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Chapman University School of Law

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Coordinates: 33°47′38″N 117°51′04″W / 33.79389°N 117.85111°W / 33.79389; -117.85111
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Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law
Chapman University School of Law logo
Parent schoolChapman University
Established1995; 29 years ago (1995)
School typePrivate law school
Parent endowment$564.6 million (2020)[1]
DeanPaul D. Paton
LocationOrange, California, US
33°47′38″N 117°51′04″W / 33.79389°N 117.85111°W / 33.79389; -117.85111
Enrollment417
Faculty41 (full-time) 58 (part-time)[2]
USNWR ranking108th (tie) (2024)[3]
Bar pass rate80% (2023 first-time takers)[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 Fowler School of Law, is a private, non-profit law school located in Orange, California. The school offers the Juris Doctor degree (JD) and combined degree programs including a JD/MBA,[5] and a JD/MFA[6] in Film & Television Producing. The school also offers emphasis options in Business Law, Criminal Law, Entertainment Law, Environmental Law, Entrepreneurial Law, International Law, Trial Advocacy, and Taxation. Currently, the school has 41 full-time and 58 part-time faculty and a law library with holdings in excess of 290,000 volumes and volume equivalents.[7]

Accreditation history

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Established in 1995 as part of Chapman University, Chapman Law gained provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association (ABA) in 1998[8] and received full ABA accreditation in 2002.[9][10] In addition to its ABA membership, the Association of American Law Schools admitted Chapman Law as one of its members in 2006.[10] In 2019, the ABA again fully accredited the school until 2027, the standard seven-year accreditation term.[11]

Admissions

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For the class entering in 2023, the school accepted 30.68% of applicants, with 24.51% of those accepted enrolling. The average enrollee had a 161 LSAT score and 3.67 undergraduate GPA.[2]

Bar passage rate

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For 2023, the overall first-time bar passage rate for Chapman University's Dale E. Fowler School of Law was 80%, while the overall first-time pass rate for ABA-accredited law schools for the California bar was 76.3%. The Ultimate Bar Pass Rate, which the ABA defines as the passage rate for graduates who sat for bar examinations within two years of graduating, was 83.94% for the class of 2021.[4]

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

Post-graduation employment

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According to Chapman's official ABA-required disclosures, 93.00% of the Class of 2023 obtained bar passage required employment (i.e., as attorneys) 10 months or less after graduation, 11.00% were employed in JD advantage jobs where bar passage was a desired qualification, but not required. Positions were in various size law firms, most being in 1-10 attorney firms (26%) with employment in firms of up to 501+ attorneys; no graduates obtained local or state judicial clerkship, but three graduates secured federal clerkships. Of the Class of 2023, 18% of graduates were employed in public interest, government, higher education, or business employment. 4% of the graduating class was unemployed at the time of publication.[12]

Rankings

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See also: Law school rankings in the United States

Chapman University School of Law is currently ranked tied for 108th by the U.S. News & World Report's annual law school rankings.[13]

Costs and average student indebtedness

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The cost of tuition for full-time JD students at Chapman for the 2023–2024 academic year was $61,286, which does not include living expenses and fees; for part-time students with between 8 – 11.5 credits tuition was approximately $48,960 per annum, for part-time students with between 0.5 – 7.5 credits tuition was approximately $2,040 per credit.[14]

Scholarships

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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.[15][16]

Dean

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Paul D. Paton was named dean of Chapman University's Dale E. Fowler School of Law and the Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law in March 2023. He assumes the role from Interim Dean Marisa Cianciarulo who served as interim-dean from December 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023. Prior deans include Matthew J. Parlow[17] who served as dean from July 1, 2016 to December 1, 2021 who, in turn, succeeded Tom Campbell, dean of Fowler School of Law from 2011-2016, Scott W. Howe served as dean from 2010-2011, John C. Eastman from 2007-2010, and Parham Williams served as dean from 1997-2007.[18]

Notable faculty

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Law journals

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Chapman's Fowler School of Law publishes the Chapman Law Review, a student-run scholarly journal.[25] In addition to publishing the scholarly journal, the Chapman Law Review hosts a symposium at the start of the spring semester each year.[26]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Chapman University - 2023 Standard 509 Information Report". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Chapman University (Fowler)". U.S. News & World Report – Best Law Schools. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Chapman University | Bar Passage". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "JD/MBA". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  6. ^ "JD/MFA in Film & Television Producing". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "Law Library". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  8. ^ "ABA-Approved Law Schools by Year". ABA website. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  9. ^ "Contracts Prof Blog". lawprofessors.typepad.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "AALS aalsnews, February 2006 (page 6)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
  11. ^ "2016 accreditation brochure" (PDF). americanbar.org.
  12. ^ "Chapman University Employment Summary 2023 Graduates". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "Chapman University (Fowler)". US News. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "Current Tuition and Fees". Chapman University. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Graduate Students".
  16. ^ Segal, David (April 30, 2011). "Law Students Lose the Grant Game as Schools Win". The New York Times.
  17. ^ "Faculty Profile". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  18. ^ "Continuing Legal Education". Mississippi College School of Law. Retrieved July 17, 2023.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "Faculty Profile". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  20. ^ "Chapman professor will retire after uproar over his speaking at Trump rally". Los Angeles Times. January 14, 2021.
  21. ^ Sloan, Karen (January 14, 2021). "Law Prof Who Spoke at White House Rally Abruptly Retires Amid Calls for His Firing". The Recorder. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  22. ^ "Fowler School of Law Professor Hugh Hewitt to Join Final 2015 Republican Presidential Debate as Co-Panelist on CNN". Fowler School of Law. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  23. ^ "Faculty Profile". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  24. ^ "Little Chapman University Lures Big Name in Economics". Wall Street Journal. July 26, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  25. ^ "Chapman Law Review". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  26. ^ "Annual Symposium". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
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