Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL) is a private law school in San Diego, California. It offers a Juris Doctor and three Master of Laws programs, including one that is exclusively online,[4] as well as a combined J.D./M.B.A. with San Diego State University.

Not to be confused with Thomas Jefferson University.
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Established1969
School typePrivate, Non-profit
DeanLinda Keller[1]
LocationSan Diego, California, United States
Enrollment326 (as of Oct 5, 2018)[2]
Faculty88 (40 Full-time and 48 adjunct[2]
Bar pass rate22% (July 2019 first-time bar takers)[3]
Websitewww.tjsl.edu

The school is not approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), following the ABA's withdrawal of approval in December 2019.[5][6] However, it is currently approved by the California State Bar’s Committee of Bar Examiners.[7] As a result, graduates are generally not able to take the bar or practice law outside of California.

History

The Thomas Jefferson School of Law was founded in 1969 as the San Diego campus of the Western State University College of Law and operated as such until 1995, when it became independent. It joined the Association of American Law Schools in 2008.[8] In January 2011, TJSL moved to a new, 305,000-square-foot (28,300 m2) building located in the East Village district of downtown San Diego.[9] In 2018, the school announced it would vacate its building as a cost-cutting measure, moving into an office building in downtown San Diego.[10]

Accreditation

TJSL received approval from the American Bar Association (ABA) in 1996.[11] The ABA revoked the school's accreditation on June 10, 2019. This followed a public censure by the ABA in 2018 and a 2017 decision to place the school on probation for being out of compliance with the ABA requirement that schools admit only students who appear capable of earning a J.D. degree and passing the bar examination.[12][13] In October 2018, TJSL became a California state accredited school, allowing its students to take the California Bar Exam.[14]

Academics

The program offers Master of Laws (LL.M.), Master of Science of Law (M.S.L) and JSD "Doctor of Laws or Juridical Science" degrees. Certificate Programs in International Financial Centers, United States Taxation, E-commerce, Anti-Money Laundering & Compliance, and Trusts and Estate Planning are available.[15] Faculty for the program are generally part-time and populated with industry professionals.[16] Students begin classes in August, attend the three-year, full-time program or the four-year, part-time program, and can accelerate graduation one semester by taking additional classes during the summer. Day and evening classes are offered.

Bar pass rate and rankings

Bar pass rates

The July 2019 California bar pass rate for TJSL graduates was 22% for first time takers and 18% for repeat takers, vs. statewide averages of 64% and 26%, respectively.[17]

Rankings

The ranking of the School of Law by U.S. News & World Report is not published, as U.S. News does not publish the ranking of schools that fall below 145.[18] The School of Law is not ranked in National Jurist's rankings of the top 80 law schools in the United States

Costs and student debt

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law for the 2018–2019 academic year is $77,660.[19] Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years at $297,652.[20]

According to U.S. News & World Report, the average indebtedness of 2018 graduates who incurred law school debt was $196,607 (not including undergraduate debt), and 92% of 2018 graduates took on debt. The average indebtedness of graduates who incurred law school debt is second-highest among US law schools.[21] The school's Associate Dean for Student Affairs has attributed the average debt level to the school's admittance of immigrants and those who are the first in their family to attend law school—people who are statistically more likely to lack individual or family resources.[22]

Post-graduation employment
ABA Employment Summary for 2018 Graduates[23]
Employment Status Percentage
Employed—Bar Passage Required (Full-Time, Long-Term)
 
 19.4%
Employed—Bar Passage Required (Part-Time and/or Short-Term)
 
 3.5%
Employed—J.D. Advantage
 
 16.7%
Employed—Professional Position
 
 11.1%
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time
 
 2.8%
Unemployed—Not Seeking
 
 4.9%
Unemployed—Seeking
 
 21.5%
Employment Status Unknown
 
 20.1%
Total of 144 Graduates

According to Thomas Jefferson School of Law's official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 19% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[24]

In 2013, the National Law Journal reported the college has the worst unemployment rate after graduation (31.5%) amongst all law schools in the country.[25]

In January 2011, a New York Times article about the inability of many recent law school graduates to get jobs discussed Thomas Jefferson's claim that 92% of the class of 2009 was employed within nine months of graduation.[22] The school's claim was based on a survey of the class of 2009. (Under ABA rules, 25% of graduates who do not participate in employment surveys are counted as employed.).[22] The Wall Street Journal also ran a story in June 2012 listing TJSL as one of the 'bottom five' schools for 2011 graduate employment.[26]

In May 2011, Anna Alaburda filed a class-action lawsuit against her alma mater, alleging that the law school had committed fraud by publishing deceptive post-graduation employment statistics and salary data in order to bait new students into enrolling. Alaburda, a 2008 honors graduate, claimed that despite having graduated at the top of her class and passed the California bar exam, she was unable to find suitable legal employment, and had racked up more than $150,000 in student loan debt. This is the first time a law school would stand trial for allegedly inflating its employment statistics. The jury found in favor of TJSL with a 9–3 verdict.[27]

Center for Solo Practitioners

Since Fall 2012, TJSL has operated a lawyer incubator program called the Center for Solo Practitioners. The incubator provides space and support for selected alumni who are going into solo practice. It is also intended to help serve under-represented communities.[28]

At the 2013 annual meeting of the American Bar Association, the Center for Solo Practitioners was honored with an ABA award in recognition of "successful implementation of a project or program specifically targeted to solo and small-firm lawyers."[29]

Additional programs offered

Intellectual property

In 2009, TJSL initiated an Intellectual Property Fellowship Program[30] for students with undergraduate or advanced degrees in the hard sciences or engineering. The TJSL Center for Law and Intellectual Property has course offerings in copyright, patent, trademark and unfair competition law as well as cyberspace law, biotechnology law and bioethics, telecommunications and media law, and sports and entertainment law.[31]

International law

The Center for Global Legal Studies[32] offers a specialized program in international law.

Social Justice Center

The Center for Law and Social Justice is a research and teaching program in areas of public policy and law in its field.[33]

Notable people

Alumni
  • Roger T. Benitez 1978—Federal Judge of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of California
  • Bonnie Dumanis 1976—First openly gay or lesbian DA in the country.[34] Also the first Jewish woman DA in San Diego
  • Duncan Hunter 1976—Republican member of the House of Representatives from California's 52nd, 45th and 42nd districts from 1981 to 2009 and 2008 presidential candidate
  • Jessica King 2001—Wisconsin professor and former Wisconsin state senator
  • Leslie Alexander—A former stock trader and former owner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Houston Rockets.
  • Tim Purpura 1992—Former general manager of the Houston Astros

Faculty

See also

References
  1. https://www.tjsl.edu/directory/linda-m-keller
  2. "THOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOL OF LAW—2018 Standard 509 Information Report". Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  3. https://abovethelaw.com/2019/12/california-bar-exam-results-a-breakdown-by-law-school-july-2019/
  4. "How to enroll in America's first LLM Program". http://llmprogram.org.
  5. "It's Official: Thomas Jefferson Law School Will Lose Its National Accreditation". Voice of San Diego. 2019-11-21. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  6. Seltzer, Rick (June 12, 2019). "ABA Yanks Thomas Jefferson Accreditation". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  7. "The State Bar of California". www.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  8. AALS Member Schools
  9. "Local Law School's New Campus To Open Tuesday Thomas Jefferson School Of Law Is Relocating From Old Town". New 10 Now. 19 January 2011.
  10. Sloan, Karen (May 31, 2018). "Law School Touting New $90M Digs in 2011 Now Housed in Office Building". The Recorder. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  11. "ABA Approved Law Schools by Year". ABA website. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  12. https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/education/beset-by-problems-thomas-jefferson-law-school-is-trying-to-avoid-a-death-blow/
  13. Frakt, David (2017-12-15). "The 2017 Bottom 10 Law Schools in the Country". The Faculty Lounge. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  14. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/thomas_jefferson_school_of_law_wins_California_accreditation
  15. "Advanced Diploma and Certificate Law Programs"
  16. "LLM and JSD Faculty"
  17. "Thomas Jefferson School of Law". Cal Bar. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  18. "Thomas Jefferson School of Law". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  19. "Cost of Attendance".
  20. "Thomas Jefferson Profile".
  21. "Which law school graduates have the most debt?". US News and World Report. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  22. (1/08/11) Is Law School a Losing Game? The New York Times
  23. http://abarequireddisclosures.org/EmploymentOutcomes.aspx
  24. "ABA Disclosures". Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  25. "Law Schools with the Highest Rate of Unemployed 2012 Graduates". National Law Journal. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  26. Palazzolo, Joe (2012-06-25). "Law Grads Face Brutal Job Market". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  27. Zaretsky, Staci. "Verdict Reached In The Alaburda v. Thomas Jefferson Law Landmark Case Over Fraudulent Employment Statistics". Above the Law. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  28. "Law 'incubators' help new attorneys". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2013-03-30. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  29. "News". www.americanbar.org. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  30. "IP FELLOWS PROGRAM".
  31. "CENTER FOR LAW AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY". Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  32. "CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEGAL STUDIES". Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  33. "CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL JUSTICE". Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  34. Broder, John M. (2002-11-13). "In a First, a Lesbian Is Elected District Attorney in San Diego". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  35. "Marjorie Cohn | Thomas Jefferson School of Law". Tjsl.edu. Retrieved 2010-09-03.

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