General TJSL

Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s Teach-Out plan for its ABA program has been approved by the ABA Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

This plan allows students who matriculated prior to December, 2019, to complete their education at Thomas Jefferson’s campus in downtown San Diego.  The J.D. program offered through the Teach-Out Plan remains an accredited program for the limited purpose of teaching out and issuing the J.D. degree to students who matriculated prior to December, 2019, and meet the Law School’s graduation requirements no later than the end of the Spring 2023 semester. Recipients of those degrees are considered by the ABA Council to be graduates of an ABA-approved J.D. program.

The Law School will admit new J.D. students only to its J.D. program accredited by the California State Bar Committee of Bar Examiners for the Fall 2020 term, with an optional Early Start in Summer 2020.  For more information on this opportunity, please see www.tjsl.edu/admissions/jd-admissions.

Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association

321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654 

312-988-6738

Our student organizations are the lifeblood of your experience here at Thomas Jefferson. The nearly 20 organizations can offer you professional workshops in your areas of interest, amazing networking opportunities, community service projects and lots of social activities.

You also will have the opportunity to join one of our extraordinarily successful competition teams, the Alternative Dispute Resolution, the Mock Trial Team and the Moot Court Team. All three teams have an outstanding track-record of success against teams from the nation’s top-ranked law schools.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Team: Competes in negotiation and mediation competitions, and students develop dispute resolution skills applicable to virtually any area of practice.

Mock Trial Team: Competes in trial advocacy competitions, and students develop courtroom skills of particular value to a trial lawyer, such as a criminal prosecutor or defense attorney, a personal injury or medical malpractice plaintiffs’ lawyer, or an insurance defense lawyer.

Moot Court Team: Competes in appellate advocacy competitions, and students develop persuasive writing and oral argument skills relevant to practice areas in which legal writing is a critical component, such as a criminal law attorney focusing on appellate practice, a death penalty litigator, a business law litigator, or an intellectual property law litigator.

Visit the Student Bar Association (SBA).

Students at Thomas Jefferson School of Law come from all walks of life, from all over the country and the world. The diversity is what makes us rich in ideas and activities. The school’s location in the heart of downtown San Diego supports a network of student activities and job opportunities. There are dozens of student-run organizations at the school offering professional workshops, networking opportunities, social events and community service projects. Competitive legal teams that travel to competitions around the country are also part of the student experience. Faculty members are a big part of the student experience at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Many faculty members advise the student clubs and organizations as well as plan special guest lecture and event programs. San Diego has great places for play and for study. Students can pick their locale, whether it is with a study group on the beach, on the lawn at a downtown park, or in the corner of a neighborhood eatery. Wherever it is, Thomas Jefferson School of Law is there for you.

View the Student Handbook

At Thomas Jefferson School of Law, we are all about our students.

Our commitment to you as a student is to give you the knowledge, skills, tools and support you need to be successful from the moment you set foot on campus until the moment you walk across the stage to get your diploma – and beyond.

You will be part of a highly diverse, technologically-advanced campus with an intellectually stimulating curriculum and the most innovative academic success program to be found at any law school.

Thomas Jefferson is renowned for our highly-accessible, world-class faculty. We also have an amazing array of hands-on opportunities for our students to gain real-world legal experience.

You’ll get all of that and the paradise that is San Diego - a unique city that has so much to offer professionally, economically and recreationally.

Please explore our dynamic website to find out what makes Thomas Jefferson different from other law schools and how we can be your gateway to a fulfilling legal career.