Pepperdine University School of Law

Pepperdine University School of Law
Name	Pepperdine University School of Law
Established	1969
Type	Private
Parent	Pepperdine University
Location	Malibu, California
Dean	Erwin Chemerinsky
Students	~700
Website	-- omitted --

Pepperdine University School of Law

Pepperdine University School of Law is an American law school located in Malibu, California, known for its emphasis on practical skills and values-based legal education. The school offers Juris Doctor and advanced legal degrees, engaging students through clinics, externships, and specialized centers tied to litigation, public interest, and transactional practice. Its coastal campus and curricular focus have connected students with courts, firms, and organizations across Southern California, Washington, D.C., and international venues.

History

Founded in 1969 amid nationwide expansion of legal education, the law school developed programs influenced by practitioners and judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and the California Supreme Court. Early faculty included alumni and faculty linked to the University of Southern California, the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, and the Harvard Law School network. Over decades the school engaged with figures associated with the American Bar Association, the Federalist Society, and the American Trial Lawyers Association, while hosting symposia with speakers from the United States Supreme Court, the California Legislature, and the United States Department of Justice. Institutional growth paralleled developments tied to the Civil Rights Movement, the War on Drugs, and the expansion of administrative law cases in the Ninth Circuit.

Campus and Facilities

The Malibu campus includes classrooms, moot courtrooms, and libraries designed to serve litigators and transactional attorneys. Facilities have hosted competitions referencing the American Bar Association Tournament, the Warren E. Burger Prize mock trials, and visiting scholars from the International Criminal Court and the World Trade Organization. The law library holds collections relevant to the Uniform Commercial Code, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and materials used by practitioners in the Central District of California. Nearby judicial heartbeat points include the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, and the California Court of Appeal. Campus amenities have supported clinics collaborating with nonprofit organizations such as the American Red Cross, the Legal Aid Society, and the Public Defender Service.

Academics and Programs

The curriculum offers courses in trial advocacy, appellate advocacy, corporate transactions, and public interest law drawing on doctrines from the United States Constitution, federal statutes like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and regulatory regimes administered by agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Specialized programs include offerings on international arbitration linked to the International Chamber of Commerce, comparative law offerings engaging the European Court of Human Rights, and environmental law tied to the Environmental Protection Agency. Faculty and visiting lecturers have come from institutions like Stanford Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, and New York University School of Law.

Clinical and Externship Opportunities

Students can participate in clinics that place them in litigation and transactional matters before courts including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Central District of California, and municipal tribunals. Externships have connected students with offices such as the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney's Office, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, the California Attorney General's Office, and federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Public interest placements have included partnerships with Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The clinical program emphasizes courtroom work and client counseling in contexts reminiscent of clinics at Georgetown Law, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, and Yale Law School Clinic.

Research, Centers, and Publications

Research centers at the law school promote scholarship on dispute resolution, international human rights, and corporate governance, engaging scholars familiar with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the United Nations, and trade law bodies like the World Trade Organization. Journals produced by students contribute to literature alongside established periodicals such as the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, and the Columbia Law Review. Centers have sponsored conferences attracting jurists from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, professors from University of Chicago Law School, and representatives from professional associations including the American Bar Association Section of Litigation. Faculty scholarship has been cited by courts including the California Supreme Court and federal district courts.

Admissions and Student Life

Admissions criteria align with national standards used by applicants who also apply to institutions such as Stanford Law School, UCLA School of Law, USC Gould School of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Student organizations mirror professional groups like the American Bar Association student chapters, the Federalist Society student chapters, and affinity groups similar to those at Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School. Student life includes moot court competitions that attract teams from Pepperdine moot competitors (school name not linked), national tournaments such as the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, and negotiation contests modeled on the International Chamber of Commerce mediation rounds. Social activities often take place near cultural venues like the Getty Center, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Santa Monica Pier.

Career Outcomes and Notable Alumni

Graduates have entered private practice at firms that argue before the United States Supreme Court and litigate in the Ninth Circuit, taken roles in state offices such as the California Attorney General's Office, and joined federal agencies including the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission. Alumni have also become judges on courts such as the United States District Court for the Central District of California and served in elected office in bodies like the California State Legislature and offices connected to the United States Congress. Notable alumni have worked with organizations similar to the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, and corporate counsel teams at firms litigating before the Delaware Court of Chancery and arbitration panels of the International Chamber of Commerce.

Category:Law schools in California