University of San Francisco School of Law

Fr. Aloysius Varsi, the founder of the law school

The institution that eventually became the University of San Francisco School of Law was formally established in 1912 as the St. Ignatius College of Law; it was then part of the institution of the same name that would eventually be reorganized as the University of San Francisco in 1930. The school was first located on the fifth floor of the Grant Building located on the corner of 7th and Market Street. Although not formally established as an autonomous department until over three decades later, St. Ignatius began to offer law courses to students in 1880 under the direction of Fr. Aloysius Brunengo, S.J.[6] However, by the beginning of the 20th century, as the city began to rapidly expand, and to particularly meet the growing desires of young Irish and Italian Americans interested in practicing law, it was determined that a more formal institution be inaugurated.

Matt Sullivan, the law school's first dean

The St. Ignatius College of Law was thus founded in September 18, 1912 as an evening program with 29 students.[7] Among the students of this founding class was twenty-two year old Chan Chung Wing, who would become a prominent civil rights and immigration lawyer as well as the first Chinese American to practice law in California. Another student of this original class was twenty-two year old Vincent Hallinan, who would become a noted labor lawyer and be the Progressive Party candidate in 1952 Presidential Election, garnering the third highest number of votes. The law school’s first dean was Matthew I. Sullivan, who would serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California from 1914 to 1915. Among the school’s original faculty were: Fr. John J. Ford, S.J.; George A. Connelly; Joseph Farry; Joseph W. Beretta; John O’Gara; and John J. O’Toole- who would eventually go on to serve as the City Attorney of San Francisco (1926-1949).[8] Professor Farry would go on to teach at the law school for nearly half a century, retiring in 1957.[9] Dean Sullivan’s brother, Jeremiah F. Sullivan, who would later serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court of California (1926-1927), was also a professor at the law school during its earliest years.[10]

Five years after its founding, in 1917 the school moved to the corner of Hays and Shrader Streets, into a building popularly referred to as the “Shirt Factory.” This was also the location of the rest of St. Ignatius after its original campus was destroyed during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire.[11] By the same year the student population would reach 149, although enrollment would quickly drop in half with America’s entry into World War I.[12] Throughout the 1920s, the school saw considerable success and growth. By 1920 the school was home to 109 students, and would further expand to 266 by the end of the decade in 1929.[13] Many of the graduates of this era would go onto practice law in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area, including fifteen judges.[14] In 1927 the law school relocated once again, however, out of the downtown core and to the upper floor of Campion Hall (now Kalmanovitz Hall) on Lone Mountain, where the university resides today. That same year the law school accepted its first three female students, beginning what would become a long tradition of promoting women in the legal field.[15] Several notable figures graduated from the law school during the 1920s, including future Chief Clerk of the California State Assembly Arthur Ohnimus (1921), Attorney General of California Thomas C. Lynch (1929), and federal judges William Thomas Sweigert (1923) and George Bernard Harris (1926).

Despite the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, the law school and college began to hit their stride. In 1930 St. Ignatius College was reorganized as the University of San Francisco, and the law school opened a day-time program the following year. In 1935 the law school was accredited by the American Bar Association, and joined the Association of American Law Schools in 1937.[16] Lewis Cassidy would succeed Matthew Sullivan as the law school’s second dean in 1934, and would himself be succeeded by Charles H. Kinnane in 1936. In 1939 Edward A. Hogan would be installed as the fourth dean, and would serve until 1951. The era saw numerous graduates make considerable contributions to the rapidly growing city and state, including California Supreme Court Justice Raymond L. Sullivan (1930) and Congressman and Mayor of San Francisco John F. Shelley (1932).

The 1940s and 1950s saw continual growth for the law school. As was the case decades before, the student population dropped with America’s entry into World War II in 1941, however, swelled once again in the second half of the decade, particularly with the help of the G.I. Bill and economic boom of the post-war era.[17] Vernon X. Miller was named dean in 1951, and would be followed by Francis R. Walsh in 1954. Notable graduates of the mid-century include the first Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court Buell A. Nesbett (1940), long-serving federal judge and Nevada Attorney General Roger D. Foley (1946), noted judge and San Francisco Supervisor Dorothy von Beroldingen (1954), and future California Lieutenant Governor Leo T. McCarthy (1958). Between 1953 and 1958, the law school had one of the highest bar passage rates in the state.[18]

The 1960s saw the law school to begin to settle into its contemporary state. Dean Walsh ambitiously sought to expand the institution and in 1960 secured a $1,000,000 donation from the wealthy San Francisco industrialist and philanthropist Charles Kendrick to construct a new, permanent home for the law school.[19] Kendrick Hall, located at 2199 Fulton Street and directly across from the collegiate parish of St. Ignatius, was completed in 1962 and was dedicated by Archbishop Joseph Thomas McGucken and United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.[9] There were around 325 students for much of the 1960s, and doubling to over 750 during the 1970s.[20] Notable graduates of this era include long-time California legislator and Congressman John Burton (1960), California Supreme Court Justice Ming Chin (1967), Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis (1974), and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (1979).

In 1989, for the first time women made of 51% of the total law student population.[21] In 1999, alumnus Arthur Zief (1947) donated $3,200,000 for the construction of the Dorraine Zief Law Library, located next to Kendrick Hall. The law school celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2012.

Today the University of San Francisco Law School is home to over 360 students of many backgrounds and origins and is the alma mater of thousands of graduates who can be found throughout the Bay Area, California, and the world.[22] To date, alumni include over 330 judges serving on federal, state, and local courts across the state and country.[23] In keeping with its Catholic and Jesuit roots and traditions, the law school has long claimed to focus on social, economic, and environmental justice.[24] Susan Freiwald, the law school's first female dean, was installed in 2018.

The University of San Francisco School of Law's Koret Law Center occupies two buildings on the 55-acre (220,000 m²) hilltop USF campus overlooking Golden Gate Park, the Pacific Ocean and downtown San Francisco.

For fall 2021 admitted students, the median LSAT score was 155 and the median GPA was 3.33. The school accepted 46.93% of applicants, and 14.77% of those accepted enrolled. Following the 2019-2020 academic year, 6.7% of first year students left USF Law for academic (4.0%) or non-academic (2.7%) reasons.[25]

USF offers full- and part-time programs leading to the J.D. degree. Students can also enroll in the J.D./M.B.A. program which takes four years of study. USF also offers a J.D./Master of Urban and Public Affairs dual degree program. J.D. students can also receive certificates at graduation in Public Interest Law, Intellectual Property, Employment Law, International Law, and other areas. USF also offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree program in Comparative Law and International Transactions for foreign lawyers who have first degrees in law from a non-American university as well as an LL.M. in Intellectual Property and Technology law for foreign and American lawyers. USF also offers an LL.M. in Taxation for foreign and domestic students with law degrees, as well as a Master of Legal Studies in Taxation (M.L.S.T.) for students with a bachelor's degree.

According to the University of San Francisco School of Law's official 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 39.5% of the Class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners.[28] The University of San Francisco School of Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 36.1%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2019 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[29]

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at the University of San Francisco School of Law for the 2019-2020 academic year is $80,307.[30] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $286,033.[31]

The Law School has several school-sponsored publications in which students can participate.

• University of San Francisco Law Review
• Intellectual Property and Technology Law Journal (formerly the Intellectual Property Law Bulletin)
• USF Maritime Law Journal

The USF student body is among the most ethnically diverse in the country,[32] and ranked fourth for greatest resources for minority students.[26] USF sponsors dozens of student groups encompassing a wide range of demographic and practice area interests. In addition, the Public Interest Law Foundation holds an annual auction, drawing lawyers, judges and other community members in support of the school's commitment to public service. In 2017, USF opened a new residence hall for priority use by law students.[33]

USF sponsors a range of institutes, centers and special projects. In addition USF sponsors study abroad programs Archived 2007-09-17 at the Wayback Machine for its students in Prague, Dublin and Budapest. The exchange programs include instruction at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Relevant international coursework includes the study of European Community Law, International Business Transactions, and European Constitutionalism.

Students get hands-on training in IP and technology law through the Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Project and the Entrepreneurial Ventures Legal Services Project.[34]

In addition, USF hosts programs designed specifically for students such as the Keta Taylor Colby Death Penalty Project, which places students in the South working on death penalty appeals. Students can also participate in the Intensive Advocacy Project, which brings students from a variety of law schools and places them in an intensive trial advocacy class featuring notable local practitioners as teachers.

The school also provides ongoing mentoring through its chapter of the American Inns of Court.

The Dorraine Zief Law Library opened in 2000. Three years later, the law school's main classroom and administration building, Kendrick Hall, reopened after an extensive renovation.[35]

• Shalanda Baker, associate professor (2012-2014)
• Lara Bazelon, professor of law and writer
• Winfried Brugger, professor
• Maya Harris, adjunct professor
• Richard Leo, professor of criminal procedure
• J. Thomas McCarthy, professor of property and technology law; author of McCarthy on Trademarks and Unfair Competition[36]
• Thomas Nazario, professor
• John Jay Osborn Jr., professor of contract law (1991-2018); author of The Paper Chase[37]
• Eva Paterson, adjunct professor of civil rights and public interest law
• John A. Powell, professor
• Jeremiah F. Sullivan, early professor (1910s); Justice of the Supreme Court of California (1926-1927)
• Matt Sullivan, first dean of the University of San Francisco Law School (then called St Ignatius School of Law) (1912-1937); 16th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California (1914-1915)
• John D. Trasviña, former dean (2013-2018); former assistant secretary of fair housing at HUD and president of MALDEF[38]
• Kathryn Werdegar, associate dean and professor; Justice of the California Courts of Appeal (1991-1994) and California Supreme Court (1994-2017)
• Nicole Wong, adjunct professor of media and internet law (1997-1999); Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States (2013-2014)

• Official website