Here Are the Best Law Schools in Los Angeles
As the second largest city in the United States by population and the only largest by land mass, The Angels it is home to a large and diverse population, including many immigrants, due to its proximity to the Mexican border.
Beyond its vibrant cultural and social scene, the so-called City of Angels is a bustling center of entertainment, technology, and financial industry affairs.
Many Fortune 500 companies and massive tech companies like Google, YouTube, and Facebook have offices in downtown Los Angeles, offering law students a wide range of career opportunities within a short drive of their school of choice.
As many lawyers eventually establish careers in the area in which they attended law school, attending law school in Los Angeles is a wise decision for students who want to practice in the Southern California region.
There’s no shortage of law schools to choose from, but not all JD programs are created equal. Therefore, when deliberating which Los Angeles law school is the best option, students should carefully consider what each school has to offer them.
The following law schools are ranked according to each school’s ranking on US News & World Report’s 2022 list of law schools: best law schools in the country.
4. Southwestern Law School
Southwestern Law School offers students more options for degree programs leading to a J.D. than any other American Bar Association-approved law school, with four different programs of study, all with different schedules and instructional focuses.
In addition to a full-time conventional day degree program, the school has a part-time evening program. Southwestern’s other two JD programs are less conventional.
One of these is the program PLEASE, which stands for Alternative Part-Time Legal Education at Southwestern. This four-year, part-time program is designed to meet the needs of law students who have child or elder care responsibilities. It is one of the first programs of its kind in the country.
Students participating in the PLEAS program have the opportunity to be part of a special tutoring program under the supervision of Professor Jenny R. Fee, the program’s designated faculty advisor.
Over the course of the program, PLEAS students meet with Professor Fee as a group, with many opportunities to set up one-on-one meetings as well. Under the teacher’s guidance, students receive assistance in planning future courses with their career aspirations in mind.
the SCALE, or Southwestern’s conceptual approach to legal education, the program is an accelerated JD program with an alternative approach to legal education. SCALE, the first ABA-approved program of its kind, enables students to earn a JD degree in just two years.
Established in 1975, the accelerated SCALE curriculum is highly flexible beyond the first year, allowing students to choose from a number of summer session electives, sophomore electives, and honors program participation options. .
SCALE students are guaranteed full-time externships with practicing legal professionals to develop the practical skills and knowledge lawyers need.
The school also offers concurrent JD/MBA degree programs through a partnership with Southwestern’s Drucker Graduate School of Management.
3. Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School has been ranked #1 by Best Late Night Shows Off the East Coast.
The school is also tied for #1. #8 in US News and World Report. rankings 2022 for the best part-time law schools in the country.
The first American Bar Association-approved school in California to require students to perform a minimum amount of pro bono legal services before graduation, the school has a strong commitment to ethics and the public interest.
Additionally, Loyola students are known to often exceed the required minimum of 40 hours of pro bono work.
Indeed, consistent with the school’s supposed dedication to pursuing social justiceLoyola students have helped save five wrongfully convicted individuals from death row and long-term incarceration.
Each year, Loyola law students complete more than 40,000 hours of free legal work for nonprofit organizations.
The school’s strong Public Interest Department offers students support for pro bono student work in a number of ways, including public interest fellowships, summer public interest fellowships, and graduate public interest fellowships.
In addition, the university is home to several different programs, clinics, and centers for those who are interested in studying public interest law, such as the Public Interest Law Concentration.
Upon graduation from the program, participating students receive a certificate recognizing their distinction.
According to the legal magazine The American Lawyer, Loyola is the 3rd best law school in the country in terms of preparing its graduates for careers as lawyers for Big Law Practice.
Loyola’s graduating class of 2020 has a employment rate of 86.71%, with the majority of graduates securing employment in the state of California shortly after graduation.
The Loyola experience learning Opportunities include internships and internships in the field, clinics, internships, and multiple concentrations that combine academic rigor with hands-on hands-on training.
2. University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Founded in 1900, the University of Southern California Gould School of Law it was the first law school in the Southern California area.
During the 120 years of the school historyUSC Gould School of Law has established a tradition of enrolling one of the most diverse law student populations in the country, including more international students than any other law school.
In 1911, before the success of the women’s suffrage movement, a dozen students graduated from USC Gould.
Shortly thereafter, they launched Phi Delta Delta, the first women’s law student organization in the United States.
Today, USC Gould has maintained its commitment to innovation in legal education, becoming an elite legal institution that is among the top 20 law schools in the country.
The school’s alumni network has grown to include more than 10,000 legal professionals worldwide.
With a median Undergraduate GPA of 3.84 and an average LSAT score of 168, the school’s incoming class of 2024 is no exception to its long tradition of accepting only the highest caliber applicants.
As of 2020, the acceptance level for USC Gould it is only 19.2%, making admission to the school highly selective. However, the high standards of the USC Gould admissions office are warranted given the school’s prestigious reputation.
On 500 USC Gould alumni they have become state or federal judges after graduating from school.
Emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary studies to develop a strong and comprehensive understanding of legal theory and practice, USC Gould offers 15 different dual degree programs.
In fact, the university has pioneered the concepts of interdisciplinary legal education and clinical training, becoming one of the first schools to recognize the importance of interdisciplinary studies in 1965.
1. University of California – Los Angeles School of Law
The University of California Los Angeles School of Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States, ranking 14th in the US News and World Report Annual Ranked List one of the best American law schools.
Founded in 1949, UCLA is among the youngest, highest-ranked law schools. Throughout its history, the school has become internationally recognized for the exceptional quality education it provides.
As of today, UCLA Law ex student The network has grown to include more than 18,000 graduates who are leaders in the legal field and in the areas of government, industry and social justice. The school regularly hosts meetups and other events that allow current students to network and receive mentoring from alumni.
The university offers a rigorous academic environment that is at the forefront of the most cutting-edge innovations in the legal field.
With more than 60 full-time faculty members who are widely recognized as some of the most influential legal scholars in the world, UCLA students have the opportunity to learn from some of the most skilled professionals around.
In addition to a stellar faculty, UCLA offers a wide range of resources, including a number of well-funded centers, programs and institutes on campus.
UCLA Law It is consistently ranked as one of the best law schools for entertainment and media law. In addition, many of its other programs, including business/corporate law, tax law, constitutional law, and environmental law programs, are ranked in the top 10 in the US.
As of 2021, UCLA Law has graduated more highly cited critical theorists than any other school, making UCLA a leader in terms of academic impact.
More than 400 law firms and legal employers who visit the campus every year, UCLA offers employment opportunities that are almost unparalleled.
A staggering 96% of the students in the UCLA graduating class of 2018 were employed in the legal field within ten months of graduation.