Dean's Message
I am pleased to introduce this year’s Santa Clara University School of Law student handbook and bulletin, and to encourage your interest in this outstanding American law school. I hope you will read the following pages, which provide you with information concerning the School of Law’s program of study, the values it promotes in its students, and the culture of professional development and learning at the institution. I also encourage you to learn more about the School of Law and plan a visit to see firsthand the considerable strengths of the program and the benefits of receiving your legal education here.
Santa Clara University is the oldest university in California and was founded in 1851. The School of Law opened in 1912 and continues to educate men and women for careers in law, business, and government and public service. The curriculum is designed to provide our graduates with the skills and values necessary for success in a variety of careers and the ability to serve their communities as competent and ethical counselors and problem-solvers. Moreover, the School of Law curriculum and its co-curricular and extra-curricular programs provide opportunities for the development of lawyering skills and a deeper understanding of legal rules and policy in several cutting-edge areas of law. The intellectual property program is nationally recognized for the excellence of its faculty and the pertinence of its wide range of technology and intellectual property courses. The international law program provides opportunities for students to understand the global world in which lawyers work and to study law and legal systems in other countries. The School of Law’s public interest law program, which has been honored by national public interest law organizations, offers a variety of programs for law students, plus clinical programs on campus and at the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center.
If you attend Santa Clara University’s School of Law, you will have an opportunity to study law with a distinguished faculty of national and international reputation. The faculty is dedicated to excellence in teaching and to the production of legal and interdisciplinary scholarship that influences courts, policy-makers, and law reform efforts.
I hope that you are impressed with the quality of Santa Clara University’s law school and with the opportunity to study law in the exciting Silicon Valley. Please let us know if you have questions about the School of Law or if you’d like to arrange a visit to the campus. Additional information about the School of Law can be found on our Web site, located at www.scu.edu/law/.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Polden
Dean
