Chapman University School of Law

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Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law
Chapman University School of Law logo
Parent schoolChapman University
Established1995
School typePrivate
Parent endowment$266 million
DeanMatthew J. Parlow
LocationOrange, California, US
33°47′38″N 117°51′04″W / 33.79389°N 117.85111°W / 33.79389; -117.85111Coordinates: 33°47′38″N 117°51′04″W / 33.79389°N 117.85111°W / 33.79389; -117.85111
Enrollment479 (full- and part-time)[1]
Faculty74 full-and part-time members of the faculty and 7 professional librarians[2][3]
USNWR ranking134th (2022)[2]
Bar pass rate81%[4]
Websitewww.chapman.edu/law/
ABA profileOfficial ABA profile

Chapman University's Dale E. Fowler School of Law, commonly referred to as Chapman University School of Law or Chapman Law School, is a private, non-profit law school located in Orange, California. The school offers the Juris Doctor degree (JD), combined programs offering a JD/MBA and JD/MFA in Film & Television Producing, and multiple LL.M. degree options. The school also offers emphasis options in Business Law, Criminal Law, Entertainment Law, Environmental Law, International Law, Trial Advocacy, and Taxation. Currently, the school has 74 full- and part-time faculty members[3] and a law library with holdings in excess of 290,000 volumes and volume equivalents.[5]

Accreditation history[]

Established in 1995 as part of Chapman University, Chapman Law gained provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association (ABA) in 1998[6] and received full ABA accreditation in 2002.[7][8] In addition to its ABA membership, the Association of American Law Schools admitted Chapman Law as one of its members in 2006.[8] In 2019, the ABA again fully accredited the school until 2027, the standard seven-year accreditation term.[9]

Rankings[]

See also: Law school rankings in the United States

Chapman University School of Law is currently ranked 134th by the U.S. News & World Report's annual law school rankings,[10] tumbling 23 spots from its ranking the previous year, the largest decline of any school in 2022.[11]

Entrance to School of Law
Donald P. Kennedy Hall, home of the School of Law

Bar passage rate[]

In October 2020, the first-time bar passage rate for Chapman School of Law was 81%.[12] The overall first-time pass rate for ABA-accredited California law schools was 84%.[12]

Costs and average student indebtedness[]

The cost of tuition for full-time JD students at Chapman for the 2016–2017 academic year is $50,076, which does not include living expenses and fees.[13] According to U.S. News & World Report, the cost of such living expenses is approximately $16,848 per year.[14] Accordingly, of 2018 graduates, 74% incurred debt to attend Chapman, with an average indebtedness of $144,718.[15]

Post-graduation employment[]

According to Chapman's official 2020 ABA-required disclosures, 73% of the Class of 2020 obtained bar passage required employment 10 months or less after graduation, 11% were employed in JD advantage jobs where bar passage was a desired qualification, but not required, and 12% reported they were unemployed.[16]

Scholarships[]

Chapman, like some other law schools, uses merit based scholarships in order to entice competitive students who might otherwise pass over the school for higher ranked competitors and to enhance its own ranking.[17][18] Half of all students matriculating in 2018 have had their conditional scholarships reduced or eliminated[19] leading many to describe Chapman as a “trap school” operating a “bait and switch.”[20]

Dean[]

Matthew J. Parlow[21] is the Dean and Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law at the school. He joined Chapman as dean in July 2016 after serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School. He previously taught at Chapman from 2005–2008.[22] He succeeded Tom Campbell, Dean from 2011-2016. John C. Eastman was Dean from June 2007 to January 2010.[23]

Notable faculty[]

  • Tom Campbell, Member of the United States Congress, 1989–1993 and 1995–2001, member of the California State Senate 1993–1995, and director of the California Department of Finance from 2004–2005.[24]
  • Hugh Hewitt, radio host and co-panelist in several of the 2016 presidential debates.[25]
  • Celestine McConville, Constitutional law and death penalty scholar[26]
  • Vernon L. Smith, co-winner of the Nobel Prize in economics[27]

Law journals[]

Chapman's Fowler School of Law publishes the Chapman Law Review, a student-run scholarly journal.[28] In addition to publishing the scholarly journal, the Chapman Law Review hosts a symposium at the start of the spring semester each year.[29]

References[]

  1. ^ (PDF) http://www.chapman.edu/law/_files/2016-aba-509-report-chapman-fowler-school-of-law.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Chapman University (Fowler)". U.S. News & World Report – Best Law Schools. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/chapman-university-fowler-03182. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ (PDF) http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/OCT2020-CBX-Statistics.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ Chapman University - Law - Rinker Law Library
  6. ^ "ABA-Approved Law Schools by Year". ABA website. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  7. ^ ContractsProf Blog: March 19, 2006 - March 25, 2006
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "AALS aalsnews, February 2006 (page 6)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  9. ^ (PDF) http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/misc/legal_education/2016_accreditation_brochure_final.authcheckdam.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings/page+6
  11. ^ "2022 vs. 2021 USNWR Law School Rankings (+/-)". 30 March 2021.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/OCT2020-CBX-Statistics.pdf
  13. ^ "Tuition and Fees".
  14. ^ https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/chapman-university-fowler-03182
  15. ^ https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/grad-debt-rankings
  16. ^ https://www.chapman.edu/law/_files/careers/class-of-2020-aba-employment-summary-report.pdf.
  17. ^ https://www.chapman.edu/law/financial-aid/scholarships/policies.aspx#http://www.chapman.edu/law/financial-aid/scholarships/policies.aspx
  18. ^ https://nytimes.com/2011/05/01/business/law-school-grants.html?referrer=&_r=0
  19. ^ [1]
  20. ^ [2]
  21. ^ "Faculty Profile". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  22. ^ "Chapman University Community Gathers to Welcome Dean Matt Parlow". Fowler School of Law. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  23. ^ "Dr. John Eastman | Faculty Profile | Chapman University". 2020-12-10. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  24. ^ "Faculty Profile". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  25. ^ "Fowler School of Law Professor Hugh Hewitt to Join Final 2015 Republican Presidential Debate as Co-Panelist on CNN". Fowler School of Law. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  26. ^ "Faculty Profile". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  27. ^ "Little Chapman University Lures Big Name in Economics". Wall Street Journal. July 26, 2007. Retrieved Dec 10, 2017.
  28. ^ Chapman Law Review
  29. ^ "Annual Symposium". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-20.

External links[]

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