs are conducted through the Black Law Students Association, Latino Law Student Society, and Asian/Pacific Islander Law Student Association. Special interest group programs include activities by the Environmental Law Society, International Law Society, and Entertainment/Sports Law Society. The most widely taken electives are Administrative Law, Business Entities, and Intellectual Property.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 44 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Writing, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law, Evidence, Legal Writing II, and a Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students consists of a 2-day series of workshops and, throughout the year, seminars on both academic and nonacademic issues.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 3184 applied, 920 were accepted, and 322 enrolled. Thirteen transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 74; the median GPA was 3.39 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 19; the highest was 99.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include GPA, LSAT results, and character, personality. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, TOEFL for international students educated abroad, a nonrefundable application fee of $50, 2 letters of recommendation, and a resume. Notification of the admissions decision is January 1 to May 1. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Financial Aid

About 94% of current law students receive some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $34,113; maximum, $49,260. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students range from $3000 to (2) full-tuition awards, and may be renewable, with conditions, for the full term of legal studies. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application within 3 weeks of the offer of admission.

Students

About 52% of the student body are women; 29%, minorities; 3%, African American; 15%, Asian American; 5%, Hispanic; 1%, Native American; and 5%, multicultural. The majority of students come from Washington (88%). The average age of entering students is 27; age range is 21 to 62. About 23% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 11% have a graduate degree, and 77% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 2% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 90% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Seattle University Law Review. The Seattle Journal of Social Justice, and the newspaper The Prolific Reporter. Moot court competitions include Jessup International Law, Pace Environmental Law, and Frederick Douglass. Other competitions include National Appellate Moot Court Competition, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Client Counseling, and Negotiation. Law student organizations include the Student Bar Association, Public Interest Law Foundation, and Federalist Society. Other organizations include Amnesty International, Black Law Students Association, and Human Rights Network. There are local chapters of American Trial Lawyers Association, Phi Alpha Delta, and American Civil Liberties Union.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall and summer. There is a 6- to 8-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.

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