Liberal and Conservative Law Schools

[elemnopee]

Hey DUers,

I recently applied to law school at:

University of Southern California
Tulane
UC Davis
Pepperdine
Santa Clara
University of San Diego
Hofstra
American University
Loyola School of Law (CA)

I got stuck at an ultra conservative undergrad, and am tired of arguing against anecdotal evidence, homophobia, and sexism.

Is anyone familiar with these schools? And the general political views of the student body or faculty, i.e. liberal vs conservative?

Thanks

[DefenseLawyer]

1. Pepperdine is ultra conservative from what I understand

I am Tulane grad (undergrad) myself and when I was there the faculty was fairly diverse politically, but that was 15 years ago and I am not sure of the make-up now. At that time the student body wasn't especially political one way or the other, unless you count that it had more than its share of rich kids with no clue. I didn't stay for law school because I didn't plan to stay in the south and in my opinion Tulane doesn't really carry much cache outside the south to justify the cost of going there.

[Inland]

2. Didn't Ken Starr get a Scaife funded chair at Pepperdine?

[Menshevik]

3. pepperdine

wasn't ken starr the head of the pepperdine law school? or was going to be?

[happyslug]

6. Yes, Scaife did fund the Chair at Pepperdine....

Yet to my knowledge has NEVER given money to the Pitt Law School which is located only a county away from his base in Westmoreland County Pennsylvania.

Now when I went to Pitt Law School, one of the things you noticed was the how completely Pitt Law School was from the University of Pittsburgh. Technically Pitt Law School was part of the University of Pittsburgh but acted as if it was an independent School except for processing your Student Loans (And even they Pitt Law School did its own supplementary loans).

My impression of Pitt Law was it was fairly liberal in orientation. I was a loaner (a bad thing in law school, get into a study group, it will improve your grades) so I rarely participated in activities, but you could see by the Professors and what topics were being discussed that the School was Liberal but had many Corporate Lawyers also. You had both types and you had to watch which one you took, but even the Corporate Lawyers were more liberal than some of the product of other schools I have run across.

The Lawyer's Guide was active but you did not see the Federalist Society at Pitt (But a lot has changed since I graduated in 1989 so check out any school you want to attend).

[Yosie]

8. Ruggie Aldisert and Bill Lerach

among its almuni (and Ruggie was a Prof) is ok.

Lerach was in a class that graduated lots of pro bono litigators.

Ruggie could even make Erie v Tompkins fun (kind of like Leo Levin at Penn).

[northernsoul]

9. Aldisert's "Winning on Appeal" is a great read

I'm writing my first appellate brief right now, and Aldisert's pointers from a judge's perspective has been invaluable.

[TaleWgnDg]

4. Hhhhmmm . . .

.

Tulane's Law Clinic had its funds cut awhile ago due to its efforts to represent indigents (poor ppl) against some chemical and other toxic corporations. I sure wouldn't go there.

As for Pepperdine. Yikes. Ken Starr put "on hold" a seat at Pepperdine when he stepped into the shoes of "Independent Prosecutor" against Clinton. Immediately thereafter Pepperdine picked him up again; I believe Starr holds a dean's position at the law school. Do a google on it.

At least you didn't mention schools such as, Brigham Young University School of Law, Liberty University School of Law, Ave Maria School of Law, or Northwestern University School of Law . . .

.

[Czolgosz]

5. Of those law schools, UC Davis and American University are notably

progressive in their student bodies, faculties, and course offerings.

Here's a list of ways you can assess these issues for yourself:

1. See how active the Lawyer's Guild and University Civil Liberties Unions are (talk to members). If the Federalist Society is more active than the Lawyer's Guild and University Civil Liberties Union combined, you may be happier elsewhere.

2. Confirm there is actual diversity in the faculty and student body, and check the policies of the placement center (do they require potential employers to eschew discrimination as a prerequisite to interviewing on campus?).

3. See if there is a good death penalty litigation clinic or indigent care clinic and if there are law journal and law review opportunities for people interested in exploring progressive scholarship or do the journals and reviews all slant rightward.

4. Check the faculties' areas of publications and their legal practice areas (look for schools that encourage scholarship in a wide range of areas from commercial law to progressive legal theories and look for faculties where the professors work for consumers).

5. Check course offerings (I took socialist legal theory, feminist legal theory, law and philosophy, comparative legal philosophies - classes that would not have been offered at some conservative schools).

Good luck.

[Yosie]

7. Across the Board

My daughter in law and several of her colleagues went to Davis - pretty serious {vocational)

Pepperdine - Conservative, Starr is a visitng Prof. Lots of Scaife money.

Santa Clara - hands on, practical, lots of IP and Tax people come out of Santa Clara.

Hofstra - liberal.