McGeorge School of Law

Private law school in Sacramento, California, US

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University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law

Parent school| University of the Pacific
Established| 1924; 101 years ago (1924)[1]
School type| Private
Dean| Michael Colatrella
Location| Sacramento, California, US
Enrollment| 577 (Full and Part–time)[2]
Faculty| 36 (Full-time) 75 (Part–time)[2]
USNWR ranking| 163rd (tie) (2025)[1]
Bar pass rate| 57% (July 2022 California bar first time takers)[3]
Website| McGeorge School of Law
ABA profile| McGeorge School of Law

University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law is a private, American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school in the Oak Park neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the University of the Pacific and is located on the University's Sacramento campus.

## History

[edit]

The school that eventually became McGeorge began in 1921 when University of Chicago Law School graduate[4] and Standard Oil executive Verne Adrian McGeorge began teaching law students at night in downtown Sacramento, California. After its formal establishment as a school in 1924, this Sacramento Law School, subsequently renamed in Professor McGeorge's honor as the "McGeorge School of Law", merged with the University of the Pacific in 1966 and came to be known as "Pacific McGeorge".[5] McGeorge became an integral part of the University of the Pacific in 1991.[5] The current dean of McGeorge School of Law is Michael Hunter Schwartz, formerly the dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law at University of Arkansas at Little Rock from 2013 to 2017.[5]

## Accreditation, memberships, rankings

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McGeorge has been approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1969.[6] As an ABA approved law school, McGeorge graduates are eligible to sit for the bar examination in any American jurisdiction.

### Memberships

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McGeorge joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1974.[7] It has a chapter of the Order of the Coif, a national law school honorary society founded for the purposes of encouraging legal scholarship and advancing the ethical standards of the legal profession.[8]

### Rankings and bar exam passage rate

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See also: Law school rankings in the United States

In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, McGeorge School of Law was ranked tied for 163rd out of 197 schools.[1]

Of the McGeorge alumni who took the California bar for the first time in July, 2022, 57% passed. It ranked fifteenth among the eighteen ABA-accredited California law schools.[3]

## Admissions

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For the class entering in 2024, the law school accepted 613 out of 1031 applicants (a 59.46% acceptance rate), with 207 of those accepted enrolling (a 33.77% yield rate – the percentage of accepted students who enrolled). Five students were not included in the acceptance statistics. The class consisted of 212 students. The median LSAT score was 155 and the median undergraduate GPA was 3.52. One student was not included in the GPA calculation. The reported 25th/75th percentile LSAT scores and GPAs were 152/158 and 3.13/3.77.[2]

## Tuition costs

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McGeorge's tuition and fees for full-time students during the 2019–2020 academic year cost $56,776 per year, while tuition and fees for part-time students was $42,418-47,824 per year.[9]

## Academic programs

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McGeorge offers degree programs leading to the award of the J.D. (Juris Doctor), the LL.M. (Master of Laws), the M.P.A. (Master of Public Administration), the M.P.P. (Master of Public Policy) and the J.S.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science) degrees.

McGeorge offers both a three-year day division program and four-year evening division program.

The first year curriculum at McGeorge consists of 27 units.[10] McGeorge law students must also complete 29 units of upper-level required curriculum.[11] Therefore, 56 units out of the 88 units to graduate are required courses.[12] All students take the same required courses.

## Location

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The McGeorge School of Law is located on University of the Pacific's Sacramento campus at 3200 Fifth Avenue in the Oak Park area of Sacramento, the capital of California.[13]

## Journals and publications

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* The University of the Pacific Law Review (formerly titled "McGeorge Law Review" and "The Pacific Law Journal"). A student-run, scholarly journal publishing four issues annually. Two issues are published each year containing professional articles and student-authored comments or casenotes; one issue contains the Review of Selected California Legislation, or "Greensheets"; and one issue contains a symposium, focusing on a specific, significant legal topic.
* California Initiative Review. An online analysis of California ballot initiatives and related issues.
* California Water Law Journal. A forum for water law research.

## Notable people

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### Notable alumni

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This section is missing information about the kind of degree and date granted usually supplied for law school alumni . Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page. (February 2025)

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* Greg Aghazarian – California State Assemblyman, 26th District
* Mark Amodei – U.S. Congressman from Nevada
* Ronald J. Bath – USAF, Director of U.S. Air Force Strategic Planning
* Scott Baugh – former California State Assembly Republican Leader, 67th District
* Scott Boras – sports agent
* Consuelo María Callahan – Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
* L. Whitney Clayton – Presidency of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* Lloyd Connelly – Judge, Sacramento County Superior Court
* Ellen Corbett – California State Senator, 10th District
* Christine Craft – attorney, radio talk show host, and former television news anchor
* John Doolittle – US Congressman 1991–2009
* Morrison C. England Jr. – Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
* Noreen Evans – California State Assemblywoman, 7th District
* Dayvid Figler – Former Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge, NPR commentator
* Bryan Freedman – attorney specializing in entertainment law[14]
* Edward J. Garcia – Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
* John M. Gerrard – Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court
* James Hardesty \- Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court
* Mikayil Jabbarov – Minister of Economy of the Azerbaijan Republic[15]
* Michael A. Lilly – Attorney General of Hawaii (1984–1985)
* Bill Lockyer – California State Treasurer and former California Attorney General
* Steve Martini – attorney and best-selling author of legal thriller novels
* Deborah Ortiz – former California State Senator, 6th District
* Victor Plata – Olympic athlete in triathlon[16]
* Johnnie B. Rawlinson – Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
* Dana Makoto Sabraw – Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of California
* Robert J. Sandoval – first openly gay judge on Los Angeles County Superior Court
* Steven D. Strauss – author, columnist, and lawyer[17]
* Christian Wellisch – former professional mixed martial arts combat athlete[18]

### Notable faculty

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* J. Clark Kelso, Federal Receiver overseeing healthcare reform in California's prison system, former Acting California Insurance Commissioner (for the year 2000), former chief information officer of California.
* Anthony Kennedy, retired Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (served from 1988 to 2018),[19] Pacific McGeorge faculty member since 1965 teaching during summers in Salzburg, Austria, at the University of Salzburg for the law school's summer international program.[20]

### Present Dean and Dean Emeriti

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* Michael Colatrella, 2025 - Present
* Michael Hunter Schwartz, 2017 – 2025
* Francis J. –"Jay" Mootz, 2012–2017
* Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, 2002–2012, former Executive Director and CEO of the State Bar of California,[21] former CIA General Counsel
* Gerald Caplan, 1991–2002
* Gordon D. Schaber, 1957–1991
* John Swann, 1946–1957
* Lawrence Dowrety, 1937 – WWII closure
* Gilford Rowland, 1933–1937
* Russell Harris, 1930–1933
* Vern Adrian McGeorge, Founder, 1924–1930

## References

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1. ^ a b c "University of the Pacific (McGeorge)". Best Law Schools. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
2. ^ a b c "McGeorge School of Law - 2024 Standard 509 Information Report". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
3. ^ a b "General Statistics Report: July 2022 California Bar Examination" (PDF). www.calbar.ca.gov. The State Bar of California. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2025.
4. ^ Chicago, University of (1920). University of Chicago Alumni Directory. Produced for the University of Chicago Alumni Association by Pub. Concepts, Incorporated.
5. ^ a b c "History of McGeorge". www.mcgeorge.edu. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
6. ^ "ABA-Approved Law Schools by Year". ABA website. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
7. ^ "Member Schools – Association of American Law Schools". Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
8. ^ Smith, Anesha. "member chart". www.orderofthecoif.org. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
9. ^ "JD Program Tuition & Fees". www.mcgeorge.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
10. ^ "First-Year Required Curriculum". www.mcgeorge.edu. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
11. ^ "Upper-level Required Curriculum". www.mcgeorge.edu. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
12. ^ "Degree Requirements". www.mcgeorge.edu. Archived from the original on 29 July 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
13. ^ "Sacramento Campus — University of the Pacific". www.pacific.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
14. ^ Debusmann Jr., Bernd (2023-04-27). "Who is Bryan Freedman, the lawyer said to represent Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson?". BBC News. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
15. ^ "LLM Named to Key Azerbaijan Post". www.mcgeorge.edu. 2013-05-15. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
16. ^ "Victor Plata". Team USA. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
17. ^ "Steve Strauss '81". University of California, Los Angeles. August 5, 2022.
18. ^ California, The State Bar of. "Christian Wellisch #255000 – Attorney Search". members.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
19. ^ "Current Members". www.supremecourt.gov. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
20. ^ "Anthony Kennedy". www.mcgeorge.edu. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
21. ^ "The State Bar of California". www.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved 13 August 2018.

2025 Best Law Schools U.S. News

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
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University of the Pacific

* Located in: Stockton, California
* Founded: 1851

Academics|

* College of the Pacific (School of Arts and Sciences)
* Conservatory of Music
* School of International Studies

Graduate schools|

* McGeorge School of Law (Sacramento)
* Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry (San Francisco)

Research|

* Brubeck Institute

Athletics|

| Teams|

* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Football (defunct)

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Venues|

* Alex G. Spanos Center
* Klein Family Field
* Stagg Memorial Stadium

People|

* Alumni and faculty

Student life|

* Morris Chapel
* KPAC 91.9 (FM)
* KUOP (FM)

* Category

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California law schools accredited by the American Bar Association

University of California|

* UC Berkeley
* UC Davis (King Hall)
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Private|

* California Western
* Chapman University
* Golden Gate University
* Loyola Marymount University
* Pepperdine University
* Santa Clara University
* Southwestern
* Stanford University
* University of the Pacific (McGeorge)
* University of San Diego
* University of San Francisco
* USC (Gould)
* Westcliff University (Western State)

Defunct|

* Whittier Law School

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ABA Law schools in the Southwestern United States

Arizona|

* Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (ASU)
* James E. Rogers College of Law (U of A)

California|

* UC Berkeley School of Law
* UC Davis School of Law
* UC College of Law, San Francisco
* UC Irvine School of Law
* UCLA School of Law
* California Western School of Law
* Chapman University School of Law
* Golden Gate University School of Law
* Loyola Law School
* McGeorge School of Law (University of the Pacific)
* Pepperdine University School of Law
* University of San Diego School of Law
* University of San Francisco School of Law
* Santa Clara University School of Law
* University of Southern California Law School
* Southwestern Law School
* Stanford Law School
* Western State College of Law (Westcliff University)

Colorado|

* University of Colorado School of Law
* Sturm College of Law (U of Denver)

Nevada|

* William S. Boyd School of Law (UNLV)

New Mexico|

* University of New Mexico School of Law

Texas|

* Baylor Law School
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* University of Houston Law Center
* South Texas College of Law Houston
* St. Mary's University School of Law
* University of Texas School of Law
* Texas A&M University School of Law
* Texas Tech University School of Law
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* University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law

Utah|

* J. Reuben Clark Law School (BYU)
* S.J. Quinney College of Law (U of U)

38°32′57″N 121°28′22″W﻿ / ﻿38.549167°N 121.472778°W﻿ / 38.549167; -121.472778

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