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''U.S. News & World Report'' has reported that the average Thomas Jefferson student graduates with $131,800 in debt and 95% of students graduate in debt.<ref>[http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/grad_debt]</ref> On March 22, 2012, ''U.S. News & World Report'' included Thomas Jefferson in its list of "10 Law Schools That Lead to the Most Debt." <ref>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/the-short-list-grad-school/articles/2012/03/22/10-law-schools-that-lead-to-the-most-debt</ref>
''U.S. News & World Report'' has reported that the average Thomas Jefferson student graduates with $131,800 in debt and 95% of students graduate in debt.<ref>[http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/grad_debt]</ref> On March 22, 2012, ''U.S. News & World Report'' included Thomas Jefferson in its list of "10 Law Schools That Lead to the Most Debt." <ref>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/the-short-list-grad-school/articles/2012/03/22/10-law-schools-that-lead-to-the-most-debt</ref>

===2011 class action lawsuit against TJSL===
{{Recentism|section|date=July 2011}}
On May 26, 2011, TJSL graduate Anna Alaburda filed an initial class action complaint<ref>[http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/page?_pageid=55,1056871&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL San Diego Superior Court Register of Actions (Case No. 37-2011-00091898-CU-FR-CTL)]</ref> against the school for unfair business practices, false advertising, fraud, violation of the [[California Consumers Legal Remedies Act]], and negligent misrepresentation, accusing the school of intentionally misrepresenting its post-graduation employment and salary statistics to attract new students. Alaburda, a graduate of [[New York University]] and an attorney admitted to the State Bar of California in 2008,<ref>[http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Member/Detail/259072 California State Bar Membership Records, Anna Alburda (now Anna Braff)]</ref> estimates the class size to be 2,300 students, and she seeks over $50,000,000 in damages and restitution.<ref>[http://lawschooltransparency.com/lawsuits/Alaburda_v_TJSL-Third-Amended-Complaint.pdf ''Alaburda v TJSL'' Third Amended Complaint] September 15, 2011, at LawSchoolTransparency</ref> While at TJLS, she served as the Women's Law Association President<ref>[http://students.tjsl.edu/davis_tjsl Rep. Susan Davis at TJSL] at TJSL website</ref> and graduated with honors.<ref>{{cite web|last=Allyn|first=Richard|title=San Diego law school grad sues her alma mater for $50 million|url=http://www.760kfmb.com/story/14831984/local-law-school-grad-sues-her-alma-mater-for-50-million|work=760 KFMB Radio|publisher=WorldNow and Midwest Television, Inc.|accessdate=July 1, 2012|date=June 3, 2011}}</ref> The school has filed a [[demurrer]] in the case contending, basically, that Alaburda is simply suffering [[buyer's remorse]].<ref>[http://cache.abovethelaw.com/uploads/2011/07/TJSL-Demurrer.pdf AboveTheLaw.com TJSL Demurrer]</ref> No ruling on the demurrer was issued by the court and Thomas Jefferson Law School filed an answer to the complaint.<ref>[http://abovethelaw.com/2012/03/twenty-more-law-schools-targeted-for-class-action-lawsuits/ Staci Zaretsky, Above The Law: Update (3/15/2012)]</ref>
The Wall Street Journal reported on October 24, 2012 that falsified documents were intentional. "Now, a former career-services employee at Thomas Jefferson says the school didn’t just mislead; it outright lied about how many of its graduates were employed. Karen Grant, who was assistant director of career services from 2006 to 2007, said she was told to mark certain graduates as employed, even if they no longer had jobs. Her allegations, which the school denied, came in a sworn declaration filed late last week in the lawsuit against Thomas Jefferson."


===2012 Post-graduation employment ===
===2012 Post-graduation employment ===

Revision as of 03:57, 28 June 2013

Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Established1969
School typePrivate, Non-profit
DeanRudolph Hasl
LocationSan Diego, CA, US
Enrollment650 Full-time; 240 Part-time (approx.)[1]
Faculty103 Full-time and adjunct[2]
USNWR rankingRank not published[2]
Bar pass rate54.7% (ABA profile)
WebsiteThomas Jefferson School of Law
ABA profileThomas Jefferson School of Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL), is an independent law school in San Diego, California. It offers a Juris Doctor and three Master of Laws programs, including one that is exclusively online,[3] as well as a combined J.D./M.B.A. with San Diego State University. Its law program is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).

History

The Thomas Jefferson School of Law was originally founded in 1969 as the San Diego campus of the Western State University College of Law and operated as such until 1995. It became independent in 1995 and received approval from the ABA in 1996.[4] It joined the Association of American Law Schools in 2008.[5]

In January 2011, TJSL opened a new campus located in the East Village district of downtown San Diego. The campus is an eight-story 305,000-square-foot (28,300 m2) building complies with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Gold Certification requirements and has classrooms, a two-story law library (containing 1,250,598 volumes), offices, collaborative work areas, and a legal clinic.[6][7][8][9][10] A variety of fossils found during construction, including mammoth and whale bones, were donated to the San Diego Natural History Museum.[10][11]

Academics

The program offers Master of Laws (LL.M.), JSM and JSD "Doctor of Laws or Juridical Science" degrees. Certificate Programs in International Financial Centers, United States Taxation, E-commerce, Anti-Money Laundering & Compliance, and Trusts and Estate Planning are available.[12] Faculty for the program are generally part-time and populated with industry professionals from around the globe.[13]

Bar pass rates

The American Bar Association/Law School Admission Council lists a first time bar pass rate at 54.7%.[1]

TJSL has announced its students had a 60% a first time bar pass rate for the February 2012 California bar exam.[14]

The July 2012 first time taker pass rate for TJSL was 52% for the California bar exam.[15]

Dean Hasl has reported out of state bar passage as of February 2012 being:[16]

  • Arizona (18/26 = 69.2%)
  • Colorado (7/9 = 77.8%)
  • Florida (9/11 = 81.8%)
  • Illinois (19/22 = 86.4%)
  • Nevada (14/19 = 73.7%)
  • New York (12/17 = 70.6%)
  • Ohio (7/9 = 77.8%)
  • Texas (10/13 = 76.9%)
  • Washington 13/17 = 76.5%)

Rankings

The ranking of the School of Law by U.S. News & World Report is not published, as U.S. News does not publish the ranking of schools that fall below 145.[17] The School of Law is not ranked in National Jurist's rankings of the top 80 law schools in the United States.[18] According the law professor blog The Faculty Lounge, 28.8% of the Class of 2012 was employed in full-time, long-term positions requiring bar admission, ranking 192nd out of 197 law schools. [19]

Tuition and Cost

2012-13 Tuition:[20]

  • Full-time: $42,000
  • Part-time: $31,500

Law School Transparency calculates that the total debt-financed full cost of attendance for full-time students who do not receive tuition discounts (scholarships) to be $257,905.[21]

Admissions

Students begin classes in January or August, attend the three-year, full-time program or the four-year, part-time program, and accelerate graduation one semester by taking additional classes during the summer. Day and evening classes are offered.

TJSL was listed with a "B+" in the March 2011 "Diversity Honor Roll" by The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students.[22]

Post-graduation employment

In 2013, the National Law Journal reported the college has the worst unemployment rate after graduation (31.5%) amongst all law schools in the country.[23]

24.2% of the Class of 2011 were known to be employed in long-term, full-time legal jobs (excepting solo practitioners) nine months after graduation. 54.2% of the Class of 2011 were employed in part-time or short-term jobs, unemployed and seeking employment or pursuing additional education. The employment status of 3.8% of the Class of 2011 was unknown. 0% of the Class of 2011 obtained a federal clerkship. 0.8% of the Class of 2011 were known to be employed in law firms of 101 attorneys or more. 5.1% of the Class of 2011 were known to be employeed in full-time, long-term government or public interest jobs. 0% of the Class of 2011 were employed in school funded jobs. [24]

In January 2011, a New York Times article about the inability of many recent law school graduates to get jobs discussed Thomas Jefferson's claim that 92% of the class of 2009 was employed within nine months of graduation.[25] The school's claim was based on a survey of the class of 2009. However, 25% of 2009 graduates who did not participate in the survey were counted as employed.[25] In the New York Times article, the school's Associate Dean for Student Affairs attributed the average debt level to the school's admittance of immigrants and those who are the first in their familty to attend law school – people who are statistically more likely to lack individual or family resources.[25]

U.S. News & World Report has reported that the average Thomas Jefferson student graduates with $131,800 in debt and 95% of students graduate in debt.[26] On March 22, 2012, U.S. News & World Report included Thomas Jefferson in its list of "10 Law Schools That Lead to the Most Debt." [27]

2012 Post-graduation employment

On June 25, 2012, The Wall Street Journal described Thomas Jefferson School of Law as one of the "bottom five" law schools for job placement. Of 198 law schools reporting on their 2011 graduates, 27% of TJSL's graduates had secured full-time, long-term jobs in the legal profession within nine months of graduation. In an interview for the article, Dean Rudy Hasl retorted, "You can't measure the value of a law degree in terms of what your employment number was nine months after graduation." Instead, Hasl urged prospective students to think of a law degree as a "long-term investment" because a "law degree is something that allows you to move in so many directions."[28]

Additional programs offered

Intellectual Property Fellowship Program

In 2009, TJSL initiated an Intellectual Property Fellowship Program[29] for students with undergraduate or advanced degrees in the hard sciences or engineering. The William Mitchell College of Law Intellectual Property Law Institute ranked TJLS 15th nationwide for its Intellectual Property course offerings.[30]

The TJLS Center for Law and Intellectual Property has course offerings in copyright, patent, trademark and unfair competition law as well as cyberspace law, biotechnology law and bioethics, telecommunications and media law, and sports and entertainment law.[31]

Intellectual Property Law Association (IPLA)

The law school has an Intellectual Property Law Association (IPLA)[32] which offers Continuing Legal Education credit. Programs include an Intellectual Property Career Day presented in cooperation with Thomas Jefferson’s Career Office.[33] IPLA has also presented a Patents in China event in cooperation with IP law firm.[34]

International law

The Center for Global Legal Studies[35] offers a specialized program in international law. In 2007, the Center inaugurated a summer study program at Zhejiang University College of Law in Hangzhou, China.[36] TJSL also offers a summer study program in Nice, France.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law offers a program, conducted three times per year, for non-U.S. attorneys, law students, and business professions called the Legal Education and Exchange Program (LEEP).[37] Over the course of the three-week program, participants learn about the U.S. Legal System, Anti-Money Laundering, and Legal Writing, among other topics.[38]

Social Justice Center

The Center for Law and Social Justice[39] is a research and teaching program in areas of public policy and law relating to civil rights, civil liberties, international human rights, and equal access to justice. Courses include traditional courses in civil rights, civil liberties, international human rights, employment law, and courses that address current issues such as gender and controlled substances law. In 2010, TJSL presented distinguished speakers whose own scholarly work relates to social justice concerns, co-sponsored by UCLA School of Law’s Critical Race Studies program, at the 10th Annual Women and the Law Conference.[40]

Graduate Tax and Financial Law LLM Program

The "Diamond Law School Graduate Tax and Financial Law LLM Program – Online" was founded in 1998, by Professor William H. Byrnes.[12] The curriculum includes International Taxation, Offshore Financial Centres, anti-money laundering, wealth management, compliance (regulation) and E-commerce.[41] The Diamond program offers the degrees of LL.M., JSM, and a research doctorate JSD. Courses are taught by full- and part-time instructors.[13] The program has become one of the largest LLM programs among ABA accredited law schools.

Notable people

Alumni

  • Roger T. Benitez 1978 – Federal Judge of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of California
  • Bonnie Dumanis 1976 – First openly gay or lesbian DA in the country.[42] Also the first Jewish woman DA in San Diego
  • Duncan Hunter 1976 – Republican member of the House of Representatives from California's 52nd, 45th and 42nd districts from 1981 to 2009 and 2008 presidential candidate
  • Jessica King 2001 – Wisconsin professor and state senator-elect
  • Lillian Lim 1977 – Former California Superior Court Judge and the first Filipina judge in the U.S.
  • Leslie Alexander – A former stock trader from New Jersey who owns the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Houston Rockets.

Faculty

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Thomas Jefferson School of Law" (PDF). ABA website. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "U.S. News & World Report, "Best Law Schools: Thomas Jefferson School of Law"". Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  3. ^ "How to enroll in America’s first LLM Program". http://llmprogram.org.
  4. ^ "ABA Approved Law Schools by Year". ABA website. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  5. ^ AALS Member Schools
  6. ^ TJSL Groundbreaking
  7. ^ "About the Central Library Project in Downtown San Diego" at Support My Library
  8. ^ TJSL New Campus
  9. ^ "Local Law School's New Campus To Open Tuesday Thomas Jefferson School Of Law Is Relocating From Old Town". New 10 Now. 19 January 2011. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  10. ^ a b Sloan, Karen. "Thomas Jefferson Law unveils new home — on site of 300,000-year-old fossils", National Law Journal, 18 January 2011.
  11. ^ Powell, Ronald W. "Dig yields another big find", San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 February 2009.
  12. ^ a b "Advanced Diploma and Certificate Law Programs"
  13. ^ a b "LLM and JSD Faculty"
  14. ^ TJLS: Message from Dean Hasl May 23, 2012
  15. ^ "General Statistics Report July 2012 California Bar Examination" (pdf). Retrieved February 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "The Latest in Disingenuous Statistics From a Law School No Longer Concerned With Its Credibility". Retrieved February 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Thomas Jefferson School of Law". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  18. ^ "Building a Better Ranking". National Jurist. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  19. ^ Rosin, Gary. "Full Rankings: Bar Admission Required, Full-Time, Long Term", The Faculty Lounge, 30 March 2013. Retrieved on 2 May 2013.
  20. ^ "Tuition". Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  21. ^ "Thomas Jefferson School of Law Profile". Law School Transparency. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  22. ^ Larsen, Rebecca (March 2011), "Most Diverse Law Schools (Diversity Honor Roll)", The National Jurist, 20 (6), San Diego, California: Cypress Magazines: 30–37
  23. ^ http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202595077292&slreturn=20130315011254
  24. ^ "Thomas Jefferson School of Law Profile". Law School Transparency. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  25. ^ a b c (1/08/11) Is Law School a Losing Game? The New York Times
  26. ^ [1]
  27. ^ http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/the-short-list-grad-school/articles/2012/03/22/10-law-schools-that-lead-to-the-most-debt
  28. ^ Palazzolo, Joe (June 25, 2012). "Law Grads Face Brutal Job Market". The Wall Street Journal. pp. A1, A2. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  29. ^ Intellectual Property Fellowship Program
  30. ^ William Mitchell College of Law Intellectual Property Law Institute
  31. ^ Center for Law and Intellectual Property
  32. ^ Intellectual Property Law Association (IPLA)
  33. ^ First Annual IP Career Day
  34. ^ Patents in China
  35. ^ Center for Global Legal Studies
  36. ^ "China Summer Program – Zhejiang University Law School"
  37. ^ [2]
  38. ^ [3]
  39. ^ Center for Law and Social Justice
  40. ^ 10th Annual Women and the Law Conference
  41. ^ "Online LLM White Paper PDF"
  42. ^ Broder, John M. (2002-11-13). "In a First, a Lesbian Is Elected District Attorney in San Diego". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  43. ^ "Marjorie Cohn | Thomas Jefferson School of Law". Tjsl.edu. Retrieved 2010-09-03.

32°42′37″N 117°09′15″W / 32.71028°N 117.15417°W / 32.71028; -117.15417

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