The Thomas Jefferson School of Law IT Department is dedicated to supporting the advancement of teaching, research, and administrative missions for all faculty, staff, and students. The IT staff is available to provide solutions to administer business and readily equip students with the most up to date technology as it pertains to the legal profession. The Law School hosts a myriad of solutions for its residential learners as well as distance education support. Classrooms at the Law School are equipped with audio visual technologies such as projectors, class lecture recording, and system automation.
The IT Department is located on the 2nd Floor. This is the same level where classrooms are located to provide fast and efficient service, and close proximity for students.
We know that law school is a lot more than what happens in the classroom. The Student Affairs Office is here to support you through your total experience at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. From orientation through your graduation day, we are with you every step of the way providing the support you need to succeed in law school.
We know law school is expensive, and we are here to help you receive all of the financial aid for which you are eligible. Fortunately, there are a variety of financial options available to qualifying students.
Our goal is to provide personal financial assistance and counseling to fit your needs so that you can focus on your law school education.
Students not eligible for Federal Direct Loans may apply for private loans to help defray the cost of attending the law school. Students may choose any lender they wish, but here is a link with some available lenders: http://www.finaid.org/loans/privatestudentloans.phtml#loanchart
Installment Plans
Students may set up installment plans in advance of the payment deadline to make tuition payments.
Financial Aid provided by either the federal government or private lenders. Interest accrues once the loan disburses and the federal loans have origination fees. This is financial aid that must be repaid.
Federal Stafford Loans are low interest loans available to eligible students, in the JD program, to assist them with costs related to their education. These loans are made by the federal government and are known as “Direct Stafford Loans”. The annual maximum Stafford loan for law students is $20,500. The current interest rate for this loan is fixed at 6.08%. Repayment begins six months after the borrower graduates, leaves school, or drops to less than half-time enrollment. Since the entire Stafford loan is unsubsidized, interest accrual begins once the loan is disbursed.
To apply for a Federal Stafford loan, complete the Stafford loan request form or come in to the Financial Aid Office for more information.
All eligible JD students may borrow a Graduate PLUS Loan in addition to the Stafford loan to help pay for living expenses. A credit check is required and performed by the federal government. You must be enrolled at least half-time, be a US Citizen, US National, or Permanent Resident, and pass the government’s credit check to be approved for the loan. The interest rate is fixed at 7.08% and the loan is deferred while enrolled in law school. Your income and credit score will not affect your eligibility. The maximum amount is calculated to be the total cost of attendance minus any other financial aid. To apply for the Grad Plus loan, go to https://studentaid.gov/plus-app/.
Private student loans are available to help defray the cost of attending the Graduate Programs. Students may choose any lender they wish, but here is a link with some available lenders: https://finaid.org/loans/privatestudentloans/
Limited institutional scholarships are available for graduate LLM, MSL and JSD candidates.
Select scholarships are available through private organizations and affiliations for JD students.
JD Applicants – Limited institutional scholarships are available for select JD candidates. Learn more HERE.
Graduate Applicants - Limited institutional scholarships are available for graduate LLM, MSL and JSD candidates.
This need-based program is designed to provide jobs to help students with educational expenses. In addition to the regular eligibility requirements, the program requires that participants be in good academic standing. The pay rate is $14.00 per hour. Federal work study students can earn money at eligible on or off-campus employment. Work study does not need to be repaid but is considered taxable income.
How to Apply for Federal Aid (Eligible Students)
Applicants can help ensure their financial aid applications are given maximum consideration by carefully reading the following instructions and submitting all materials to the Financial Assistance Office or the appropriate agency as early as possible.
Students who want to receive Federal Stafford loans should complete a Stafford loan request form. Completed forms may be faxed, scanned/emailed or mailed to the Financial Aid Office.
Applying for a Graduate PLUS loan requires students to go online to begin the loan process. The website is https://studentaid.gov/plus-app/. This loan is credit-based and the federal government will determine your eligibility.
Step 3
New borrowers must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and entrance counseling to receive federal loans. This is done online at https://studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling/. There are 2 separate MPN’s (Stafford and Grad PLUS). Both will need to be completed if requesting both loans.
TJSL’s Student Handbook is your personal guide to navigating law school from orientation to graduation. The handbook will help you get the most out of your law school experience.
It has sections on planning your course selection, paying for law school, law school policies and a lot more important law school survival information.
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.
The Intellectual Property, Entertainment & Sports Fellowship Program provides a wealth of opportunities for students interested in all aspects of business law and particularly those dealing with entertainment and sports. This Fellowship Program is definitely NOT limited to those with technical backgrounds. The “soft IP” areas of trademark, copyright, rights of publicity, trade secrets, and even many aspects of patent law are open to anyone with the interest and drive to succeed in a rapidly expanding area of law that has become essential for anyone with a business or corporate practice.
If you are a prospective law student with an undergraduate or advanced degree in the hard sciences or engineering, this program would provide you a wealth of opportunities to incorporate your existing skills into a package that is in high demand in the legal community.
Our program provides access to entertainment, sports, and intellectual property law in the classroom and in the field. Fellows typically attend a multi-day, for-credit seminar introducing various aspects of entertainment, sports and IP law, including the basics of patents, copyrights, and trademarks as well as how these bodies of law interact with other areas such as contract and antitrust law. The program in the past has included members of the bench and bar, many of them alumni of the law school, who provide real world flavor to the academic experience.
In the second and third years, Fellows may:
Take a variety of electives focusing on all aspects of Intellectual Property, Entertainment & Sports Law;
Take Introduction to IP Practice where they learn to prepare a variety of documents such as cease and desist letters, non-disclosure agreements and search reports that form the core of a practicing IP lawyer’s workload whether in the sports or entertainment industries or other areas where IP law is involved;
Take a series of sports-law courses covering all aspects of professional and amateur sport in the US and abroad;
Receive preference to register for advanced IP, Entertainment & Sports Law classes;
Work one-on-one with professors on sports, entertainment, and intellectual property-related scholarly projects;
Participate in sports, entertainment, and IP-related interschool competitions, including the National Sports Law Negotiation Competition hosted by TJSL; and
Organize and attend many scholarly and practice-oriented programs dealing with various aspects of sports, entertainment, and intellectual property through the Fellowship Program and active student organizations such as the Intellectual Property Law Association and the Entertainment and Sports Law Societies.
The best parts of the Fellowship Program, however, are the opportunities to engage in real-world practice. This happens in two ways:
First, Fellows have the opportunity to work in the Law School’s Small Business Law Center prosecuting patent and trademark applications for small business, non-profits, and independent inventors. Students have the unique opportunity to interact with PTO staff while representing clients under the direct supervision of licensed California attorneys. The PTO also grants special privileges to certified clinics that enable matters to move through the process faster, giving students a better chance to see the project through. Clinic graduates comment on their experiences here.
Second, many Fellows work in intellectual property related externships, earning Law School units for working with a corporation or law firm.
Nadia Akwaweih
3L
“One of the best decisions I ever made was attending Thomas Jefferson School of Law to take part in the IP Fellowship Program. Through the program, I have drafted patents for low-income inventors in the Small Business Law Center, worked as a student patent examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and am currently a paid legal intern at Maxwell Technologies working in conjunction with a leading national patent law firm, Knobbe Martens. Additionally, I have competed amongst the best of the best in the American Intellectual Property Law Association Giles Rich Moot Court competition representing TJSL and have received the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s Sidney B. Williams Jr. Intellectual Property Law Scholars Program Scholarship for $10,000. Without the guidance, encouragement, and support of the IP staff at TJSL, none of this would have been possible.”
Diana Laranang
3L
“Working in the school’s Trademark Clinic was such a great experience. I learned what working in a law firm would be like. I had my own set of clients and worked with them on different stages of their trademark applications. Some clients were brand new, and others had already submitted a trademark application and needed help with upkeep or responding to office actions. So, I was able to work on a variety of things with each client and their situation. From working in the clinic I wanted to see what the other side was like and was fortunate enough to get an internship with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) working in their trademark division. I really appreciate the opportunity that the Trademark Clinic gave to me, including the ability to transfer the skills I learned there over to my current firm where I do IP litigation. ”
Dustin Fox
Former Extern Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, currently Associate Justinian PLLC
“I was exposed to the entire patent prosecution process ranging from taking the paperwork [that a] scientist would give the patent attorney; turning that into claims for the patent application; and taking a patent to license agreements between Pfizer and its licensees. This included filing U.S. and foreign patent applications as well. It was truly an extraordinary experience, and it is certainly something I am proud to have done. My mentor was very knowledgeable and showed patience with a novice like me. I couldn't have asked for a better summer.”
Jennifer McCollough
Law Clerk at United States District Court for the District of Delaware
“I cannot emphasize enough the real-world practical experience you will gain from working in the patent clinic,…you can tell your potential employers that you already have experience doing many of the things that will be required of you, something that many law school students do not have the opportunity to say….I believe experience in the patent clinic is the single most important thing a TJSL student interested in patent law can do….”
Sumant Pathak
Intellectual Property Associate & Patent Attorney at Rosenberg Klein & Lee and May 2014 TJSL grad
“The Intellectual Property Fellowship Program at Thomas Jefferson was extremely helpful to me because it allowed me to develop practical skills while also taking insightful classes that focused on various aspects of intellectual property. The USPTO Patent Clinic was integral to my initial learning of various skills required to be a successful patent practitioner. I was able to hone these skills with a local San Diego IP law firm through the school’s externship program. I was also able to partake in intellectual property classes ranging from Trademark and Patent Law to one on Open Source. I was thus able to blend the intellectual rigor of the IP classes at the school with practical skills to present myself as a viable candidate to various firms. Moreover, the keen interest and help from the IP fraternity at the school, ranging from professors to alumni, allowed me make a seamless transition from the technical field to the legal field.”
Students seeking to attend Thomas Jefferson as a visiting student, must:
Register with or reactivate their CAS reporting through the LSAC;
Submit law school transcripts; and
Submit a letter of good standing from your current law school which lists the courses you are eligible to take and confirms that the credits earned at Thomas Jefferson are transferable back to your law school.
Both the copy of your official law school transcript as well as the letter of good standing should be obtained from your current law school and submitted directly to our admissions office by mail.
We consider visiting students from CBE and ABA accredited law schools.
Please visit the Class & Exam Schedules webpage for current schedule and course offering information.
Thomas Jefferson offers flexible and competitive academic instruction at an affordable cost.
Tuition and fees are due in full during the registration period before the start of each semester, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Business Office. For your convenience, payment plans are available for a modest fee. These allow you to spread the cost of your education throughout the semester or defer it while awaiting financial aid.
Tuition and/or fees are subject to change.
Tuition for the JD Program is $1200/unit for the 2023/2024 academic year. The program requires 80 units to complete. Limited institutional scholarships are available for select JD candidates. Learn more HERE
Tuition - $1340 per unit for the 2022/2023 academic year. The program requires 24 units to complete. Limited institutional scholarships are available.
Tuition for the online Graduate Program is $1620/unit for the 2022/2023 academic year. The online Master’s of Science of Law (MSL) for those without a JD requires 30 units to complete, while the online Master's of Law (LLM) for those with a JD or equivalent requires 24 units. Scholarships may be available.
Tuition for the online JSD Program is $1620/unit for the 2022/2023 academic year. The online Doctorate degree requires 60 units to complete; however, most students may transfer units from their LLM program, which significantly reduces the total program cost.
At Thomas Jefferson School of Law, you benefit from a strong student-faculty partnership. Small classes, a small community, and passionate dedicated teachers mean that you will receive personalized attention, feedback, and support from the day you arrive at the law school until the day you graduate.
