Admissions (Overview)

Join us for an opportunity to meet our Admissions Counselors, faculty and current students by attending an Information Session! Information Sessions are designed to familiarize prospective students with the application process, in addition to, learning more about Thomas Jefferson overall and the various academic programs we offer. You will have a chance to ask both general and more specific questions to our Admissions Team, as well as speak with faculty and current students about the law school experience as a whole. You will also be taken on a guided tour of our new home - an 8-story state-of-the-art building located in the East Village. There are many features the building has to offer such as 12 classrooms, 2 recording studios, a student lounge and a sophisticatedly designed moot court room.

Information Sessions are given once a month and open to those who have a genuine interest in or are considering law school. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to admissions@tjsl.edu. Please include your first and last name, contact phone number, the date you would like to attend and the first and last name of those in your party. Also, please label the subject line "Information Sessions."

Below are the scheduled dates and times for upcoming sessions.

February 10 - 6pm - 7:30pm

March 10 - 6pm - 7:30pm

April 6 - 6pm - 7:30pm

May 19 - 6pm - 7:30pm

See you there!

Thomas Jefferson School of Law was one of only two law schools selected to host the six-week Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) Summer Institute. This is the third year TJ has been selected to host the competitive program!

CLEO was founded as a non-profit project of the American Bar Association (ABA) Fund for Justice and Education to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. This intensive program is designed to demystify the law school experience. Students will take an array of courses taught by our distinguished faculty in the Socratic Method. They will be expected to brief cases and participate in class, as well as complete final exams. More than 8,000 students have participated and successfully matriculated through law school, passed the bar exam and joined the legal profession.

Thomas Jefferson is a proud member of the CLEO Consortium on Diversity in Legal Education and honored to have been selected in assisting underrepresented students thrive in law school!

This week we welcomed Justin Cruz as the Assistant Director of Admissions! Already in his first week, Mr. Cruz is traveling to Atlanta for a law school forum…he’ll be racking up the frequent flier miles in no time.

I recently asked Mr. Cruz a few questions about his background and this is what he had to say:

Q. Where did you go to school for your Bachelor’s degree? A. Georgia Tech.

Q. Where did you go to law school? A. I attended Thomas Jefferson as a student in the Part-Time evening program from 2006-2008. I then transferred to Washington University School of Law where I graduated this past May. I am also an active member of the Missouri Bar.

Q. Where have you practiced law? A. Most recently I worked as Contracts Counsel in the Legal Department at Life Technologies Corporation in Carlsbad, CA. I also held Summer Associate positions at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP in San Diego, CA and at Davis, Wright & Tremaine LLP in Portland, OR.

Q. Why did you want to leave private practice to work at Thomas Jefferson? A. My passion is to work with students to help them achieve their dream of attending law school. I have always wanted to pursue a career in higher education.

Q. What are some things we might not know about you by looking at your resume? A. Before law school I was an Engineer at Caterpillar, Inc., I am the first in my family to attend college and my middle school choir sang at Carnegie Hall in NYC.

We are delighted to have Justin as part of our team and know that you will enjoy meeting him and working with him as you start your law school career!  

Thomas Jefferson School of Law was named one of the top law schools for placing its students in externships by National Jurist Magazine! There were 20 schools ranked in order of placements for their full-time students and TJSL was ranked number 12.

An externship is designed to expose lawyers-in-training to actual casework, giving them the practical skills and hands-on training necessary to be successful in the legal profession. Students are given the opportunity to do research, draft legal documents and in some cases, appear in court, all while under the supervision of a practicing attorney. The areas of practice vary from criminal prosecution and defense, civil litigation, child welfare and custody, business law and contracts.

Externships not only give students the chance to gain “real life experience,” but they also build mentoring opportunities. Many students have been able to start their careers by fostering the relationships they’ve built while working for potential employers.

Thomas Jefferson is committed to helping its students increase their job prospects and have a successful transition into their respective career goals!

Many people have lofty ideas of what they want to do with their law degrees.  Perhaps you think you'll become a highly paid civil litigator or maybe a civil rights attorney.  Either way, at some point in their career, most lawyers find themselves working in the public sector.  Thomas Jefferson has a long tradition of training students to go out into the world to work for the most disenfranchised of our society.  

The Career Services Office, in conjunction with the Public Interest Law Foundation (a TJSL student organization) will be hosting its annual Public Interest Career Week.  Current students will have the opportunity to attend a Non-Profit Panel, Government Agency Panel and a Public Interest Career Fair.  Students will also be able to meet and mingle with attorneys working in the public interest field.

Is law school for you? The University of San Francisco is hosting its Annual West Coast Consortium (“WCC”) Law Fair! The WCC consists of admissions professionals from law schools accredited by the American Bar Association. Its mission is to reach prospective applicants who otherwise might not have access to information about legal education and extol the virtues of attending a private west coast law school and the opportunities available from one.

Thomas Jefferson is a proud member of the WCC and offers many opportunities to help you pursue your legal education! Admission is FREE, so come out and meet our school representative. We hope to see you there!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

10 am – 2 pm

San Francisco Marriott Union Square

480 Sutter Street

San Francisco, CA

                                                Please RSVP to the University of San Francisco                                                        School of Law Admissions Office by:                                                            Friday, November 5, 2010 at                                                 lawadmissions@usfca.edu or 415.422.6586  

Are you considering law school? Thomas Jefferson participates in various law school and graduate fairs around the country. We encourage you to attend these events to meet and engage with our representatives. This will give you an opportunity to ask questions and gain more insight into Thomas Jefferson and all we have to offer!

Listed below are the events we are attending for the weeks of: 10/22 – 11/1. Please contact the host school/organization for further information.

See you soon!

Did you know that you don’t have to wait until next August to start law school? That’s right; you can start this January! We are currently accepting applications for the spring 2011 class.

Here are a few questions often asked regarding starting in the spring:

Q. Is there a disadvantage to starting in the spring, as opposed to staring in the fall? A. No. In fact, one advantage is that the entering class is smaller, giving you more opportunities to meet people and interact with your professors.

Q. If I start in the spring do I have to take classes the first summer to “catch up?” A. No. There is no “catching up” in the sense that you would be behind by starting in the spring. You can feel free to take summer classes, but it is not required.

If you’re ready to start what will be the most challenging and exciting chapter of your life, apply now!  

Philip Rivers threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, as the Chargers crushed the Jacksonville Jaguars in their home opener. Tight end Antonio Gates was particularly unstoppable with two touchdown catches, and the Chargers defense forced six Jacksonville turnovers.  The final score was 38-13, a resounding win.  Go, Chargers!  

(Image: Wikicommons.)