100 Years of Innovative Legal Education

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Message From the Dean

 

The law degree opens up a remarkable array of possibilities - including legal practice as litigator or deal-maker, service in the judiciary, leadership in business, public service inside or outside government, and careers in education. Prospective law students understand that law school is an investment. They must be willing to devote a tremendous amount of time, energy, and resources to obtain the knowledge, degree and admission to the bar necessary to open up the full range of possibilities.

At Southwestern, we believe that the law school must make a comparable investment in each one of its students; and that this investment must continue on both sides into the future, long after the student has left campus for professional life. Southwestern's investment takes many forms, such as encouraging continuing personal relations through the extended alumni and professional network. There is also a mutual investment in building an even stronger Southwestern identity linked to proud traditions, bold innovations, and an unwavering commitment to professional success.

For nearly a century, Southwestern's investment in its students has paved the way for generations of lawyers. Its first graduate was a woman at a time when women were generally deemed unfit for professional leadership. The late Mayor Tom Bradley, who served five terms as the first African-American mayor of Los Angeles, was a graduate of Southwestern, as is retired Justice Arleigh Woods, the first African-American woman appointed to the appellate state judiciary in the United States. A remarkable number of major figures in the legal and business sides of the entertainment industry also come from Southwestern - as do many leaders of more traditional legal careers in both private and public sectors.

"The essence of an educational institution is the people associated with it. We invite you to step through our doors to round out your understanding of Southwestern by talking with our faculty, staff, students and alumni."

Over the last decade, Southwestern has made an extraordinary investment in its facilities. With the completion in 2004 of the $29 million restoration and adaptive reuse of the Bullocks Wilshire building, one of the great art-deco structures in the United States, Southwestern now has one of the finest and most beautiful law school campuses in the country. This historical property now incorporates the most advanced technology in the service of teaching and research. The investment in the building reflects a commitment to maintain Southwestern's proud traditions while taking the law school to the next level.

As you determine where you will make your own investment, we invite you to explore this viewbook and our website, which offer an extensive overview of Southwestern Law School. We encourage you also to remember that the essence of an educational institution is the people associated with it. You can glean some idea of the diverse and talented individuals who make up the Southwestern community from the variety of profiles presented within these pages. Profiles, however, are no substitute for the experience of meeting and talking to the members of the Southwestern community. We invite you to step through our doors to round out your understanding of the law school by talking with our faculty, staff, students and alumni. We would welcome the opportunity to share with you our perspectives on all of the many reasons why Southwestern is an exceptional and exciting place to study law.

Sincerely,

Bryant G. Garth
Dean