Starts Here
MAKE US YOUR ORIGIN STORY
And we‘ll help you write your dream ending. When you choose to attend the University of San Francisco School of Law, you’re investing in a beginning.
It’s the beginning of a story that will unfold over decades, and you’re its protagonist.
The journey you’re embarking on has its challenges. Here, those challenges aren’t won by the most adversarial — but by the best leaders and communicators. They aren’t won by regurgitating exact materials — but by applying the critical thinking learned in your classes. And they aren’t won by those who want to accept and perpetuate the status quo — but by those who want to challenge it and use the law to create equity for all.
Your story includes a cast of characters here to support you. We have a team of faculty who are not only passionate scholars and legal activists, but also your dedicated teachers and mentors devoted to making your journey a triumphant one. We have longstanding staff members ready to walk you through the details in order to prepare you for that journey. And we have ardent alumni standing by to cheer you on via mentorship, networking, and advice every step of the way.
Ready to begin writing the story of your success? Join us here at USF Law.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
"I expected to memorize cases and learn facts. But what I realized at USF is that law school would teach me how to think.”
CHIEF JUSTICE MARY JANE THEIS '74, ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT
There‘s no such thing as one-size-fits-all when it comes to your legal education.
No one law student is the same, so no law curriculum should be, either. At USF, you’ll choose from an array of programs, degrees, and certificates and tailor your course selections to your interests. No matter which focus you take, you’ll tackle challenging courses that build your critical analysis skills, prepare you to pass the bar exam, and set you on the path to success and fulfillment (no, they’re not mutually exclusive) as a practicing lawyer.
JD PROGRAMS
Full-time
Part-time
JD CERTIFICATES
Business Law
Intellectual Property and Technology Law
International and Comparative Law
Labor and Employment Law
Public Interest Law
Taxation Law
DUAL DEGREES
JD/LLM in Taxation
JD/Master of Business Administration
JD/Master of Arts in Urban and Public Affairs
LLM PROGRAMS
Intellectual Property and Technology Law
International Transactions and Comparative Law
Taxation
MASTER’S PROGRAM
Master of Legal Studies in Taxation
PICK YOUR PASSION
Or let us help you discover it.
At USF, we believe that the best lawyers are the ones who care the most, not the ones who bill the most. Come discover what you care about from our offering of 16 concentrations, all led by faculty who are equally passionate about their fields. We want to expose you to many areas of the law so that you find your area of the law. Below is a catalogue of many (but not all) of our course offerings.
ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION
COURSES
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Interpersonal Dynamics for Attorneys
Mediation
Negotiation
FACULTY
Sasha Cummings
Bill Ong Hing
Megan Hutchinson
Joshua Rosenberg
EXTERNSHIPS
Cooper, White & Cooper LLP
San Francisco City Attorney's Office
ANIMAL LAW
COURSES
Administrative Law
Animal Law
Animals & Justice Seminar
Climate Change Seminar
Constitutional Law
Environmental Law
Property
Torts
FACULTY
Juan Carlos Ibarra
Alice Kaswan
Matthew Liebman
EXTERNSHIPS
Animal Legal Defense Fund
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
COURSES
Administrative Law
Constitutional Law
Education Law
Federal Income Taxation
First Amendment Seminar
Poverty Law
Racism & Justice Seminar
Sexuality Law
FACULTY
Adam Abelkop
Julie Nice
EXTERNSHIPS
ACLU of Northern California
Supreme Court of California
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
American Constitution Society
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
National Lawyers Guild
Pride Law
CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW
COURSES
Antitrust Law
Bankruptcy
Commercial Real Estate Transactions
Corporate Governance
SHOUNAK DHARAP ’16, PARTNER, ARNS DAVIS LAW
“The way the professors at USF teach the law, it’s more than just what the law says. It’s really the study of society and it's about righting wrongs. No matter what area of law you go into, the message is very clear that you can help people.”
Corporations
DeFi: Decentralized Finance Law
Federal Income Taxation
Role of the General Counsel
Securities Regulation
Transactional Skills
FACULTY
Reza Dibadj
Bruce Price
DUAL DEGREE
JD/Master of Business Administration
CERTIFICATES
Business Law
Tax Law
EXTERNSHIPS
AssetMark
Guideline Technologies
Mixpanel
RiskIQ
Securities and Exchange Commission
Yahoo, Inc.
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Business Law Association
Real Estate Law Society
Technology, Entrepreneur, and Start-up Law Association
CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE
COURSES
Advanced Criminal Procedure
Applied Evidence
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Evidence
Interrogation and Confessions
Trial Practice: Criminal Law
Wrongful Convictions
FACULTY
Lara Bazelon
Amy Flynn
Richard Leo
CLINICS
Criminal and Juvenile Justice Law Clinic
Racial Justice Law Clinic
SPECIAL PROGRAM
Keta Taylor Colby Death Penalty Project
EXTERNSHIPS
Alameda County
District Attorney's Office
Alameda County
Public Defender's Office
District Attorney's Office of Sonoma County
Law Offices of B.C. McComas
Law Offices of Douglas Horngrad
Pier 5 Law Offices
San Francisco
District Attorney’s Office
San Francisco
Public Defender’s Office
San Francisco Superior Court, Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney’s Office
STUDENT ORGANIZATION
Criminal Law Society
DISCRIMINATION LAW
COURSES
Employee Benefits (ERISA)
Employment Discrimination
Immigration Law
Poverty Law
Sexuality Law
FACULTY
Lara Bazelon
Bill Ong Hing
Julie Nice
CLINICS
Immigration Policy Clinic
Racial Justice Law Clinic
EXTERNSHIPS
Dhillon Law Group
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
American Constitution Society
Labor and Employment Law
Student Association
Pride Law
Student Immigration Law Association
Women’s Law Association
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY LAW
COURSES
Energy Law
Environmental Law
Property Water Law
Water and Oil Law
FACULTY
Alice Kaswan
Frank Lindh
Richard Roos-Collins
EXTERNSHIPS
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sierra Club
U.S. Department of Justice — Environment and Natural Resources Division
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Environmental Law Student and Alumni Society
Real Estate Society
ESTATE PLANNING AND FAMILY LAW
COURSES
Community Property
Estate Planning
Family Law
Health Law
Sexuality Law
Wills and Trusts
FACULTY
Jacqueline Brown
Melissa Karlsten
Julie Nice
Koren Stevenson
Mark Zemelman
CLINIC
Criminal and Juvenile Justice Law Clinic
EXTERNSHIPS
Delagnes, Mitchell and Linder LLP
Family and Children's Law Center
Family Law Group
Fenchel Family Law
Murphy, Vu, Thongsamouth & Chatterjee LLP
San Francisco City Attorney’s Office
San Francisco Superior Court, Family Division
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Estate Planning and Tax Society
Family Law Society
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
USF Parents and Advocates Law Student Association
IMMIGRATION LAW
COURSES
Administrative Law
Employment Law
Family Law
Immigration Law
FACULTY
Jacqueline Brown
Bill Ong Hing
CERTIFICATE
Public Interest Law
CLINICS
Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic
Immigration Policy Clinic
EXTERNSHIPS
Centro Legal de la Raza
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant
CARMEN MARTINEZ '18, DIRECTOR, LEGAL TRANSACTIONS, ZIP
“At USF, the professors and environment are unique. Faculty really care. They want to prepare us so that we know we can go out there and be competitive."
Law Offices of Robert P. Gaffney
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Family Law Society
International Law Society
Labor and Employment Law Student Association
Public Interest Law Foundation
Student Immigration Law Association
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, TECHNOLOGY, AND PRIVACY LAW
COURSES
Art Law
Artificial Intelligence & the Law
Blockchain Technology & the Law
Copyright Law
Information Privacy Law
Internet Law
Patent Law
Patent Licensing
Privacy Skills
Trademark Law
FACULTY
Jessica Fajfar
Susan Freiwald
Tiffany Li
Everett Monroe
Michele Neitz
Tom Onda
Karren Shorofsky
Tyson Winarski
CERTIFICATE
Intellectual Property and Technology Law
CENTER
Center for Law, Tech, & Social Good
CLINIC
Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Clinic
EXTERNSHIPS
AppDynamics
Duane Morris LLP
GoPro
Kuehn Law
LeClairRyan
Perkins Coie LLP
Yahoo!
JOURNAL
Intellectual Property and Technology Law Journal
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
IP and Cyber Law Association
Space and Aeronautical Law Student Association
Technology, Entrepreneur, and Start-up Law Association
INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE LAW
COURSES
Comparative Law
International Business Transactions
International Human Rights
International Taxation
Public International Law
FACULTY
Reza Dibadj
Lindsay Harris
Dana Zartner
CERTIFICATE
International and Comparative Law
CLINIC
Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic
SPECIAL PROGRAM
International Summer Externships in China, Czech Republic, Europe, Mexico, and Vietnam
STUDENT EXCHANGES
Hong Kong
Luxembourg
Prague
EXTERNSHIPS
Baker McKenzie, Vietnam
Boehmert & Boehmert, Germany
Cleveland Scott York, UK
Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos, México
De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés, France
Deloitte, Czech Republic
Dentons, Czech Republic
Duane Morris LLP, Vietnam
Ernst & Young, Mexico
Reed Smith LLP, China
Trevisan & Cuonzo Avvocati, Italy
STUDENT ORGANIZATION
International Law Society
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW
COURSES
Employee Benefits (ERISA)
Employment Discrimination
Employment Law
Labor Law
Legal Issues in Sports
Mediation
Negotiation
FACULTY
Don Carroll
Roy Eisenhardt
Nicole Phillips
CERTIFICATE
Labor and Employment Law
EXTERNSHIPS
Dhillon Law Group
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Liuzzi Murphy Solomon Churton & Hale LLP
Messing Adam & Jasmine LLP
San Francisco City Attorney's Office
Sheik Law
U.S. Federal Labor Relations Authority
U.S. Postal Service
STUDENT ORGANIZATION
Labor and Employment Law Students Association
LITIGATION AND TRIAL ADVOCACY
COURSES
Appellate Advocacy
Applied Evidence
Civil Procedure
Practice-ready Skills
Remedies
Trial Advocacy and the Ethical Prosecutor
Trial Practice
U.S. Asylum Law Seminar
FACULTY
Lara Bazelon
Amy Flynn
Monalisa Vu
CLINIC
Criminal and Juvenile Justice Law Clinic
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Advocate of the Year Competition
Intensive Advocacy Program
Moot Court Program
EXTERNSHIPS
Albert G. Stoll Jr., A Law Corporation
San Francisco City Attorney’s Office
Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
Thompson Law Office
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
STUDENT ORGANIZATION
Criminal Law Society
PUBLIC INTEREST AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
COURSES
Constitutional Law
Death Penalty Seminar
Domestic Violence Law and Litigation Skills
Education Law
Election Law
International Human Rights
Policing & the Use of Force in America
Sexuality Law
FACULTY
Lindsay Harris
Bill Ong Hing
Richard Leo
Julie Nice
DUAL DEGREE
JD/Master of Arts in Urban and Public Affairs
CERTIFICATE
Public Interest Law
CLINICS
Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic
Immigration Policy Clinic
Racial Justice Law Clinic
SPECIAL PROGRAM
Keta Taylor Colby Death Penalty Project
EXTERNSHIPS
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Eviction Defense Collaborative
Family Violence Law Center
Legal Aid of Sonoma County
Open Door Legal
Public Advocates
Tenant Law Group
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
American Constitution Society
Pride Law
Public Interest Law Foundation
SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT, & THE ARTS
COURSES
Contracts Drafting
Intellectual Property Seminar
Legal Issues in Sports
Patent Licensing
FACULTY
Roy Eisenhardt
Tiffany Li
Karren Shorofsky
CLINIC
Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Clinic
EXTERNSHIPS
Athletes First
BBC Worldwide Productions
Content Group
Lionsgate
Pac-12 Conference
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Intellectual Property and Cyber Law Association
Sports and Entertainment Law Association
TAXATION LAW
COURSES
CA Tax Appeals Assistance Program
Corporate Taxation
Federal Income Taxation
International Taxation
Partnership Taxation
FACULTY
Daniel Lathrope
Joshua Rosenberg
DUAL DEGREES
JD/LLM in Taxation
JD/Master of Business Administration
CERTIFICATES
Business Law
Tax Law
EXTERNSHIPS
California State Board of Equalization
Franchise Tax Board
IRS Office of Chief Counsel
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic
Tax Appeals Assistance Program
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Tax Division
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Business Law Association
Estate Planning and Tax Society
16,092 HOURS OF HANDS-ON LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDED TO CLIENTS BY STUDENTS IN SIX USF LAW CLINICS IN 2023–2024
GAIN EXPERIENCE ALONG THE WAY
Set yourself apart by working together. At USF, you’ll learn by doing. When you participate in legal clinics, moot court, advocacy programs, externships, or international learning opportunities, you’re both gaining legal experience and learning from the diverse array of faculty, practitioners, and classmates working alongside you.
USF LAW CLINICS
Discover where your passion lies and impact your client‘s life. All at the same time. Under the supervision of professors, USF law clinics let you practice real lawyering by representing defendants, advocating for minors in immigration and asylum proceedings, pursuing justice for individuals who have been wrongfully convicted, and working with startups and nonprofits to secure trademarks and patents.
Criminal and Juvenile Justice Law Clinic
Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic
Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic
Immigration Policy Clinic
Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Clinic
Racial Justice Law Clinic
MARIA ZAVALETA ’21, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY AT BEAN, LLOYD, MUKHERJI, & TAYLOR, LLP
“Traveling to Nogales, Mexico, with the Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic, I was able to put into practice what I had learned in the classroom and counsel asylum seekers about the asylum process.”
MAKE AN IMPACT
“No day was the same. I touched so many different areas of the law, which is one of the things that I really enjoyed.”
TYLER ALSEY ’22, ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY, CHAN + PUNZALAN ON HIS EXTERNSHIP WITH THE OAKLAND A‘S
HILLARY BLOUT ’06, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FOR THE PEOPLE
"My internship with the San Francisco District Attorney's Office helped me see how much power prosecutors have, and I saw that the power can be wielded in both a just and an unjust way.”
EXTERNSHIPS
When you participate in USF‘s externships program, you‘ll graduate with the necessary skills to succeed and a network of contacts to support you.
Earn academic credit while working in government agencies, corporate legal departments, law firms, nonprofit organizations, and state and federal courts. And you won’t have to go it alone. Led by experienced professors, your externships course is also your training ground and a chance to examine legal and professional issues that arise in the field.
MOOT COURT
In USF’s Moot Court Program, you’ll build advocacy and leadership skills by researching and writing legal briefs and then arguing a case in front of a judge and jury. You may then participate in one of the law school’s award-winning advocacy competition teams.
INTENSIVE ADVOCACY PROGRAM
In this two-week course, you’ll learn the art of trial advocacy, including crafting opening statements and closing arguments, and conducting direct and cross-examinations. You’ll sharpen your skills through work shops, demonstrations, individualized feedback, and lectures given by renowned litigators and judges.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES
A global perspective is critical to pursuing justice in modern society. Work abroad and gain lasting, valuable experience. Through USF’s international externships, you’ll build practical skills while working for international law firms, multinational organizations, and nongovernmental organizations in Vietnam, China, Mexico, and across Europe.
LAW REVIEW
Since 1966, law student-scholars have collaborated to publish the USF Law Review Serving on the law review provides you with opportunities to improve writing and analytical skills, as well as contribute original content and legal insights.
TAYLER
WALTERS ’20 ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY, GIBBS LAW GROUP LLP
“Moot Court forced us to think about how the arguments make sense in practice, and what kind of impact we actually have on the legal system. It was a great way to ground my overall understanding of the law and of legal theory.”
BURKE, WILLIAMS & SORENSEN
ALAMEDA COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE EAST BAY TESLA
CONTRA COSTA DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
EAST BAY
Alameda County Family Justice Center
Alameda County District Attorney’s Office Contra Costa County Public Defender’s Office Kaiser Permanente
YOUR STORY'S BACKDROP
When you attend law school in San Francisco, you have options.
Your story is set in one of the world’s most active legal landscapes, and you can choose whether to work in firms from San Francisco to Silicon Valley, in state or federal courts, in a variety of district attorneys’ or public defenders’ offices, in a myriad of nonprofits ... the list goes on. Our graduates do it all because they’ve had access to it all.
MORRIS LLP
DUANE
THE HON. NICHELLE HOLMES '10, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT
“I consider USF to be my family, which helped immensely because law school was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Everyone from the Dean’s Office on down supported me, believed in me, and prepared me for the legal profession.”
CAMERON CLOAR-ZAVALETA ’09, DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL & MANAGING DIRECTOR, LITIGATION AND REGULATORY LAW AT ALASKA AIRLINES
“There's at least one USF Law alum at every firm or public agency in San Francisco. Everyone is supportive of each other, and it's a vibrant community.”
THOMAS
ONDA ’90,
CHIEF COUNSEL, GLOBAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, BRANDS AND MARKETING, LEVI STRAUSS & CO.
“I get a lot of satisfaction seeing where students end up and where their paths take them. For me, mentoring reminds me of when I was in law school and what I was going through.”
“At USF, I learned how to turn purpose and passion into action, to make a real difference in the world.”
59 COURSES WITH FEWER THAN 25 STUDENTS OFFERED IN 2022–2023.
JOHN HONG ’07, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT BIOTECH COMPANY AVELLINO LAB
“Because of the opportunities and relationships I built at USF, I was able to pursue my interests and launch my career as an employment lawyer.”
Yuki Cruse '15, Associate Senior Legal Counsel, Americas Employment Law, Adobe Inc.
Brendon Woods '96, Alameda County Public Defender
AMY VAN PROOYEN '99, CEO, VERNDARI INC.
UNLIMITED NUMBER OF CAREER COUNSELING SESSIONS STUDENTS HAVE WITH OUR ATTORNEY-COUNSELORS.
Gill '12, Principal Counsel, Intellectual Property, Netflix
115,000 ALUMNI IN THE USF GLOBAL NETWORK. 10,000 LAW ALUMNI WORLDWIDE.
Simron
Associate Justice Ming Chin '67 (ret.), California Supreme Court
Marshal Arnwine Jr. '18, Legal Policy Advocate, ACLU of Northern California
YOUR SUPPORTIVE NETWORK
"Many significant connections in my life were forged during my time as a law student at USF and throughout my legal career, and have left a lasting impact on me.”
YUKI CRUSE ’15, ASSOCIATE SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL, AMERICAS EMPLOYMENT LAW AT ADOBE
The journey of law school is a long one, and it helps to have support along the way.
A major hallmark of a USF legal education is the large and active network of alumni who are standing by to give you tips, advice, and even a job. The network stretches across the United States and around the world, and its members are eager to welcome you to their ranks by helping you on your way.
Meet Your Mentors
You‘ll get inspired, and then you‘ll get going. Our faculty members are our students’ champions.
They don’t just teach the law — they study it, they practice it, and they change it. The way our professors engage in the legal community and in law reform speaks directly to our mission, and their goal is to create lawyers who will do the same.
They’ll know your name, they’ll help identify your passions, and they’ll challenge you to go out and use them to make the law better. Our ethos of law as impact — as alive and dynamic and changing as we speak — is at the heart of our approach to teaching.
ISABEL CALLEJO-BRIGHTON ’20, ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY, LAW OFFICES OF G. FRANCHESCA CALLEJO
"Every time the pressures seemed overwhelming, there were the faculty and staff at USF Law, doing everything they could to propel us forward. We had a law school that was invested in seeing us succeed in life and in law.”
MEET OUR COMMUNITY
Our diversity is your opportunity. When you attend law school at USF, you receive the benefit of being at the 15th most diverse law school in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.
We believe diversity is power: the power to see through the lenses of people different from ourselves, the power of understanding beyond our own lived experiences.
So we’re proud to have had a 2023 incoming class comprised of 59 percent students of color, 37% first-generation college grads, and 24% who identify as LGBTQAI+.
We’re proud that preLaw Magazine ranked us as the seventh and eighth best law schools for AAPI and Latinx students, respectively. We’re proud to support active student affinity groups, including: Pride Law, Latinx Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, Disability Rights & Advocacy Law Student Association, Middle Eastern & North African Law Students Association, Pilipinx American Law Society, South Asian Law Student Association, Women‘s Law Association, and more.
And we’re proud that our community regularly hosts events focused on diversifying the bar and the bench.
Some of these include: Diversity Week, spearheaded by Student Affairs, in which every day has a different activity, and the Judges of Color Panel, an annual event for over 20 years.
Join us, and add your own lived experience to our pride.
SOPHIA ABEBE ’24
“My most memorable experience at USF was the Black Law Student Association's Fireside Chat held during my first year of law school. I could immediately feel the love from all of the USF Law alumni, and from that moment, I knew I was coming into a community that was rooting for me and my success.”
RANKED AS THE 15TH MOST DIVERSE LAW SCHOOL IN THE NATION BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT.
PROF. HEIDI HO '97, CO-DIRECTOR, ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAM
“Having a diverse student body allows for a diversity of thought, which promotes diversity in the law. Programs like the Academic Support Program deepen USF's commitment to diversity and provide students with an even stronger sense of community.”
PREPARING YOU FOR THE JOURNEY TO THE BAR
From the moment of your orientation, you have a team behind you at USF School of Law.
USF’s Academic and Bar Exam Success Program (ABES) tailors services to help each student thrive. You’ll get counseling and study planning with faculty, practice exams, small-group workshops, one-on-one tutorials, and individualized feedback on essays.
Through your courses, workshops, and practice exams from 1L through the bar, you will develop strategies to tackle each part of the exam, including the essay, multiple choice, and performance test sections. The result? You’ll be ready for the bar exam with the test-taking skills you need based on essential learning theory and effective study strategies.
"Law school, especially the first year, is hard. ASP allowed me to catch up to where other students already were, in terms of learning the basics of law.”
DAVID SUTTON ’08, MARIN COUNTY CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER
ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAM
First-generation law students and students facing unique challenges are just two of the groups who might be eligible for specialized academic support services. Our Academic Support Program (ASP) individually selects participants via a holistic review, and works one-on-one with each of them to tailor an academic success strategy to their specific needs. A program director meets with every member throughout the year to assess academic progress, work on writing skills, and adjust their academic approach as necessary.
USF recognizes that the rigorous demands of a legal education may be especially challenging for applicants who have been culturally, educationally, economically, or historically disadvantaged, or who have not been in an academic setting for several years.
USF created the Academic Support Program (ASP) to provide resources for these wellqualified individuals to excel in law school.
OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES
When you decide where your law career will take you, USF Law will help you arrive. Our Office of Career Services is staffed with attorney-counselors who have diverse
legal experience and extensive networks. They work with you on career planning and job search strategy, and connect you with opportunities in the legal community. Specific services include individual career counseling, mock interviews, career skills workshops, and resume, cover letter, and social media presence review. Throughout the year, you’ll connect with practicing attorneys in your field of interest, through opportunities such as tech sector networking events, the Lunch with Lawyers program, and various panels given by practicing lawyers across various areas of the law.
ADRIAN VALENZUELA ’20, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SAN MATEO COUNTY
"ASP is a family. Because of that program, I was connected with Judge Charles Wilson, a USF alum and former ASP participant, and I clerked for him during my first law school summer at Santa Clara County Superior Court.”
24,705 STUDENT HOURS IN CIVIL, CRIMINAL, AND JUDICIAL EXTERNSHIPS IN 2023-2024
YOUR SETTING IS THE CITY
KORET HEALTH & RECREATION CENTER
LONE MOUNTAIN CAMPUS
HOUSING AT USF
You have an array of housing options when you attend USF School of Law. The majority of our students live off campus in the neighborhoods surrounding USF, but many commute from around the Bay Area while living at home with their families. Another option is our St. Anne’s residence, where USF Law students live and learn together.
The St. Anne’s residence houses up to 45 law students. Located just one and a half miles from campus in the Inner Sunset neighborhood, St. Anne’s features a large kitchen, free laundry on each floor, and a large lounge area. A popular study spot with the first-year law students who make up the majority of St. Anne’s residents, the lounge is where you’ll find groups reviewing and discussing notes after a day’s lecture.
CENTER
Change Happens Here
I am so pleased that you are considering joining us at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Choosing a law school is an exciting — but daunting — decision. I encourage you to think about finding a program and community that supports both who you are and what you hope to become through your legal education.
At USF Law, you will learn alongside an inclusive, diverse, and active student body, passionate not only about studying the law, but also about shaping it. You will be taught by faculty who are both brilliant scholars and experienced practitioners, so your classes will prepare you for the practice of law as it is, while also challenging you to think about what it could be. Our small size means you will develop close relationships with your faculty, who will support and mentor you through your law school journey. And as you begin to plan your legal career, you will benefit from the loyalty of our global network of ten thousand dedicated alumni who are eager to help the next generation of USF Law grads enter the practice.
These are the qualities that drew me to join USF Law, along with the opportunity to live in one of the world’s most beautiful, exciting, and innovative cities. If a supportive and vibrant law school in the center of a world-class city sounds appealing to you, I hope you will consider making USF Law the first step on the journey of your legal career. We’d love to be part of your story!
JOHANNA KALB Dean and Professor of Law
FOLLOW YOUR
FUTURE
“I encourage new law students to take advantage of every resource USF has to offer, including all of the networking opportunities.”
LINDA SZABADOS ’20, PROGRAMMATIC COUNSEL AT U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
JOSH BINDER ’01, PARTNER AT ROTHENBERG MOHR & BINDER, LLP
“At USF, I learned about dedication to doing things right and the need to put in the kind of effort that separates me from the rest of the group.”
When you begin your legal career at USF School of Law, we’ll help you navigate every part of the admissions process, whether it’s making sure you have your prerequisite testing requirements complete or assisting you in applying for financial aid.
Our admissions staff travels the country to meet as many prospective students as possible at recruitment events, and we’re always just a phone call or email away to answer all of your questions.
ADMISSIONS
Our admissions staff is standing by with all the information you need about USF Law: enrollment processes, career services, our curriculum ... whatever questions you have, we’re here to answer them. We use a rolling admission system that
typically begins accepting applications in midSeptember and sending the first acceptance letters in early November.
ASSISTANCE
Attending law school is one of the most significant investments you’ll make. Our financial aid team ensures that you’re able to receive all the scholarship and loan support for which you’re eligible, and makes the process of obtaining it easier to navigate.
106 ALUMNI AND PRACTITIONERS WHO SERVED AS VOLUNTEER JUDGES IN THE MOOT COURT PROGRAMS IN 2023–24.
