PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY | SCHOOL OF LAW You become a legal professional on your first day at CARUSO Law Contents 2 Our Mission 4 A Historic Commitment 6 Picture Yourself Here 8 Meet Your Caruso Law Colleagues 10 The Caruso Law Advantage 12 Straus Institute 14 Geoffrey H. Palmer Center 16 Sudreau Global Justice Program 18 Caruso Law Clinics 20 Parris Institute 22 Worldwide Opportunities 24 Advocacy at Caruso Law 26 Launch Your Career 28 Consider Your Options Prepare today for the world of tomorrow In its 50-year history, the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law has risen further and faster than any other private law school in the nation. We are unrivaled in our academic program, welcoming community, and spectacular location overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We are proud to be ranked among the top 50 law schools in the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of the Best Law Schools in America. At the Caruso School of Law, you will find that our legal training, fused with our faculty’s faith-fueled devotion to your success, is second to none. Our accomplished teachers and scholars get to know you personally, with their offices, homes, and hearts open to you from day one, equipping you to thrive in law school today and in the legal marketplace tomorrow. No other place can match our distinctive Pepperdine community marked by scholastic excellence, Christian values, and rigorous, real-world legal training. Diverse in our backgrounds and faiths, we are united in our commitment to embolden you to reach higher than you ever thought possible. law.pepperdine.edu | Pepperdine University 1 Our Mission Is to Strengthen Lives for Purpose, Service, and Leadership Pepperdine Caruso Law strives to be the nation’s premier faith-based law school, combining academic excellence and Christian values in a unique, close-knit community that is welcoming to all. We ignite in our students a lifelong passion for law through a transformative experience that launches them into impactful careers to change the world. Top-Ranked Dispute Resolution Training The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution is a global leader and premier academic center for conflict resolution teaching and scholarship, having been ranked the number one alternative dispute resolution program for 13 of the past 16 years by U.S. News & World Report. Straus’ global faculty provides a comprehensive curriculum that is rich in theory and practical skills for lawyers and professionals across diverse industries. Interactive courses, small class sizes, and flexible schedules make its academic programs ideal for advancing a wide variety of career goals. Best Professors Our faculty is consistently ranked among the Princeton Review’s Best Law Schools “Best Professors” for classroom teaching and accessibility outside of the classroom. Caruso professors are also world-class scholars, committed to the success of each and every student, and among the most ideologically diverse faculty in the nation. Practical Training Our goal is for our students to graduate practice ready. We offer co-curricular experiential learning that includes clinical work, externship experience, study abroad, and mentoring opportunities that are unique to our school. 2 DEDICATED FACULTY COMMITTED TO HELPING YOU FIND YOUR PASSION law.pepperdine.edu | Pepperdine University 3 4 A Historic commitment In 2019, alumnus Rick J. Caruso (JD ’83) and his wife, Tina, made a generous $50 million commitment to the Pepperdine School of Law, which was subsequently renamed the Rick J. Caruso School of Law. As our largest-ever gift, the $50 million from the Carusos will help low-income and other underserved students attend, assist students in paying off student loans, and encourage graduates to pursue public-service careers. The Carusos also have pledged to help raise an additional $50 million over the next decade for an endowment to keep the financial aid sustainable. This transformative gift will propel the School of Law’s rise in becoming one of the truly elite institutions of legal education not only in the United States, but throughout the world. “The human spirit is endless if you free it up, just give it a chance.” Rick Caruso, JD ’83 Founder and CEO, Caruso law.pepperdine.edu | Pepperdine University 5 Picture Los Angeles International Airport yourself Here (LAX) Griffith Observatory JOIN AN IDYLLIC LAW SCHOOL COMMUNITY 25 miles 37 miles Malibu Strikingly beautiful and accessible to Los Angeles, Malibu is the ideal location in which to study law. The law school is part of the 830-acre oceanside campus of Pepperdine University and is Getty Villa consistently ranked among the most beautiful places of study in 10 miles the nation by the Princeton Review. Pepperdine offers housing, conference suites, leading classroom technology, courtrooms, an on-site cafe, sports facilities including an Olympic-sized pool, and a highly regarded art museum and theatre. Our thriving academic environment attracts hundreds of scholars and professionals to campus each year. Los Angeles All business centers and entertainment venues in Los Angeles are within driving distance of campus, including Santa Monica, Silicon Beach, Century City, West Los Angeles, Brentwood, and Downtown Los Angeles. The proximity of one of the largest and most diverse cities in the world provides Caruso Law students with unique externship and employment opportunities in international trade, sports, finance, real estate, immigration, entertainment law, and more. Anywhere A Pepperdine Caruso law degree has no geographical limits. Pepperdine has been a leader in online education since 2017 with the inception of its online master’s programs. 6 Santa STAPLES Center Hollywood Monica Pier and Downtown Century Bowl 13 miles Los Angeles City 32 miles 29 miles 20 miles Venice Beach 15 miles Pepperdine law.pepperdine.edu | Pepperdine University 7 Meet your CARUSO law Colleagues Our more than 30 student organizations and co-curricular activities give students the opportunity to explore varied interests and supplement their classroom experience while in law school. Some of the most accomplished speakers hosted by Pepperdine Caruso Law each year are invited by student organizations, and one of the school’s most-anticipated annual formal events, the Barrister’s Ball, is student run. The Student Bar Association provides support and funding to student organizations and directly sponsors several events. 8 Student Organizations Advocates for Public Interest Law Iranian Law Student Association Advocates for Youth J. Reuben Clark Law Society American Bar Association - Law Student Division Jewish Law Students Association American Constitution Society Louis D. Brandeis Center for Armenian Law Human Rights Under the Law Students Association (LDB) Law Student Chapter Asian Pacific American Law National Latinx Law Student Students Association Association Black Law Students Association National Lawyers Guild Blockchain Club OUTLaw CALI Lessons Phi Alpha Delta Chess Club Phi Delta Phi Christian Legal Society Public Defender Consumer Law Society Student Association Criminal Law Society Society for Advancement of Logical Thought and Inquiry Dispute Resolution Society Spanish Conversation Club Environmental Law Society Sports and Entertainment Federalist Society Law Society First Generation Law Student Animal Legal Student Association Defense Fund Health Law Society Student Bar Association Intellectual Property Student Mentor Program Student Association Veterans Legal Society International Justice Mission Video Game Law Society International Law Society Women’s Legal Association This list is subject to change. See our website for the most up-to-date information. law.pepperdine.edu | Pepperdine University 9 The CARUSO law Advantage STUDENT EXPERIENCE DIVERSITY AND Belonging Our graduates consistently agree that We believe that our differences make no law school in the country has a more us better, stronger, and intellectually supportive and collegial community richer. The Diversity Council and than Pepperdine Caruso Law. Interfaith Student Council cultivate a community of honest dialogue in which FACULTY ACCESSIBILITY every voice is represented and valued. The Princeton Review counts our professors among the nation’s best A GREAT PLACE TO STUDY year after year. Known for their Malibu is a relaxed community excellence in teaching, scholarship, offering many opportunities for and accessibility outside the adventure and venues for reflection; it classroom, Carsuo professors play an is a spectacular, one-of-a-kind setting integral role in our students’ success. in which to focus on building one’s readiness for a legal career. PRACTICAL SKILLS EXPERIENCE A NEW NAME, Caruso’s clinics, externships, ENHANCED EXCELLENCE internships, institutes, public Our $50 million gift from alumnus interest, and global justice Rick J. Caruso (JD ’83) and his wife, opportunities regularly rank in the Tina, in October 2019 enhances the top 10 in the country. educational opportunities available to students at the Pepperdine Caruso INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION School of Law. Our faculty and staff see each student as an individual of infinite worth. We want to know where our students want to go, and we will do everything in our power to help them get there. 10 ` INSTITUTES § Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution § Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law § Sudreau Global Justice Institute § Parris Institute for Professional Excellence § Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics § Wm. Matthew Byrne, Jr. Judicial Clerkship Institute