Trinity Law School
Encyclopedia
Trinity Law School or the Law School, Trinity International University is a private
, nonprofit law school
located in Santa Ana, California
, United States.
. It was originally named in honor of the Nineteenth century Harvard
law professor Simon Greenleaf
who was a major authority on the laws of evidence and also wrote The Testimony of the Evangelists, which was a work of Christian apologetics
concerning the evidences for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Simon Greenleaf School of Law was the brain-child of John Warwick Montgomery
. Montgomery rose to prominence in the 1960s as a confessional Lutheran theologian and as a Christian apologist. He held the chair of Professor of Church History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois
(1964–74). A founding board of trustees collaborated with Montgomery to establish in 1980 the Simon Greenleaf School of Law.
It commenced operations by offering evening classes in a four-year undergraduate course in legal studies that led to the Juris Doctor
(J.D.) degree
, and a one-and-a-half year post-graduate course in Christian Apologetics that led to the conferral of a Master of Arts degree.
The founding faculty members, as listed in the inaugural edition of the school's journal The Simon Greenleaf Law Review, in the law program included Ronald S. Ayers, Jack D. Brewer, Beatrice S. Donoghue, Laurence B. Donoghue, Jack W. Golden, Roy W. Hibberd, David L. Llewellyn, John T. Moen, David S. Prescott, Vincent Schmieder and Donald E. Thomas. These faculty members were Christian lawyers who worked in private practices in Southern California.
In 1997 the law school became a part of Trinity International University
(TIU), an evangelical
Christian
institution of higher education headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois
, and operated by the Evangelical Free Church of America
.
. It is regionally accredited by the North Central Association
accreditation when it came under TIU's umbrella. At present Trinity Law School is not approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), but it has a long-term goal of obtaining ABA approval.
The school offers the Juris Doctor
(J.D.) degree
.
, Josh McDowell
, Eugene Moore, Rod Rosenbladt
, Alan Scarfe, Michael R. Smythe, Donald D. Stewart, John Stewart and William Welty.
During the 1980s a variety of distinguished Christian and non-Christian lecturers were invited to speak at the school. The school's prospectus for 1986 listed some of these guest lecturers as including Gleason Archer
, Harold O. J. Brown, Herman John Eckelmann, Norman Geisler
, Vladimir Kartashkin, Armand Nicholi
, Karl Josef Partsch, Arthur Henry Robertson, Francis Schaeffer
and R. C. Sproul
.
Trinity Law School has had several administrators who are notable. Sameul B. Casey, the president of the Christian Legal Society was Dean of the Simon Greenleaf University during the early 1990s. The first Dean of the law school during the transition from Simon Greenleaf University to Trinity International University was Shannon "Verleur" Spann (a 1990s graduate of Simon Greenleaf Law School), whose husband, Johnny Micheal Spann
(a CIA paramilitary
operations officer), was the first American killed in Afghanistan
during Operation Enduring Freedom. Francis J. Beckwith, professor of Church State Studies at Baylor University earned an MA from
Simon Greenleaf and was a professor
at the law school during the late 1990s.
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, nonprofit law school
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...
located in Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
, United States.
Background and origins
The Trinity Law School, as it is now known, was founded in 1980 as the Simon Greenleaf School of Law and was originally located in Anaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
. It was originally named in honor of the Nineteenth century Harvard
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
law professor Simon Greenleaf
Simon Greenleaf
Simon Greenleaf , American lawyer and jurist, was born at Newburyport, Massachusetts.-Early life and legal career:...
who was a major authority on the laws of evidence and also wrote The Testimony of the Evangelists, which was a work of Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
concerning the evidences for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Simon Greenleaf School of Law was the brain-child of John Warwick Montgomery
John Warwick Montgomery
John Warwick Montgomery is a noted lawyer, professor, Lutheran theologian, and prolific author living in France. He was born October 18, 1931, in Warsaw, New York, United States. In 2007 he was named "Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought" at Patrick Henry College...
. Montgomery rose to prominence in the 1960s as a confessional Lutheran theologian and as a Christian apologist. He held the chair of Professor of Church History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and is located approximately 25 miles north of Chicago, Illinois. A portion of the village is in Cook County, Illinois, United States...
(1964–74). A founding board of trustees collaborated with Montgomery to establish in 1980 the Simon Greenleaf School of Law.
It commenced operations by offering evening classes in a four-year undergraduate course in legal studies that led to the 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...
(J.D.) degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
, and a one-and-a-half year post-graduate course in Christian Apologetics that led to the conferral of a Master of Arts degree.
The founding faculty members, as listed in the inaugural edition of the school's journal The Simon Greenleaf Law Review, in the law program included Ronald S. Ayers, Jack D. Brewer, Beatrice S. Donoghue, Laurence B. Donoghue, Jack W. Golden, Roy W. Hibberd, David L. Llewellyn, John T. Moen, David S. Prescott, Vincent Schmieder and Donald E. Thomas. These faculty members were Christian lawyers who worked in private practices in Southern California.
In 1997 the law school became a part of Trinity International University
Trinity International University
Trinity International University is an evangelical Christian institution of higher education headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It comprises an undergraduate college, a graduate school, a theological seminary , and a law school--together with nearly 3,000 students...
(TIU), an evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
institution of higher education headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and is located approximately 25 miles north of Chicago, Illinois. A portion of the village is in Cook County, Illinois, United States...
, and operated by the Evangelical Free Church of America
Evangelical Free Church of America
The Evangelical Free Church of America is an evangelical Christian denomination. The EFCA was formed in 1950 from the merger of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association.-History:...
.
Accreditation and curricula
Trinity Law School is accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of CaliforniaState Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
. It is regionally accredited by the North Central Association
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
accreditation when it came under TIU's umbrella. At present Trinity Law School is not approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), but it has a long-term goal of obtaining ABA approval.
The school offers the 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...
(J.D.) degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
.
Bar pass rate
For the years 1997 through February 2011, 388 Trinity graduates have taken the California Bar Examination as first-time takers; of that number, 56 passed the examination for a pass rate of 14%.Notables
The founding members of the faculty teaching in the Master of Arts program included Harold Lindsell, Walter MartinWalter Martin
Walter Ralston Martin , was an American Evangelical minister, author, and Christian apologist who founded the Christian Research Institute in 1960 as a para-church ministry specializing as a clearing-house of information in both general Christian apologetics and in countercult apologetics.-Birth...
, Josh McDowell
Josh McDowell
Joslin "Josh" McDowell is a Christian apologist, evangelist, and writer. He is within the Evangelical tradition of Protestant Christianity, and is the author or co-author of some 77 books. His best-known book is Evidence That Demands a Verdict, which was ranked 13th in Christianity Today's list of...
, Eugene Moore, Rod Rosenbladt
Rod Rosenbladt
Rod Rosenbladt is a Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Irvine in Irvine, CA, and is also well-known among Lutheran, Reformed and Evangelical Christians as the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio program "The White Horse Inn" .- Education :...
, Alan Scarfe, Michael R. Smythe, Donald D. Stewart, John Stewart and William Welty.
During the 1980s a variety of distinguished Christian and non-Christian lecturers were invited to speak at the school. The school's prospectus for 1986 listed some of these guest lecturers as including Gleason Archer
Gleason Archer
Gleason Leonard Archer, Jr. was a Biblical scholar, theologian, educator and author.-Early life:Archer's father was Gleason Archer, Sr., the founder of Suffolk University in Boston. Archer graduated in 1938 with a B.A. from Harvard University and received an LL.B...
, Harold O. J. Brown, Herman John Eckelmann, Norman Geisler
Norman Geisler
Norman L. Geisler is a Christian apologist and the co-founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary outside Charlotte, North Carolina, where he formerly taught. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Jesuit Loyola University...
, Vladimir Kartashkin, Armand Nicholi
Armand Nicholi
Armand M. Nicholi, M.D., Jr. is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital. His clinical work and research has focused on the impact of absent parents on the emotional development of children and young adults. He is the editor and coauthor...
, Karl Josef Partsch, Arthur Henry Robertson, Francis Schaeffer
Francis Schaeffer
Francis August Schaeffer was an American Evangelical Christian theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He is most famous for his writings and his establishment of the L'Abri community in Switzerland...
and R. C. Sproul
R. C. Sproul
Robert Charles Sproul, is a prominent American Calvinist theologian, author, and pastor of the Reformed tradition...
.
Trinity Law School has had several administrators who are notable. Sameul B. Casey, the president of the Christian Legal Society was Dean of the Simon Greenleaf University during the early 1990s. The first Dean of the law school during the transition from Simon Greenleaf University to Trinity International University was Shannon "Verleur" Spann (a 1990s graduate of Simon Greenleaf Law School), whose husband, Johnny Micheal Spann
Johnny Micheal Spann
Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann was a paramilitary operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division. Spann was the first American killed in combat during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.-Early life:Johnny Micheal Spann was originally from the small town of...
(a CIA paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
operations officer), was the first American killed in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
during Operation Enduring Freedom. Francis J. Beckwith, professor of Church State Studies at Baylor University earned an MA from
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
Simon Greenleaf and was a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the law school during the late 1990s.