About Chapman Law

Spend 15 minutes in the newly constructed Kennedy Hall and you are likely to hear a “buzz.” This is the sound of a dynamic learning environment, the sound of people passionately engaged in their work. These halls are not silent and intimidating, rather they are alive with student and faculty debate, collaborative research and a sense of mutual purpose—that is to prepare the next generation of legal practitioners and scholars to become ethical and successful global citizens.

The School of Law has quickly earned a reputation as an emerging center for legal education. Since opening in 1995, the School of Law has:

• Received full and unconditional approval by the American Bar Association.
• Opened a spectacular facility for legal study.
• Placed graduates in high-profile firms, prestigious judicial clerkships and government positions.
• Competed exceedingly well against many well-established schools in key law school rankings.
• Attracted faculty who have clerked for Supreme Court Justices and who hold degrees from Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, UCLA, USC, Pennsylvania, Georgetown and Michigan and with publications in distinguished law reviews and journals such as Minnesota Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, Harvard Environmental Law Review, the Georgetown Journal of Law and Policy, Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy and many others.
• Launched new LL.M. degrees in taxation and prosecutorial science, and added an exciting new certificate program in entertainment law.
• Seated students with consistently stronger academic credentials year after year.
• Routinely competed head to head against some of the nation's top law schools in its burgeoning student competition program.

Chapman operates on the philosophy that a legal mind develops most effectively in a collaborative environment. Professors view themselves as teachers and mentors and are available to students for intellectual partnerships as well as academic and career advice.

At Chapman, the Socratic method is only one of our teaching tools. Professors also employ other pedagogical styles including lectures, small seminars, student study groups and simulation courses. Chapman also stresses ethics and citizenship in its legal training; we see ourselves as a community dedicated to fostering the intellectual and personal development of good people who also happen to be great lawyers.

And the results speak for themselves: This “Chapman difference” has enabled several students to argue before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals well before graduation. Eight months after graduation, 9 of 10 students have jobs, some with regionally or nationally renowned employers. And Chapman has had alumni accept clerkships for the United States District Courts in California, Nevada and the Virgin Islands, U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, the Minnesota State Court of Appeals, the Colorado State Court of Appeals and the U.S. Department of Labor. Graduating students have also taken positions at Bonne Bridges Mueller, O’Keefe & Nichols, Bryan Cave, California Court of Appeal, Chistensen Miller Fink Jacobs Glasser Weil & Shapiro, Jackson DeMarco & Peckenpaugh, Kirkland & Ellis, Morrison & Foerster, MyCFO, O’Melveny & Myers, Orange County District Attorney, Orange County Public Defender, Public Law Center, Rutan & Tucker and the United States District Court. (sidebar)

Recent winning Chapman experience. Chapman has emerged as a powerhouse in its competition program, placing near or above top law schools in the state and country. Recent successes include:

• In March, 2007, the Chapman team of John Bailey and Marcus Garrett won the California Bar Environmental Negotiation Competition.  
• In February, 2007, Chapman moot court team of Marcus Garrett, Katia Benthale and Paige Gosney made history by advancing to the national finals of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition. Katia was recognized as one of the top ten oralists in the competition.
• In October, 2006, at the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition regional in Palo Alto, both Chapman teams made the final four, going into the semifinals in fourth place (Marcus Garrett and Matt D'Abusco) and second place (Andy Bugman and Tom Vogele). Andy and Tom advanced to the final round, which ensured them a spot at the national finals in Philadelphia. They then rallied to win the whole competition, beating a team from Hastings, a perennial national powerhouse in moot court! Andy also won Best Oralist.

Other historical successes of note include:

• Chapman law students Marla Sorenson and Wade Smith won the 2003 California Bar Environmental Negotiation Competition held at Golden Gate Law School in San Francisco,, defeating teams from UCLA, UC Davis, UC Hastings, USD, and Loyola, among others. ·
• Students Cecilia Aguayo and Ric Huettl won first place in the ABA National Client Counseling Competition and third place in the International Client Counseling Competition.
• Chapman University School of Law alumnus David P. Collins (’01) was one of 10 national winners of the prestigious Burton Award for excellence in legal writing in 2002. Stanford, Michigan, Duke, Pennsylvania, Cornell, Emory, and Vanderbilt also received awards that year. Students Tom Bellamore, Leigh Jewell, Michael Maxey, Teresa McQueen and Daniel Nolan worked with Chapman Law Professor Tony Arnold to write the book, Beyond Litigation: Case Studies in Water Rights Disputes published by the Environmental Law Institute.
• Students Rosa Sahagun and Melanie Boyer successfully argued in front of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. It is rare for even veteran lawyers to have an opportunity to appear before an Appellate Court.
• Chapman students were national finalists in the Giles Rich Moot Court Competition.
• Chapman students were national finalists for three years running in the ABA-LSD Negotiation Competition.