Summary: San Francisco Law School will add a new law school in San Diego, San Diego Law School. Both schools will allow part-time students to pursue a career that allows them to give back to their communities.
Although law schools nationwide have experienced a drop in enrollment, causing some to close entire campuses, San Francisco Law School has opened a second campus in San Diego, according to a press release.
The school has an excellent reputation for creating opportunities for part-time students who wish to work in the public sector. A night school in in the center of San Francisco’s excitement, it has produced many of San Francisco’s most elite: former California governor Pat Brown and former California Assembly Speaker Leo McCarthy both graduated from the small law school. The school also offers excellent prospects for students who seek to practice in immigration, criminal defense, and social justice. Leaders of the law school have emphasized public and community service to prospective law students, instead of pursuing a hefty bank account.
The new campus is opening in response to an increased demand from part-time students who are interested in switching careers and give back to their communities. The school will be named San Diego Law School.
San Francisco Law School Dean Jane L. O’Hara Gamp stated, “Our school has always been focused on providing working students an opportunity to achieve their dreams while also providing for their families. While many sectors within the legal community are oversaturated at the moment, there are still numerous areas of law where more trained legal professionals are needed, many of them involving service to communities that have been historically underrepresented by the legal community. We are proud to be an institution focused on meeting this critical need.”
Dean Gamp added that the new campus will improve the law school experience for students and will assist them in their exploration of careers in government agencies and non-profit organizations. She hopes that students will open their own practices that will focus on serving those who may not be able to afford attorneys. “When you look at the legal marketplace, there are numerous communities that have the financial means to retain legal services, yet due to several factors, including historically held negative perceptions, those communities are currently not being served. Our students learn that by attending either of our two campuses, they are preparing themselves to lead on the frontlines of these growing industry sectors and, at the same time, helping to serve underrepresented and minority communities,” she explained.
Alfonso Martinez, a San Francisco Law School alumnus, attended the law school while serving in the military. After graduation, he opened his own law firm and serves an ethnically and economically diverse clientele. When asked about the school, he said, “San Francisco Law School professors and administrators emphasize the importance of public service in the legal profession. We are privileged in serving our clients and communities in ways that change lives and create real impact. It was through my public service in the U.S. military and San Francisco Law School that I identified hard work, passion and dedication as being key qualities to serving in the emerging legal community.”
The move appears to be a good one thus far for the school, as a flood of students have requested information from both campuses as they prepare to take the LSAT and consider their future in a career in law.
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