Loyola Law School is a community making a difference every day, and we invite you to join us.
We are recognized for creating lawyers with the training and skills needed to succeed and pride ourselves on giving students the tools they need to be their best selves, to be lawyers with the ability to effect positive change.
It starts with the way we approach education. Our students learn the value of giving back through our pro bono requirement. They benefit from the critical work our clinics undertake in Los Angeles communities to help those without access to justice. And our students thrive with the careful and practical training that shows how law and business function together in a fast-moving and entrepreneurial world. The work we do at Loyola matters.
We are known for our long-standing tradition of graduating lawyers adept in philosophical, analytical and professional skills. Students can participate in clinics, practica, concentrations and externship programs on campus and in the community. They learn from professors who are leaders in their field. The dynamic city of Los Angeles is truly our classroom. It is this experience that shapes who our students become as lawyers. After all, a good legal education is an important foundation, but understanding who you serve and why being a lawyer is so important is indispensable. Such thoughtful lawyers are needed now more than ever.
We are a diverse campus, and our students span a truly vast variety of backgrounds, interests, ages, racial and cultural heritages, nationalities and life experiences. We boast the top-ranked evening program on the west coast — one that allows those who cannot go to law school full time to still pursue their goal of earning a legal degree.
Our faculty are superb and dedicated teachers, and they also are significant thought leaders in the global legal conversation. Loyola Law School faculty shape the national dialogue on law and public policy, from their high profile advocacy through their frequently cited scholarship, to amicus briefs and pro bono work. They have served on influential bodies locally and nationally, from the L.A. Police Commission to the U.S. Department of Justice. Our faculty also have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences as law firm partners, Supreme Court and appellate clerks, federal public defenders and prosecutors, and corporate lawyers and litigators. Our faculty have worked at organizations such as the Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP, on behalf of the ACLU, and as the heads of legal affairs for major entertainment studios.
Modern lawyers need to understand the convergence of business, law and technology. We are particularly proud of our key strengths in this regard — in business law, intellectual property, entertainment law, tax and transactional practice. Loyola is home to the very first Cybersecurity concentration on the West Coast, and one of only a few in the nation – something unheard of even five years ago. This concentration draws on Loyola’s traditional strengths in areas such as technology, criminal justice, privacy, and IP law and leverages the strategic location of the school, close to the downtown courts and the fast-growing area of Silicon Beach. We are embracing this convergence and welcoming the new opportunities it opens up for those in the legal field, including our students.
Loyola also is finding new ways to provide the underpinnings of a legal education for those who do not have a traditional J.D. but require legal knowledge for an increasingly complex work environment and global economy. We offer opportunities to obtain a masters degree in law, and for foreign-trained attorneys who wish to extend their legal degrees in understanding U.S. law. We are excited to support and challenge these students with class offerings that will help them accelerate their careers in new ways.
Our highly successful alumni network is 17,000+ strong, spanning all 50 states and 35 countries – and our alums are truly dedicated to Loyola and to our students’ success. They are an essential part of our community. Once you are here, you are Loyola family.
The future is bright. As the eighteenth dean of Loyola Law School, I am committed to building on our already outstanding strengths in education and scholarship, and to nurturing our outstanding family of students, faculty, staff and alumni. I invite you to browse our website, to connect with our faculty, to visit our campus. I invite you to see yourself here.
Welcome.
Dean Michael Waterstone