Founded in 1911, Southwestern Law School is a nonprofit, nonsectarian independent law school approved by the American Bar Association and a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Southwestern is known for its innovative programs, for being a national leader in legal education reform, and for its award-winning campus. Southwestern has taken a leadership role in curricular innovation: it was the first school in the country with a conceptual two-year J.D. program and one of the first to offer a part-time day J.D. program designed for students with child-care or elder-care responsibilities. Recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for innovation, Southwestern's first-year curriculum provides a unique opportunity for J.D. students to choose one of three tracks in their legal research and writing course – appellate, negotiation or trial advocacy. Recent upper division enhancements include a January intersession, capstone courses, and special "mini-term" courses.
Taking advantage of its location in the center of Los Angeles, Southwestern is a leader in the area of entertainment law. Southwestern was the first school in the United States with an Entertainment and Media Law Institute, the first to establish an LL.M. program in Entertainment and Media Law, and the first to offer an online LL.M. in Entertainment and Media Law. Southwestern is also known for graduating students who are practice-ready, with one of the largest externship programs in the country, three legal practicum programs, three legal clinics (Children’s Rights, Immigration Law, and Street Law), and a large public service program.
One of the most diverse law schools in the United States, Southwestern has an enrollment of just over 1,000 students in two, three and four-year full-time and part-time J.D. programs of study. The school has also established dual-degree affiliations with the Drucker Graduate School of Management of Claremont Graduate University for a J.D./M.B.A. and J.D./M.A. in Management, as well as California State University, Dominguez Hills for a J.D./M.A. in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding, and a unique certificate program with the Pardee RAND Graduate School (PRGS). LL.M. programs are also offered in individualized studies and entertainment and media law.
The law school’s collegial faculty are productive scholars and talented teachers, who make significant contributions to the community. The law school is also fortunate to have an exceptional and dedicated staff. The law school’s 15,000 alumni include prominent leaders in law, business and public service in virtually every state and more than two dozen foreign countries. More than 400 alumni have served in the judiciary, including the California Supreme Court, and others have served in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as Treasurer of California, as Mayor of Los Angeles and in other elected offices.
Southwestern’s award-winning campus encompasses nearly two city blocks and includes the acclaimed art deco Bullocks Wilshire landmark. Southwestern's Leigh H. Taylor Law Library is the second largest academic law library facility in California, and the Julian Dixon Courtroom and Advocacy Center is one of the most technologically sophisticated centers of its kind. The law school's new on-campus student housing complex is currently under construction and scheduled to open in Fall 2013, with additional campus expansion plans in development.
Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the Dean/CEO is the chief academic and administrative officer responsible for the leadership, stewardship, and management of the law school. The successful dean candidate will be expected to continue to build on the school’s achievements and recent momentum. Applicants for Dean should possess a distinguished record of teaching, scholarship, professional experience, a national reputation and public service appropriate for a tenured professor of law. Applicants should also possess administrative, managerial, and fundraising skills to lead the law school as CEO.
Additional information about Southwestern Law School can be found at www.swlaw.edu.
Southwestern Law School has retained the services of Isaacson, Miller to assist with this search. Confidential nominations, inquiries, and applications (including resume, cover letter and the names and contact information for eight references) should be forwarded to:
Julie Filizetti
Cathy R. Daniels
Isaacson, Miller, Inc.
649 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged to 4655@imsearch.com.
Southwestern Law School is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications and nominations from women and minorities.