McGeorge School of Law
Encyclopedia
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law is a private, ABA approved law school
in the Oak Park
neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California
. It is part of the University of the Pacific.
Originally founded in 1924, the school merged with and became part of the University of the Pacific in 1966. The current dean
of McGeorge School of Law is former CIA General Counsel
Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker. On April 22, 2011, Parker announced her decision to step down as Dean of University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, effective June 30, 2012.
graduate and Standard Oil
executive Verne Adrian McGeorge began teaching law students at night in downtown Sacramento, California. After its formal establishment as a school in 1924, this Sacramento Law School, subsequently renamed in Professor McGeorge's honor as the "McGeorge School of Law," merged with the University of the Pacific in 1966 to become Pacific McGeorge. McGeorge became an integral part of Pacific in 1991.
(AALS) in 1974. It has a chapter of the Order of the Coif
, a national law school honorary society founded for the purposes of encouraging legal scholarship and advancing the ethical standards of the legal profession.
annual guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools”. In 2008 it was tied for #3 in the West for its international programs and was also #45 for its student diversity. In the 2011 rankings, McGeorge was ranked 100 overall, the Advocacy Program was ranked #5, and the International Law Program #15. The law school is now ranked #40 for student diversity.
It is listed as "B-" in the January 2011 "Best Public Interest Law Schools" ratings by The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students.
programs leading to the award of the J.D. (Juris Doctor
), the LL.M. (Master of Laws
) and the J.S.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science
) degrees.
McGeorge offers both a three-year day division program and four evening division program. As an ABA approved law school, McGeorge graduates are eligible to sit for the bar examination in any American jurisdiction.
degree, McGeorge students who wish to add additional value to their legal education may elect to complete additional requirements for a specialization or concentration certificate in the following areas of law:
The school has a specialized program to train Chinese Law Professors (Experiential Education in China) funded by a USAID Grant.
area of Sacramento, the capital of California. The stand-alone, law-only campus is a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) wooded area.
Law school in the United States
In the United States, a law school is an institution where students obtain a professional education in law after first obtaining an undergraduate degree.Law schools in the U.S...
in the Oak Park
Oak Park, Sacramento, California
Oak Park is a neighborhood in Sacramento, California. The McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento High School, and Christian Brothers High School are located in this neighborhood....
neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. It is part of the University of the Pacific.
Originally founded in 1924, the school merged with and became part of the University of the Pacific in 1966. The current dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of McGeorge School of Law is former CIA General Counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker. On April 22, 2011, Parker announced her decision to step down as Dean of University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, effective June 30, 2012.
History
The school that eventually became McGeorge began in 1921 when Stanford Law SchoolStanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
graduate and Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
executive Verne Adrian McGeorge began teaching law students at night in downtown Sacramento, California. After its formal establishment as a school in 1924, this Sacramento Law School, subsequently renamed in Professor McGeorge's honor as the "McGeorge School of Law," merged with the University of the Pacific in 1966 to become Pacific McGeorge. McGeorge became an integral part of Pacific in 1991.
Accreditation, memberships, rankings
McGeorge is fully approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1969. and by the Committee of Bar Examiners of The State Bar of California. The first year curriculum at McGeorge consists of 27 units. McGeorge law students must also complete 29 units of upper-level required curriculum. Therefore, 56 units out of the 88 units to graduate are required courses. All students take the same required courses. Most required courses in the first and second years are year-long.Memberships
McGeorge joined the Association of American Law SchoolsAssociation of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
(AALS) in 1974. It has a chapter of the Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
, a national law school honorary society founded for the purposes of encouraging legal scholarship and advancing the ethical standards of the legal profession.
Rankings
McGeorge was recently again ranked among the nation’s Top 20 in both Advocacy and International Law programs according to U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
annual guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools”. In 2008 it was tied for #3 in the West for its international programs and was also #45 for its student diversity. In the 2011 rankings, McGeorge was ranked 100 overall, the Advocacy Program was ranked #5, and the International Law Program #15. The law school is now ranked #40 for student diversity.
It is listed as "B-" in the January 2011 "Best Public Interest Law Schools" ratings by The National Jurist: The Magazine for Law Students.
Academic programs
McGeorge offers degreeAcademic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
programs leading to the award of the J.D. (Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
), the LL.M. (Master of Laws
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
) and the J.S.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science
Doctor of Juridical Science
Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of the Science of Law, Scientiae Juridicae Doctor , abbreviated J.S.D. or S.J.D., is a research doctorate in law and equivalent to the PhD It is offered primarily in the United States, where it originated, and in Canada...
) degrees.
McGeorge offers both a three-year day division program and four evening division program. As an ABA approved law school, McGeorge graduates are eligible to sit for the bar examination in any American jurisdiction.
Areas of specialization
In addition to completing requirements for the J.D. Juris DoctorJuris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree, McGeorge students who wish to add additional value to their legal education may elect to complete additional requirements for a specialization or concentration certificate in the following areas of law:
- Advocacy
- Business
- Criminal Justice
- Environmental Law
- Governmental Affairs
- Intellectual Property
- International Business
- Tax
- Transnational Business
- Water Law
LL.M. programs
- LL.M. in Experiential Law Teaching
- LL.M. in Transnational Business
- LL.M. in U.S. Law & Policy (with a Public Policy track)
- LL.M. in Water Law (with an International track)
Other
The school offers a J.S.D. degree program in International Water Law.The school has a specialized program to train Chinese Law Professors (Experiential Education in China) funded by a USAID Grant.
Bar passage rates
Based on a 2001-2007 6 year average, 69% of McGeorge Law graduates passed the California State Bar.Location
The McGeorge campus is located at 3200 Fifth Avenue in the Oak ParkOak Park, Sacramento, California
Oak Park is a neighborhood in Sacramento, California. The McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento High School, and Christian Brothers High School are located in this neighborhood....
area of Sacramento, the capital of California. The stand-alone, law-only campus is a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) wooded area.
Faculty-edited publications
- Journal of National Security Law & Policy Focused on war and terrorism, international relations, democracy, and civil liberties issues.
Law journals and student publications
- McGeorge Law Review (formerly titled The Pacific Law Journal) A student-run, quarterly, scholarly journal. Two or more issues are published each year containing professional articles and student-authored comments or casenotes; one issue contains the Review of Selected California Legislation, or "Greensheets"; and one issue contains a symposium, focusing on a specific, significant legal topic.
- Pacific McGeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal (formerly titled The Transnational Lawyer) Published by law students, articles center on legal analysis and commentary about issues affecting private international law practitioners
- California Initiative Review An online comprehensive, independent analysis of CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
ballot initiativesInitiativeIn political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
and related issues
Notable alumni
- Greg AghazarianGreg AghazarianGregory George "Greg" Aghazarian is a Republican and former California State Assemblyman who represented the 26th district from 2002 until 2008....
- California State AssemblyCalifornia State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
man, 26th District - Ronald J. BathRonald J. BathMajor General Ronald Jay Bath is a retired United States Air Force Major General who directed U.S. Air Force Strategic Planning for the service's Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs at service headquarters in the Pentagon....
- USAFUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, Director of U.S. Air Force Strategic Planning - Scott BaughScott BaughScott Randall Baugh is a Republican U.S. politician, who served in the California State Assembly from 1995–2000, representing the 67th District in coastal Orange County, which included Huntington Beach, Cypress, Fountain Valley, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Westminster, Rossmoor, Sunset...
- former California State AssemblyCalifornia State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
LeaderFloor LeaderFloor Leaders are leaders of their political parties in each of the houses of the legislature.- Senate :In the United States Senate, they are elected by their respective party conferences to serve as the chief Senate spokesmen for their parties and to manage and schedule the legislative and...
, 67th District - Scott BorasScott BorasScott Boras is an American sports agent, specializing in baseball. He is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency based in Newport Beach, Calif. that represents roughly 175 professional baseball clients, including many of the game's highest-profile players...
- sports agent - Consuelo María CallahanConsuelo María CallahanConsuelo María Callahan is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.-Background:...
- Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona... - Ellen CorbettEllen CorbettEllen Marie Corbett is a Democratic politician from San Leandro, California. She is currently serving her second term in the California State Senate. Corbett represents the 10th District, which includes San Leandro, Hayward, Pleasanton, Union City, Fremont, Newark, Milpitas and part of San Jose...
- California State AssemblyCalifornia State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
woman - Lloyd ConnellyLloyd ConnellyLloyd G. Connelly is a Sacramento County Superior Court Judge.Before his appointment as a judge, Connelly was a Democratic politician, serving as a member of the California State Assembly from 1982 until 1992...
- Judge, Sacramento County Superior Court - John DoolittleJohn DoolittleJohn Taylor Doolittle , American politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009, representing . In the 109th Congress, he held a leadership role as the Deputy Whip for the Republican party in the House...
- US Congressman 1991-2009 - Noreen EvansNoreen EvansNoreen Evans is an American politician in the California State Senate. She is a Democrat representing the 2nd district, encompassing Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa counties, as well as parts of Sonoma and Solano counties....
- California State AssemblyCalifornia State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
woman, 7th District - Morrison C. England Jr.Morrison C. England Jr.-Early life and education:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, England received a B.A. from the University of the Pacific in 1977 and a J.D. from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1983. U.S...
- Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of CaliforniaThe U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California is composed of six divisions.The Bakersfield division has jurisdiction over certain cases in Inyo and Kern counties and on federal lands and National Parks... - Edward J. GarciaEdward J. GarciaEdward J. Garcia is a United States federal judge.Garcia received an A.A. from Sacramento City College in 1951 and an LL.B. from McGeorge School of Law in 1958. He was in the United States Army Air Corps from 1946 to 1949. He was a Deputy district attorney of Sacramento County, California from...
- Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of CaliforniaThe U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California is composed of six divisions.The Bakersfield division has jurisdiction over certain cases in Inyo and Kern counties and on federal lands and National Parks... - John M. GerrardJohn M. GerrardJohn Melvin Gerrard is the youngest person ever appointed to the Nebraska Supreme Court and has served as a justice of that court since 1995...
- Justice of the Nebraska Supreme CourtNebraska Supreme CourtThe Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. Each Justice is initially appointed by the Governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each Justice is then subject to a retention vote for additional... - John A. Lambeth - President of Civitas
- Bill LockyerBill LockyerWilliam Westwood "Bill" Lockyer is an American politician. He is the current 32nd State Treasurer of California, elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010. He has also served as California Attorney General and President Pro Tempore of the California State Senate...
- California State TreasurerCalifornia State TreasurerThe California State Treasurer is responsible for the state's investment and finance. The post has more narrow responsibilities and authority than the California State Controller...
and former California Attorney GeneralCalifornia Attorney GeneralThe California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.The... - Steve MartiniSteve Martini- Biography :Early Years - Born on February 28, 1946 in San Francisco, California , Steve Martini was raised until the age of ten in the Colma area of Daily City just south of San Francisco. He is part of a large extended Italian-American family, some of which reach back four generations in...
- attorney and best-selling author of legal thriller novels - Deborah OrtizDeborah OrtizDeborah V. Ortiz is an American politician from Sacramento, California. A Democrat, she served in both chambers of the California State Legislature. A then-member of Sacramento City Council, Ortiz was elected to the California State Assembly in 1996 and served a single two-year term representing...
- former California State Senator, 6th District - Johnnie B. RawlinsonJohnnie B. Rawlinson|-...
- Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona... - Dana Makoto SabrawDana Makoto Sabraw-Early life and education:Born in San Rafael, California, Sabraw received an A.A. from American River Junior College in 1978, a B.S. from San Diego State University in 1980, and a J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1985.-Career:...
- Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaThe United States District Court for the Southern District of California is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties in California: Imperial and San Diego. In terms of filed indictments, it is one of the busiest criminal districts in the United States... - Phil Urie - Judge, San Joaquin County CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Superior Court - Christian WellischChristian WellischChristian Wellisch is a Hungarian-American former mixed martial arts fighter. He most recently competed as a light heavyweight in the UFC.-Mixed martial arts career:...
- Former mixed martial artsMixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
(MMA) fighter
Notable faculty
- Gerald Caplan, former dean of Pacific McGeorge from 1991–2000 and current contracts professor.
- Omar DajaniOmar DajaniOmar Dajani is a Palestinian-American professor and former member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Negotiations Support Unit.Dajani was born in Texas in 1970. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University in Illinois and his J.D...
, former legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiation team in peace talks with Israel. - Anthony KennedyAnthony KennedyAnthony McLeod Kennedy is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, having been appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Since the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, Kennedy has often been the swing vote on many of the Court's politically charged 5–4 decisions...
, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United StatesAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United StatesAssociate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...
. - Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, a former General Counsel of both the CIA and the National Security AgencyNational Security AgencyThe National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
.