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University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law is a private, American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school in the Oak Park neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the University of the Pacific and is located on the University's Sacramento campus.
Because of its location in California’s capital city, the law school has developed close ties with state government. California legislators, judges, and high-ranking government officials have taught as adjunct professors at the school, and many McGeorge alumni have served in leadership positions in state government.
History
The school that eventually became McGeorge began in 1921 when University of Chicago Law School graduate[4] and Standard Oil executive Verne Adrian McGeorge began teaching law students at night in downtown Sacramento, California. The school was formally established in 1924 as Sacramento College of Law and in 1929, was renamed McGeorge School of Law in honor of its founder.
Gordon D. Schaber served as dean from 1957 to 1991 and oversaw a period of major growth and transformation. In 1957, the school moved to its current campus in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood. It received full accreditation from the State Bar of California in 1964. It merged with the University of the Pacific in 1966.
It received accreditation by the American Bar Association in 1968, followed by significant enrollment growth during the 1970s. In 1974, McGeorge launched its International Legal Studies Program in Salzburg, Austria. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy taught in the program from 1975 to 2019.
McGeorge was one of the early U.S. law schools to establish study-abroad programs. Its first program was held in Vienna in 1975, and a summer program in Salzburg, Austria began in the mid-1980s. That program continues today. Former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy taught in the Salzburg program for more than 30 years. In connection with the program, McGeorge offers summer externship opportunities in various international locations.
In 2021, alumnus Robert T. Eglet ‘88 and Tracy A. Eglet, among the most successful trial lawyers in the country, donated $25 million to the law school, one of the largest gifts in the history of American legal education. This gift creates scholarships for first generation college students and supports McGeorge’s Eglet Center for Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution.
Accreditation, memberships, rankings
McGeorge has been approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1969.[5] As an ABA approved law school, McGeorge graduates are eligible to sit for the bar examination in any American jurisdiction.
Memberships
McGeorge joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1974 [6] and is approved for participation in veterans’ educational benefits programs.
It has a chapter of the Order of the Coif, a national law school honorary society founded for the purposes of encouraging legal scholarship and advancing the ethical standards of the legal profession.[7]
In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, McGeorge School of Law was ranked tied for 163rd out of 197 schools.[1] In the May 2025 U.S. News & World Report, McGeorge ranked No. 9 for Trial Advocacy and No. 18 for Alternative Dispute Resolution.
In the PreLaw Magazine 2025 winter issue, McGeorge ranked No. 1 for government law, sharing the top spot with two other law schools — New York Law School and the University of Pennsylvania.
McGeorge received the 2025 LGBTQ+ Institutional Inclusive Excellence Award from the Association of American Law Schools Section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues for its support of LGBTQ+ students.
Of the McGeorge alumni who took the California bar exam for the first time in February 2025, 70.7% passed.
Admissions
For the class entering in 2024, the law school accepted 613 out of 1027 applicants (a 59.59% acceptance rate), with 212 of those accepted enrolling (a 33.77% yield rate – the percentage of accepted students who enrolled). Five students were not included in the acceptance statistics. The class consisted of 212 students. The median LSAT score was 155 and the median undergraduate GPA was 3.52. One student was not included in the GPA calculation. The reported 25th/75th percentile LSAT scores and GPAs were 152/158 and 3.14/3.77.[2]
Tuition
McGeorge's tuition and fees for full-time students during the 2025–2026 academic year are $62,678 per year, while tuition and fees for part-time students were $41,628.[8]
McGeorge offers several JD Certificate of Concentration programs designed to allow students to focus their legal studies in a specific area of practice.
Business law
The Business Certificate of Concentration emphasizes general business law and related practice areas, such as entertainment law, employment law, banking law, and real estate law.
Capital Lawyering
The Capital Lawyering Certificate of Concentration focuses on preparing students for careers in public policy, legislation, and government practice.
Elder and health law
The Elder & Health Law Certificate of Concentration is designed for students interested in health care law, elder law, or regulatory work. The program prepares students to represent both individuals and institutions or to serve in regulatory agencies.
Intellectual property law
The Intellectual Property Certificate of Concentration allows students to explore legal issues in patent, copyright, trademark, and related fields such as entertainment and artistry law.
International law
The International Certificate of Concentration emphasizes public international law and private international law.
Tax law
The Tax Certificate of Concentration offers coursework in federal and state tax law relevant to business, estate planning, and charitable organizations.
Trial and appellate advocacy
The Trial & Appellate Advocacy Certificate of Concentration provides training in criminal and civil trial preparation and advocacy, and alternatives to litigation.
Water and environmental law
The Water & Environmental Certificate of Concentration focuses on issues governed by environmental, energy, and water law on local, national, and international levels.
Clinics
McGeorge offers a range of legal clinics designed to provide students with experiential learning opportunities while delivering pro bono legal services to underserved populations. These clinics allow students to apply legal theory in real-world settings and develop practical lawyering skills under faculty supervision.
Bankruptcy Clinic
The Bankruptcy Clinic offers practical skills training in insolvency law. Students interview and counsel clients, assess cases, and may represent debtors in proceedings before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Buccola Family Homeless Advocacy Clinic
The Buccola Family Homeless Advocacy Clinic provides legal services to unhoused individuals with criminal legal system contact. Students represent clients in civil, criminal, and administrative matters, gaining hands-on litigation experience.
Elder & Health Law Clinic
The Elder & Health Law Clinic provides students with practical experience in civil law involving elder care, health law, and related interdisciplinary issues, including probate, financial abuse, social security, and advance healthcare planning.
Federal Defender Clinic
The Federal Defender Clinic allows students to represent indigent clients in federal misdemeanor cases, draft legal memoranda, argue motions, and gain practical experience in client counseling, plea negotiation, and trial advocacy.
Immigration Law Clinic
The Immigration Law Clinic provides students with practical skills in client interviewing, legal issue resolution, and case planning while representing underserved non-citizens before the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Court.
Legislative and Public Policy Clinic
The Legislative and Public Policy Clinic offers students practical experience in researching, drafting, and advocating for California state legislative and policy changes while engaging with government officials, lobbyists, and media.
Prisoner Civil Rights Mediation Clinic
The Prisoner Civil Rights Mediation Clinic offers students the chance to co-mediate Section 1983 prisoner civil rights cases with a federal magistrate judge in the Eastern District of California, developing mediation skills and legal knowledge.
Day and evening programs
McGeorge offers both a three-year day division program and four-year evening division program. Beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, McGeorge’s evening program is scheduled to be offered in a hybrid format, so students will need to be with students attending classes on campus two evenings per week during the first two years and having the option of a reduced on-campus presence in the final two years.
International Board of Advisors
McGeorge's International Board of Advisors is an advisory body that provides guidance and support to the law school’s faculty, administration, and students regarding educational programs and professional development in international law and transnational practice.
Prominent faculty working in international law
Stephen McCaffrey is an expert in international water law. He received the 2018 Distinguished Elisabeth Haub Award Environmental Law and Diplomacy Laureate and 2017 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.
Omar Dajani is an expert on Palestinian-Israeli legal issues and an international law scholar. He is a co-director of the Global Center for Business and Development.
Michael Malloy is an expert in bank regulation, economic sanctions, and international banking law.
Frank Gevurtz is recognized as a leading commentator on corporate law; author of Corporation Law treatise.
Michael Vitiello is an expert in criminal law, sentencing policy, and marijuana law. He has authored 13 books and more than 80 articles.
Jarrod Wong is the co-director of the Global Center for Business and Development. He is a scholar in international dispute resolution.
Location
The McGeorge School of Law is located on University of the Pacific's Sacramento campus at 3200 Fifth Avenue in the Oak Park area of Sacramento, the capital of California.[9]
McGeorge is located on a 14-acre campus. The campus includes redwoods and a community garden maintained by student, staff, and faculty volunteers from McGeorge School of Law and the University of the Pacific's School of Health Sciences. Started in 2010 by Environmental Law Society students, the garden provides nutritious food, stress relief, hands-on learning experiences, and opportunities for campus community members to connect.
Students have access to an on-campus pool and gym. The gym, located next to the community garden, was recently revamped with brand-new gear, machines, and updated paint and flooring. These recreation facilities are available at no cost to students.
Journals and publications
The University of the Pacific Law Review (formerly titled "McGeorge Law Review" and "The Pacific Law Journal"). A student-run, scholarly journal publishing four issues annually. Two issues are published each year containing professional articles and student-authored comments or casenotes; one issue contains the Review of Selected California Legislation, or "Greensheets"; and one issue contains a symposium, focusing on a specific, significant legal topic.
California Water Law Journal. A forum for water law research.
Notable people
Notable alumni
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The McGeorge School of Law alumni network is a strong community with more than 15,000 members, spread across all 50 states and more than 81 countries worldwide.
Gordon Schaber, dean of McGeorge School of Law, actor Raymond Burr, and others.
Actor Raymond Burr, best known for his role as fictional defense attorney Perry Mason, was a longtime supporter of McGeorge. His connection with the school began in 1960, when he served as a last-minute commencement speaker and developed a friendship with then-Dean Gordon Schaber. Burr later donated original Perry Mason scripts, which are on display in the law library, as well as rare books and narrated training films. He auctioned works from his personal art collection to help fund the building of the school’s Trial Advocacy Building. Burr regularly participated in school events, such as commencements and fundraising events, and contributed to the visibility and development of the campus. His contributions are reflected in artifacts and facilities that remain part of the law school.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy
Justice Anthony Kennedy speaks to law students at McGeorge School of Law.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy has had a long-standing association with the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, spanning over five decades. After practicing law in San Francisco and Sacramento and assuming leadership of his father’s law practice, Kennedy joined the McGeorge faculty in 1965 as a professor of law. He taught Constitutional Law and Comparative Free Speech, as well as participating in the school’s Summer Salzburg program, making him the longest-serving faculty member in McGeorge history. Kennedy’s contributions emphasized mentorship, civil discourse, and the development of future legal professionals. In 2021, McGeorge partnered with the Justice Kennedy Learning Center (JKLC) to expand civic education and outreach across Northern California and the Bay Area. Kennedy’s enduring influence is reflected in both the school’s domestic curriculum and its international programs, including the long-running Summer Program on International Legal Studies in Salzburg
↑Chicago, University of (1920). University of Chicago Alumni Directory. Produced for the University of Chicago Alumni Association by Pub. Concepts, Incorporated.
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