Law: JD, San Diego

Goals and Objectives

San Diego Law School is dedicated to preparing students to become attorneys, while fulfilling their current commitments to work and family. The program of legal instruction is devoted to the training of lawyers who are skilled not only in the methods and tools of the legal profession and who are also committed to the ethical and social responsibilities of the profession. The education of accomplished attorneys is perfected by distinguished faculty of practicing attorneys and judges.

Specialized Admissions Requirements

Admission with Regular Status

To be considered for admission with Regular Status, applicants must have either a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, an Associate degree from an accredited community college, or have completed, in good academic standing, (a minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter units) at an accredited institution. The grade point average on all subjects undertaken must be equal to that required for graduation. San Diego Law School is also authorized to accept a few special students, those who do not have semester units of college credit.

Law School Admission Test

Most applicants must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) which is given four times a year at test centers locally, throughout the US, and in many foreign countries. Individuals who have previously taken the LSAT may not be required to retake the exam providing that their scores are sufficiently current, acceptable and obtainable from Law Services. Further LSAT information can be obtained at www.lsac.org. San Diego Law School accepts documents compiled by the Credential Assembly Service of LSAC. The San Diego Law School code is that of San Francisco Law School 4712.

Admission with Special Status

Applicants who are unable to satisfy the academic requirements for admission with Regular Status may be considered for admission as Special Status students. Special Status is designed for students who have achieved a level of maturity and professional experience which has prepared them for successful completion of the law school curriculum.

The State Bar of California requires that all applicants seeking admission with Special Status pass the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations prior to admission to law school. The applicant must attain passing scores on the following general examinations administered by CLEP: 1.) English Composition or English Composition with Essay (passing score is 500) and 2.) Two of the following: humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, and history (in the 50 percentile). Please see the State Bar of California website for more detailed information. http://www.calbar.ca.gov.

Upon successful completion of the First Year curriculum, Special Status students must take the First Year Law Students’ Examination (FYLSE) administered by the State Bar of California, Committee of Bar Examiners. Students can continue into their second year of study despite not having taken or not having passed the examination. However, they will receive credit for study completed up to the time they pass the examination, only if they pass the FYLSE it within the first three administrations of the examination after they first become eligible to take the exam. If a student passes after the third administration, credit can only be allowed for the first year of study.

For CLEP Test applications or information contact:

The College Board, Western Regional Office
2099 Gateway Place, #480
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 452-1400

Admission to Advanced Standing

In addition to the requirements of applicants for regular status, those students in good standing wishing to transfer from other law schools must provide official transcripts of all law study and a letter of good standing from the f the last law school attended. Only courses successfully completed (C or better grade) will be considered for transfer. A student must earn 47 units while in residence in order to graduate from San Francisco Law School.

Applicants not in good academic standing at the time of leaving their prior law school, must also provide two letters of recommendation from the Dean and/or professors at the law school attended who can attest to the student’s ability for success in law school and a personal statement by the applicant detailing the circumstances that led to the student’s academic disqualification and the remedies taken to ensure success in future study.

The Admissions Committee reserves the right to contact all references for a more detailed assessment of each applicant’s potential. It is within the discretion of the Admissions Committee if credit is given for any previous courses. In the case of disqualification, credit for prior law school study would be unusual.

Admission with Visitor or Auditor Status 

Students currently enrolled in good standing at another school may, with the approval of their Dean, be admitted to San Diego Law School with visitor or status. Individuals who are not in law school may take law courses as auditors .Students with visitor or auditor status are subject to the same tuition, fees and all policies and regulations of San Francisco Law School. For information regarding required documentation, contact the Admissions Office of San Francisco Law School at 415-626-5550.

International Applicants

Applicants who have attended schools outside of the United States, must arrange to have transcripts evaluated by either:
Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203
(414) 289-3400
www.ece.org

or

International Education Research Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 3665
Culver City, CA 90231-3665
Telephone: (310) 258-9451
www.ierf.org

San Francisco Law School does not offer other services or issue I-20 forms to foreign nationals. The School does require a level of English proficiency, both verbal and written, consistent with that which must be demonstrated to achieve an acceptable score on the required Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

Degree Requirements

Students are awarded the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree after successful completion of 87 semester units of study and completion of all required courses. 47 units must be taken in residence at San Francisco Law School/San Diego Law School. Graduate candidates must have a grade point average of 70 or higher for the final year and a cumulative grade point average of 70 or higher.

Curriculum Plan

Faculty Listing

Faculty for the San Diego Law program are listed below:

Leslie Culver, JD
George Dezes, JD
Alex Landon, JD

Accreditation Information

San Diego Law School is a branch campus of San Francisco Law School. San Francisco Law School is a Calilfornia Accredited Law School. As a school of Alliant International University, San Francisco Law School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). As a provisionally accredited campus of San Francisco Law School, students at San Diego Law School are not subject to the First Year Law Students Examination.

San Francisco Law School is accredited by the State Bar of California, Committee of Bar Examiners. San Francisco Law School has been continuously accredited since California accreditation began in 1937.

Students who graduate from San Francisco Law School, and its branch campus in San Diego, are eligible to practice law in the State of California upon passage of the California Bar Examination.

Study at, or graduation from, this law school may not qualify a student to take the bar examination or be admitted to practice law in jurisdictions other than California. A student who intends to seek admission to practice law outside of California should contact the admitting authority in that jurisdiction for information regarding its education and admission requirements.