Seattle University School of Law, or Seattle Law School, or SU Law (formerly University of Puget Sound School of Law) is the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

affiliated with

Seattle University Seattle University (SeattleU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington. Seattle University is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate p ...

, the Northwest's largest independent university. The School is accredited by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Alumni of Seattle University School of Law practice in all 50 U.S. states and 18 foreign countries. The law school offers degree programs for

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

(JD),

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

(LLM) and

Master of Studies in Law A Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.), also Master of Science of Law or Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) or Juris Master (J.M.) or Masters of Jurisprudence (M.J.) or Master in Law (M.L.), is a master's degree offered by some law schools to students ...

(MLS). According to Seattle University School of Law's 2020 ABA-required disclosures, 86% of the class of 2020 obtained bar passage-required or JD-advantage employment nine months after graduation.

History

The law school was founded as the University of Puget Sound Law School in Tacoma, in 1972.Anita M. Steele, "History of the University of Puget Sound School of Law," 12 Univ. of Puget Sound L. Rev. 309 (1989), https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1289&context=sulr The law school had a favorable admissions policy, and focused on large enrollments, despite the ensuing high attrition (failure) rate. In the mid-1970s, when faced with declining admissions due to demographic changes, the law school responded by increasing enrollment. Despite this, the ABA provided full accreditation to the law school in 1975. In the 1974–75 academic year, the student bar association was established, the first edition of the law review was published, and the first law clinic was started. In September 1980 the Norton Clapp Law Center was dedicated. This new law center helped to draw a class of 466 students—130 more than anticipated—into the entering class of 1980.

Move to Seattle

Dean Bond resigned to return to teaching in July 1993 and was succeeded by Professor Donald M. Carmichael, a faculty member at the law school since 1978, who had also served as the school's associate dean for academic affairs from 1987 to 1993.

purchased the University of Puget Sound Law School in November 1993. The law school officially became part of Seattle University in August 1994. Kellye Testy was appointed dean on February 15, 2005. During her tenure at the law school she co-founded the Law School's Access to Justice Institute, the Seattle Journal for Social Justice, and the Center on Corporations, Law & Society. In 2009, Testy left Seattle University to be the new dean at the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington. The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings place Washing ...

. Mark Niles, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C., served as dean of the School of Law from 2010 to 2013 before returning to American University. In 2013, the School of Law welcomed Annette Clark to serve as permanent dean. After completing her MD at the University of Washington in 1985, she earned her J.D. at Seattle University in 1989 and served as a member of the SU Law faculty for many years. Dean Clark was the first alumna of the law school to serve as its dean. Her areas of expertise include civil procedure, medical liability, bioethics, and legal education. In August 2021, Dean Clark announced her intention to retire. Former Miami Law Dean, Tony Varona was selected to succeed Dean Clark. Prior to serving as Miami Law Deam, Mr. Varona served as Vice Dean, Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, and Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL). Before his 14 years at AUWCL, Dean Varona was an associate professor at

Pace University School of Law The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is the law school of Pace University located in White Plains, New York. Founded in 1976 as Pace Law School, the American Bar Association (ABA) accredited it in 1978. Pace has a top-ranked Envi ...

in New York and adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. He has taught courses in Contracts, Administrative and Public Law, Media Law, Sexuality and Gender Law, Intellectual Property, and Criminal Law.

Location, Institutes, and Centers

Seattle University's campus is located in the First Hill area of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Sullivan Hall

Sullivan Hall, home to the School of Law, is a five-story building housing the law school and law library on the eastern boundary of

campus. It features a street-front law clinic, media-equipped classrooms, law library, full courtroom, and activity areas. The court room is used for class, mock trials and actual court proceedings administrated by local judges. Designed by Olson/Sundberg, the 135,000 square foot building was completed in August 1999 and cost approximately $21 million. File:Seattle University, October 2022 - 059.jpg, Exterior File:Seattle University, October 2022 - 060.jpg, Interior File:Seattle University, October 2022 - 062.jpg, Interior File:Seattle University, October 2022 - 065.jpg, Interior

Law Library

The Seattle University School of Law Library was founded in 1972 . Located in Sullivan Hall, the library occupies four floors with ample spaces for either individual or group study. The law library provides information resources and services to support the instructional, research and scholarship endeavors of the Law School.

Access to Justice Institute

The Access to Justice Institute (ATJI) is home to the law school's pro bono, public interest, and social justice activities. The ATJI is also home to the Incubator Program, which trains and provides resources to lawyers that want to start their own law firms that serve moderate-income clients.

The Adolf A. Berle Jr. Center on Corporations, Law and Society

The Center promotes and hosts legal research, education, and events on the role of the rule of law to govern and mediate the relationship between governments, corporations, individuals, and society.

Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality

The center is the civil rights arm of the law school and it aims to advance justice and equality through research, advocacy, and education. According to their website, the Center seeks to combat discrimination, train the next generation of social justice advocates, and helps underrepresented communities learn to advocate for themselves. The center is named after dissident Fred T. Korematsu, who was incarcerated by the U.S. government during the Japanese internment camps of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Rankings

Law school rankings of Seattle University School of Law include: *U.S. News & World Report 2023 – #116th overall among law schools in the United States; #7 among legal writing programs; #26 overall among part-time law school programs; #15 among clinical law programs. *preLaw – "The best schools for doing good" (Fall 2018) – A+ among law schools for public interest law. *The National Jurist – A for "business, corporate, and banking."

Juris Doctor program

Admissions

Admission to the law school is competitive with an acceptance rate of 59%. In admission decisions, the law school places equal emphasis on three factors: (1) LSAT performance; (2) the undergraduate academic record; and (3) personal achievements. Admission is made to either the full-time

day A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two so ...

part-time Part-time can refer to: * Part-time job, a job that has fewer hours a week than a full-time job * Part-time student, a student, usually in higher education, who takes fewer course credits than a full-time student * Part Time, an American pop band ...

evening program. The mean LSAT score for admitted students is 154, and the median undergraduate GPA is 3.24. Students admitted to the full-time program can choose to begin classes in June to reduce their first semester course-load in August. All

students begin in June. 2018 matriculating students were 63% women, 4% veterans, 32% students of color, 19% identify as LGBTQ, and average age of 27.

Focus areas

School of Law offers "pathways" as one way for students to decide which courses to take, though choosing a pathway is not required. These pathways demonstrate sequences within and connections across the curriculum. Current pathways include: * Business law *

Constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fed ...

Commercial law Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and business engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a bra ...

* Criminal law * Environmental law, natural resource, and land use *

Family law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marri ...

* Health law * Law and social inequality *

Intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

, innovation and technology *

Litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

* Labor and employment law *

Real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

law * Taxation law

Employment

According to the school's official 2017 ABA-required disclosures, 76.5% of the class of 2017 obtained bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation. Seattle University School of Law's

Law School Transparency Law School Transparency (LST) is a nonprofit consumer advocacy and education organization concerning the legal profession in the United States. LST was founded by Vanderbilt Law School graduates Kyle McEntee and Patrick Lynch. LST describes its ...

under-employment score is 22.8%, indicating the percentage of the class of 2017 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.

Costs and financial aid

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of full-time tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Seattle University School of Law for the academic year is $70,564. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $235,798.

Publications

*'' Seattle University Law Review'' (flagship journal) *'' Seattle Journal for Social Justice'' *''Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, and Innovation Law'' *''The American Indian Law Journal''

Notable alumni

Greg Anton Greg Anton is a drummer, composer and co-founding member, with guitarist Steve Kimock, of the band Zero. Greg is also a writer and practicing attorney. Biography Greg was born in Hartford, Connecticut (August 8, 1949). His mother Shirley was a ...

, musician, recording artist, writer, and practicing attorney * Ralph Beistline,

Chief Judge A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, ...

, United States District Court for the District of Alaska. * Anne Bremner, trial attorney and legal commentator * Desley Brooks, former member of the

Oakland City Council The Oakland City Council is an elected governing body representing the City of Oakland, California. Since 1998, Oakland has had a mayor-council government. The mayor is elected for a four-year term. The Oakland City Council has eight council membe ...

, former Vice Mayor of

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, and lawyer *

Annette Clark Annette Clark is an American academic administrator and law professor. She served as dean of the Seattle University School of Law and left the position in 2022. Her research interests include Bioethics, bioethics and the law, Civil procedure in th ...

, Dean of Seattle University School of Law *Frank E. Cuthbertson, first African-American judge on the Pierce County Superior Court *Janet K.G. Dickson, law professor and legal writing expert * Joe Fain, member of the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olymp ...

and lawyer * Tom Galligan, former college president and Dean of the

Paul M. Hebert Law Center The Paul M. Hebert Law Center, often styled "LSU Law", is a public law school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is part of the Louisiana State University System and located on the main campus of Louisiana State University. Because Louisiana is a c ...

* Lorena González, politician, President of

Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-l ...

Kristin Hannah Kristin Hannah (born September 25, 1960) is an American writer. Her most notable works include ''Winter Garden'', ''The Nightingale'', '' Firefly Lane'', ''The Great Alone'', and ''The Four Winds''. Biography Kristin Hannah was born in Califor ...

, novelist, writer of ''

The Nightingale The common nightingale is a songbird found in Eurasia. Nightingale may also refer to: Birds * Thrush nightingale, a songbird found in Eurasia * Red-billed leiothrix, a songbird of the Indian Subcontinent Literature * "Nightingale" (short sto ...

'' (2015) * John J. Burns, Attorney General of Alaska * Nick Harper, member of the

and lawyer * Steve Haugaard, politician, Speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives * Laurie Jinkins, politician, Speaker of the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

. * Charles W. Johnson, Associate Chief Judge, Washington Supreme Court * Debora Juarez, member of the

and lawyer * Anne Kirkpatrick, first female police chief of

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

* Richard Labunski, American columnist and journalism professor * Lee Lambert, Chancellor of

Pima Community College Pima Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Pima County, Arizona. It serves the Tucson metropolitan area with a community college district consisting of five campuses, four education centers, and several adult education learni ...

*Paula Lustbader, law professor, renowned legal educator in professional civility * Rajeev Majumdar, lawyer and President of the

Washington State Bar Association The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's nearly 41,000 active and inactive lawyers and other legal professionals. In furtherance of its obligation t ...

* William Marler, food-borne illness attorney *

Steve McAlpine Stephen Alan "Steve" McAlpine (born May 23, 1949) is an American lawyer and politician. McAlpine served as the fifth lieutenant governor of Alaska from 1982 until 1990. Early life Stephen Alan McAlpine was born in Yakima, Washington on May 23 ...

, lawyer and 5th Lieutenant Governor of Alaska *Mark D. McLaughlin, business executive and CEO of cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks, Inc. * Ron Meyers, trial attorney and former Speaker Pro Tempore of the Washington House of Representatives *

Brian T. Moran Brian T. Moran is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, Western District of Washington from 2019 to 2021. He was previously of counsel at the l ...

, United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington *

Laurel Currie Oates Laurel Currie Oates is a legal author and law professor at Seattle University School of Law. Oates is also a visiting professor at the University of Witwatersrand School of Law in Johannesburg. She was a co-founder of the Legal Writing Institut ...

, author, law professor, co-founder of the Legal Writing Institute, and pioneer in the academic field of legal writing *

Steve O'Ban Steven Thomas O'Ban (born July 12, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 28th district from 2013 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as ...

, member of the

and lawyer * Patrick Oishi, prosecutor and current judge of the King County Superior Court * Sean Parnell, former

Governor of Alaska A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and lawyer *Joe Paskvan, former member of the Alaskan House of Representatives *Linda Lau, former Judge, Washington Court of Appeals *Benson Porter, banker, current president and CEO of BECU * Michele Radosevich,

Wisconsin State Senator The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

and lawyer *Mary Robnett, first woman Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney. * Cheryl Pflug, member of the

. * Greg Gilday, member of the Washington State House of Representatives * Angela Rye, former general counsel for the

Congressional Black Caucus The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is a caucus made up of most African-American members of the United States Congress. Representative Karen Bass from California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the P ...

, political commentator, activist, and entrepreneur * Charles Swift, national security law and civil rights expert, defense counsel in '' Hamdan v. Rumsfeld'' * Linda Trujillo, politician, member of the

New Mexico House of Representatives ) is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico. The most recent elections were held on November 3, 2020. Composition Leadership C ...

Christine Quinn-Brintnall Christine Quinn-Brintnall (1951 – May 19, 2014) was an American jurist. Quinn-Brintnall took office in November 2000 after being elected to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II, which covers Pierce County and 12 other counties. ...

, former Judge, Washington Court of Appeals *

Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to: Australian rules football * Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon * Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy * Bill J. V. Walke ...

, former

and former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Valdez, Alaska Valdez ( ; Alutiiq: ) is a city in the Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to the 2020 US Census, the population of the city is 3,985, up from 3,976 in 2010. It is the third most populated city in Alaska's Unorganized Bo ...

* Tracy Staab, Judge, Washington Court of Appeals *

Richard N.W. Wohns Richard N.W. Wohns is a neurosurgeon who is the founder and president of NeoSpine, LLC (a spine surgery and interventional pain management center). He has been listed one of the ''50 Spine Surgeons and Specialists to Know by Becker's ASC Review' ...

, renowned neurosurgeon and professor *

Homer Bone Homer Truett Bone (January 25, 1883 – March 11, 1970) was an American attorney and politician in Washington state, where he settled in Tacoma as a youth with his family from Indiana. He ran as a candidate for a variety of parties and was electe ...

, former Circuit Judge,

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Distri ...

and

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and p ...

* Rufus Yerxa, former Deputy Director-General of the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...

and former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative *

Eric Gibbs Eric Gibbs is an American attorney at Gibbs Law Group LLP in the United States. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys of California. As a part of the American Association for Justice, he co-chairs the Consumer privac ...

consumer protection law Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

expert and attorney *

Lisa L. Sutton Lisa L. Sutton (born October 3, 1963) is a Judge of the Washington Court of Appeals. Biography Sutton is serving as a judge on the Washington Court of Appeals The Washington Court of Appeals is the intermediate level appellate court for the ...

, Judge, Washington Court of Appeals * G. Helen Whitener,

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

, Washington Supreme Court *

Tarra Simmons Tarra Denelle Simmons (born 1977) is an American politician, convicted felon, lawyer, and civil rights activist for criminal justice reform. In 2011 Simmons was sentenced to 30 months in prison for theft and drug crimes. In 2017, she graduated f ...

, lawyer, politician, member of the Washington State House of Representatives * Katrina Foley, Member, Orange County Board of Supervisors, former Mayor of Costa Mesa, and attorney *

Jamal Whitehead Jamal Norman Whitehead (born 1979) is an American lawyer who is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Early life and education Whitehead was born in the Turnersville section ...

, 2022 nominee for judge of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (in case citations, W.D. Wash.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Gra ...

Notable faculty

* Cyrus Vance Jr., Manhattan District Attorney * Dean Spade, founder of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project *

David Skover David Michael Skover is the former Fredric C. Tausend Professor of Law at the Seattle University School of Law. He taught, wrote, and lectured in the fields of federal constitutional law, federal courts, free speech & the internet, and mass commu ...

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fed ...

scholar * Eduardo Peñalver, former Dean of

Cornell Law School Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. One of the five Ivy League law schools, it offers four law degree programs, JD, LLM, MSLS and JSD, along with several dual-deg ...

and property law scholar * Jill Otake, Judge,

United States District Court for the District of Hawaii The United States District Court for the District of Hawaii (in case citations, D. Haw.) is the principal trial court of the United States Federal Court System in the state of Hawaii. The court's territorial jurisdiction encompasses the stat ...

* Nikkita Oliver, political activist *

Courtney Milan Courtney Milan, a pseudonym for Heidi Bond, is a bestselling American author of historical and contemporary romance novels. After releasing her first few books under a traditional publishing contract, Milan has self-published more recent works. ...

, legal scholar and pioneer of the #MeToo movement in the federal judiciary * Wallace Loh, former Seattle University Law School dean, legal scholar, and renowned academic administrator * Lauren King, Judge of the

* Mary Yu,

Supreme Court of Washington The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. Justices must retire ...

, pioneer of the legal writing academic field * Randy Gordon, attorney and former member of the

* Richard Delgado, legal scholar and pioneer of

critical race theory Critical race theory (CRT) is a cross-disciplinary examination, by social and civil-rights scholars and activists, of how laws, social and political movements, and media shape, and are shaped by, social conceptions of race and ethnicity. Goal ...

in the law *

, legal scholar, bioethicist, and Dean of Seattle University Law School * Joaquin Avila, renowned civil rights attorney, drafter of the California Voting Rights Act, and MacArthur Genius Fellow * John McKay, former United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington * Charles W. Johnson, Associate Chief Justice,

* Cyrus Habib, former Lieutenant Governor of Washington

References

External links

* {{Coord, 47, 36, 35, N, 122, 19, 03, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-WA Seattle University colleges and schools Catholic law schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1972 Law schools in Washington (state) Universities and colleges in Seattle 1972 establishments in Washington (state)