Caruso School of Law Admissions Program Cards

WISH YOU WERE HERE

SCHOOL OF LAW

At the truly unique Caruso School of Law, we strive to ignite a lifelong passion for the law. Come see our unmatched location on the Pacific Ocean in beautiful Malibu, California.

PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY

Caruso School of Law

24255 Pacific Coast Highway

Malibu, CA 90263-4494

LS2306382

CLINICAL PROGRAMS

Seeking Justice and Preparing for Practice

Clinics at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law are our in-house, public interest, teaching law firms representing diverse practice areas. Pepperdine offers multiple clinics, each with its own focus and style of lawyering, but all advancing the school’s mission to provide access to justice for those who cannot afford lawyers, for the sake of social justice and the rule of law.

JEFF BAKER, Clinical Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Clinical Education and Global Programs

JD Clinics

Community Justice Clinic

The Community Justice Clinic provides legal services for nonprofit, nongovernmental, and community organizations engaged in the protection of human rights, community economic development, sustainability, education, and justice causes.

Faith and Family Mediation Clinic

The Faith and Family Mediation Clinic collaborates with the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center of Los Angeles to reach amicable resolutions to civil and Jewish divorces.

Legal Aid Clinic

The Pepperdine Legal Aid Clinic at the Union Rescue Mission serves clients experiencing homelessness on Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles.

Low Income Taxpayer Clinic

The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic provides legal representation to low income taxpayers at the Pepperdine Legal Aid Clinic.

Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic

The Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic represents indigent clients as court-appointed counsel in briefing and arguing appeals, often in civil rights cases.

Restoration and Justice Clinic

The Restoration and Justice Clinic provides legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other gender-based crimes.

Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution Mediation Clinic

In the Mediation Clinic students mediate landlord/tenant, employment, and merchant/consumer cases.

Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law Startup Law Clinic

The Startup Law Clinic trains students to serve entrepreneurs of startups, primarily in the technology sector.

Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics

Religious Liberty Clinic

The Religious Liberty Clinic explores questions relating to how civil governments treat the religious beliefs, expressions, and institutions of their citizens and residents.

Practicums

Public Interest Practicum

The Public Interest Practicum is a field placement through which students work with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County representing individuals in various practice areas. The Veterans Law Practicum serves veterans in the county’s collaborative justice courts.

Externships

Externships are field placements in which students earn academic credit for qualifying legal work under the supervision of lawyers.

ENTERTAINMENT, MEDIA, AND SPORTS LAW

Entertainment, media, and sports (EMS) law are among Pepperdine Caruso Law’s most popular and exciting fields of study. Pepperdine’s many EMS offerings, as well as its proximity to Los Angeles—an entertainment capital of the world and home to more than 10 professional sports teams—create opportunities to develop real skills, immerse oneself in the industry, and network with practitioners in one of the world’s most exclusive practice areas. Pepperdine JD students can receive formal recognition for their interest and achievements with the certificate in Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law.

Gain expertise through coursework

The certificate in Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law is a 12-unit program available to enrolled Pepperdine Caruso Law students.

Some course options include:

» Communications Law

» Copyright

» Dispute Resolution: Selected Issues in the Entertainment Industry

» International Entertainment and Copyright

» Entertainment Law

» Internet Law

» Intellectual Property Survey

»

» Licensing

» Media and the Law

» Olympic and International Sports Dispute Resolution

Gain practical experience through externships

» Seminars in the film, music, and television industries

» Sports Law

» Trademark Law

Externships with media- and sports-related businesses provide Pepperdine law students with hands-on experience.

Organizations offering externships have included:

» Activision Blizzard

» Beverly Hills Sports Council

» Charlotte Hornets

» Lionsgate

» Los Angeles Lakers, Inc.

» Marvel Studios

» Nashville Predators

» NBCUniversal

» Red Bull Media House

» SAG-AFTRA

» Sony Music Entertainment

» Ticketmaster

» Viacom

» The Walt Disney Company

» Warner Bros. Pictures

» Warner Records

» William Morris Endeavor

Pepperdine

In today’s world, lawyers who have business skills have an advantage over their peers, as lawyers are increasingly called upon to render counsel on issues requiring knowledge beyond the scope of a traditional legal education. The Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law prepares students to fulfill the overlapping roles of lawyer and entrepreneur through a unique supplement to the traditional law school curriculum. Students can begin the program in their second year; those who complete 12 units are awarded a Palmer Center Certificate in Law and Entrepreneurship upon graduation.

Outside the classroom, the Palmer Center offers topical conferences, clinical externships, public service and social entrepreneurship opportunities, and unique internship experiences. The student-run Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business, and the Law publishes high-quality academic articles and produces an annual symposium.

The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law is one of the world’s leading educational programs in the field of dispute resolution. Hands-on faculty, small class sizes, and flexible schedules make our academic programs accessible and suitable for a variety of professional goals. Straus offers a master of dispute resolution (MDR), a certificate in dispute resolution, and a master of laws in dispute resolution, and a master of laws in dispute resolution (LLM). The institute also offers six other LLMs along with professional training programs.

Joint JD/MDR Degree

A master of dispute resolution (MDR) from the Straus Institute at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law will complement the curriculum for your juris doctor (JD) and equip you with timely skills in problem solving and conflict management. The 32-unit MDR program can be completed in conjunction with the JD program, and participants can still graduate within the same three years required for the JD.

Certificate program

JD students can use 12 units of their electives to earn a certificate in dispute resolution, incurring no additional tuition costs and without extending their time at the school. The certificate program will provide JD students with required courses including Mediation, Negotiation, and Arbitration.

JD students can earn a certificate or dual degree. Ranked best dispute resolution program in the US for more than 10 years.

Scholarship and mentorship opportunities available.

Château d’Hauteville, Switzerland

Malibu, California

SUDREAU GLOBAL JUSTICE INSTITUTE

The Sudreau Global Justice Institute is an international organization based out of Pepperdine Caruso School of Law that works to provide holistic solutions to systemic injustice and to equip others to do the same.

MAKING ACCESS TO JUSTICE A REALITY FOR ALL PEOPLE, EVERYWHERE

STRENGTHEN JUSTICE SYSTEMS

We partner with governments to implement equitable laws and systems and provide trainings to key stakeholders along the way.

500+ justice sector stakeholders trained

DEFEND THE DEFENSELESS

We seek out those suffering injustice, and we work to represent them or advocate on their behalf.

2,500+ clients given legal representation

TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION

We provide law students and practicing attorneys academic training and hands-on opportunities to advocate on the behalf of those in need.

200+ students trained through our programs

START WORKING TOWARD GLOBAL JUSTICE WHILE YOU ARE IN LAW SCHOOL

Internships

The institute’s summer internship program is designed for students passionate about service. Whether in Uganda working for the supreme court or with International Justice Mission in a field office, the mission is to serve our partners with excellence as they advance the ball on global justice around the world.

Classes

We believe a well-rounded education includes both academics and hands-on training. Our classes expand students’ knowledge of global injustice and offer them practical wisdom on how they can engage these issues and use their law degree to make a difference.

Spring Break

Open to students in their 2L and 3L years, students assist the Ugandan Judiciary with the implementation of plea bargaining in their criminal justice system during the 10-day spring break trip. Students have the opportunity to handle real cases, interview accused persons, and negotiate plea agreements on their behalf.

Fellowships

Looking for an amazing international legal experience after graduation? Our fellowship is a one-year opportunity for students to engage and support our legal reform projects around the world.