Loyola Law School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Loyola University Chicago School of Law or Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, Loyola Law School is the graduate law school of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Located on its own downtown Los Angeles campus designed by Frank Gehry, it was established in 1920. The campus is separate from the Loyola Marymount campus, and is closer to the civic centers of downtown Los Angeles. Loyola is a private Jesuit school -- the only Jesuit law school in Southern California -- and named in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
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[edit] Academics
The Princeton Review recently ranked Loyola Law School third in the nation for "Best Overall Academic Experience," and the school is ranked as a top tier law school in the U.S., according to the 2007 US News and World Report rankings. Including its day and evening J.D. programs, Loyola Law School boasts the largest and most diverse student enrollment of any law school in California. Additionally, U.S. News and World Report has ranked Loyola's trial advocacy program fifth overall in the nation. The trial advocacy team has won numerous regional and national competitions throughout the years. Loyola currently has three law reviews edited by students.
Unlike many law schools which are comprised of just one or two centralized buildings, Loyola Law School's campus, as described on its website, is made up "of a series of contemporary buildings clustered around a central plaza." In this setting, "the campus is at once intimate and open. The classrooms, offices, study and social spaces provide Loyola students with an attractive and inviting environment for the study of law and for social and intellectual exchange." Its newly rennovated library is also "one of the largest private law libraries in the western United States," with "a collection of nearly 560,000 bound or microform volumes."
The Law School also offers a tax LL.M. program (ranked 8th in the nation by US News and World Report). The Law School offers other special programs and prides itself in its civic duties. Students are required to perform 40 hours of pro bono work. After Hurricane Katrina, Loyola was one of a handful of schools to open its doors and allow visiting student status to students of law schools in New Orleans who were forced to relocate for a period of time after the hurricane.
[edit] Fact Sheet
Loyola Law School opened its doors in 1920. Located in downtown Los Angeles-a legal, financial and media capital-Loyola Law School is home to prominent faculty, dedicated students and cutting-edge programs. The first ABA-accredited law school in California with a pro bono requirement for graduation, Loyola Law is committed to legal ethics and the public interest, and has produced top attorneys for nearly a century.
Degrees Offered: Juris Doctor (JD); Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA); Masters of Law in Taxation (LLM); Masters of Law in American Law & International Legal Practice (International LLM)
American Bar Association Accreditation: 1937
Awarded a Chapter in The Order of the Coif: 1990
Faculty: 67 full-time faculty members
Enrollment: 1360-Women: 50%; Minority: 37%--ranked 12th in the nation for minority enrollment
Acceptance rate: 23.4%; LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile): 160-163
Law Reviews: Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review , Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review and Loyola of Los Angeles International & Comparative Law Review
Community Service: Loyola Law is the first ABA-accredited law school in California with a mandatory pro bono requirement. Loyola students donate over 40 hours of pro bono work per year to non-profit organizations.
Programs: International programs in China, Costa Rica & Italy; the Education Advocacy Project; the Cancer Legal Resource Center; the Disability Mediation Center; the Center for Conflict Resolution; the Western Law Center for Disability Rights; the Center for Juvenile Law & Policy; the Civil Justice Program; and the Entertainment Law Practicum
Graduate Employment Rate: 95%+ within nine months of graduation
Tuition: $31,454 full-time
Financial Aid: 85% of Loyola Law students receive some form of financial assistance.
Alumni: Represented in all 50 states and in 16 countries
Campus: Located in downtown Los Angeles, designed by Frank Gehry.
[edit] Public Interest
The Law School houses various non-profit public interest law offices on its campus, including the Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC)[1], the Center for Conflict Resolution[2], the Cancer Legal Resource Center [3], and various others. The DRLC specializes in Americans With Disabilities Act litigation and is run by a mix of Loyola Law School professors, law student externs, and attorneys.
Additionally, the Law School is home to the Center for Juvenile Law and Policy[4], which serves as a holistic law firm representing youths in juvenile court. A small group of students each year are selected as participants in a year-long clinic run by the Center, receiving trial advocacy and procedure training from the Center's staff of seasoned attorneys and social workers.
The Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF)[5] is a student-run club focused on getting students involved in public interest causes as well as raising money for public interest grants. PILF is the largest and most active public interest club of its kind out of all the law schools in Southern California.
[edit] Notable Faculty
Loyola has several high-profile faculty members, many of whom often double as legal correspondents for news programs. Criminal law professor Stan Goldman doubles as a Fox News legal analyst, and professor Laurie Levenson is a frequent contributor to CNN and other media sources. This also includes Gary C. Williams, who also serves as President of the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, and Richard Hasen, William H. Hannon Distinguished Professor of Law Chair, who is an election law scholar and the writer of a widely read election law blog.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Gloria Allred, a radio talk show host and media personality
- Tony Blankley, a Washington Times editor
- Benjamin Cayetano, former Governor of the State of Hawaii
- the late Johnnie Cochran, high-profiled defense attorney
- Lynn Compton, a retired California Court of Appeal Judge
- Ricardo Cruz, a former Chicano Civil Rights Movement attorney
- Rick Distaso, a Judge and a former high-profiled prosecutor
- Joe Escalante, a punk-rock musician
- Mark Geragos, a high-profiled defense attorney
- Thomas Girardi, a partner at Girardi & Keese
- Tom Harman, a California State Senator
- Darren Levine, a martial artist and entrepreneur
- Sean Kennedy, the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California (since March 2006)[6]
- the late Edward L. Masry, portrayed in the movie Erin Brockovich
- Kevin Murray, a California state senator representing the 26th senate district (D-Los Angeles).
- Robert Joseph Miller, the former governor of Nevada
- Nick Pacheco, a former member of the Los Angeles City Council
- Manuel Real, a federal district court judge sitting in the Central District of California.
- Robert Shapiro, a high-profiled defense attorney
- Steven Shiffrin, a law professor at Cornell Law School
- Laura Allison Wasser, a divorce attorney who has handled divorces for celebrities Angelina Jolie, Nick Lachey, Kiefer Sutherland, and Britney Spears.
- Henry C. Yuen, co-founder, CEO, and Chairman of Gemstar International Group Ltd.
Other notable alumni currently in the judiciary include Justices Patti Kitching, Kathryn Doi Todd, Manuel A. Ramirez, and William F. Rylaarsdam of the California Court of Appeal, and Mark Gibbons of the Supreme Court of Nevada. Many graduates also serve in the California Superior Court and Federal District Court, and many more serve as partners or associates at top-tier large law firms throughout the country.
[edit] External links
- Loyola Law School The School's website, offering information to current and prospective students
- The Disability Rights Legal Center The website of one of Southern California's most active public interest centers focusing on ADA compliance.
- PILF Public Interest Law Foundation
- Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review Loyola's Main Law Review
- Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review ILR seeks to publish scholarly, professional articles of high caliber, based on accurate and in-depth research, which advance legal scholarship in the field of international law, aid in the resolution of contemporary international legal problems, and contribute to the continuing education of the legal community.
- Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review Law Review devoted to Entertainment, Sports, and Communications law.

