Santa Clara University School of Law

What Santa Clara University School of Law does

Santa Clara University School of Law is a private, ABA-accredited law school founded in 1911 and located in Silicon Valley (Santa Clara, California), operating as a unit within Santa Clara University, a Jesuit Catholic institution founded in 1851. The school delivers Juris Doctor programs in both full-time and Flex (hybrid part-time) formats, Master of Laws (LLM) graduate programs, and certificate tracks in high tech, intellectual property, privacy, international, public interest, and sports law. Its primary customer segments are J.D. candidates seeking careers in law firms, technology companies, government, and public interest organizations, plus working professionals pursuing the Flex J.D. and international lawyers pursuing specialized LLM credentials.

The product surface is organized around degree programs and more than ten centers and clinics — the Datta Center for High Tech Law, Northern California Innocence Project, Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center, International Human Rights Clinic, Bates Mediation Clinic, Entrepreneurs' Law Clinic, Moot Court, Conflict Resolution Program, Environmental Justice Law & Advocacy, and the Immigration Initiative — together with certificate-bearing curricula such as the new AI Law Specialization. The underlying technology stack is conventional for a U.S. law school: the Mabie Law Library subscribes to Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, and CEB Onlaw; course delivery runs on the university's Camino LMS; scholarship is preserved on an Elsevier Digital Commons repository; and interlibrary loan is operated on OCLC ILLiad. The library moved into the school's Charney Hall in March 2018 and is the primary research infrastructure.

Revenue is tuition-driven, with three primary streams — J.D. tuition (full-time and Flex), LLM and graduate program tuition, and certificate revenue — supplemented by philanthropic contributions (including a $5 million gift to the Datta Center in 2024) and continuing legal education. Because annual J.D. tuition exceeds the new $50,000 federal direct-loan cap effective July 1, 2026, the school introduced the PLEDGE Scholarship ($16,000 for full-time students, $12,500 for Flex J.D. students) to keep net price within federal borrowing limits. As a non-profit unit of Santa Clara University, the law school does not publish standalone financials and is governed through the university's Board of Trustees under Dean Michael J. Kaufman, who was reappointed to a second five-year term commencing July 2026.

Name

Santa Clara University School of Law

Legal name

Santa Clara University School of Law

Website

https://law.scu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Santa Clara University School of Law is a private Jesuit law school in Silicon Valley offering J.D., Flex J.D., LLM, and certificate programs in high tech, IP, privacy, and public interest law for aspiring attorneys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

LLM & Post-JD Graduate Law Programs (EDAHAIAC), Law School Research Centers & Institutes (e.g., Law & Economics, Human Rights) (EDAHAIAJ), Specialty Law Schools (e.g., Tax, IP, International, Trial Advocacy) (EDAHAIAF)

Keywords

• Legal education
• Law degree programs
• Juris doctor
• Graduate law studies
• Professional legal training

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. J.D. Tuition: Revenue from Juris Doctor degree programs for full-time and part-time students
2. LLM and Graduate Programs: Revenue from Master of Laws and other graduate degree programs
3. Flex J.D. Program Tuition: Hybrid, part-time program tuition for working professionals

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Santa Clara University School of Law is a private, ABA-accredited law school offering Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree programs in full-time, part-time hybrid (Flex J.D.), and Public Interest formats, along with Master of Laws (LLM) graduate programs. The school delivers specialized certificates in high tech, privacy, international, sports, and public interest law, complemented by hands-on experiential learning through 10+ clinics and research centers, with the Mabie Law Library providing legal research infrastructure.

Product overview

Santa Clara University School of Law is a comprehensive law school offering multiple degree delivery formats (full-time J.D., Flex J.D. hybrid program, LLM programs), specialized certificate programs in High Tech Law (with AI Law specialization), Privacy Law, International Law, Sports Law, and Public Interest/Social Justice Law, experiential learning through numerous clinics (Bates Mediation Clinic, International Human Rights Clinic, KGACLC, Northern California Innocence Project, Entrepreneurs' Law Clinic), research centers (Datta Center for High Tech Law, Center for Global Law & Policy, Center for Social Justice), and extensive library resources including the Mabie Law Library and Digital Commons repository. The school provides financial support through PLEDGE Scholarships and Stevens Public Interest Fellowships. Located in Silicon Valley, the institution is nationally recognized for its IP and international law programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• J.D. Program Full-time Juris Doctor degree program preparing lawyers with rigorous academics, certificates in high tech, international, privacy, public interest, social justice, and sports law.
• Flex J.D. Program A hybrid, part-time J.D. program for working professionals and those with family commitments, combining one-week in-person sessions at semester start with three long weekends per month and asynchronous online classes, designed for four-year completion.
• Public Interest J.D. (PIJD) Program Program for students pursuing public interest and social justice legal careers in criminal law, environmental law, human rights, immigration, and racial justice, featuring three semesters of experiential learning, career portfolios, and faculty/attorney mentors.
• LLM Program Master of Laws graduate degree programs for international lawyers and those seeking specialized advanced study in areas such as high tech, international, and intellectual property law.
• High Tech Law Certificate Certificate program covering intellectual property, privacy, cybersecurity, technology transactions, and the broader legal landscape of Silicon Valley, with specializations in IP, Corporate, International Law, and AI Law.
• Artificial Intelligence Law Specialization New specialization within the High Tech Law Certificate focusing on AI governance, ethical frameworks, and regulatory dimensions of artificial intelligence, including new courses on AI Governance and Contemporary Issues with AI.
• Sports Law Certificate Certificate program for students interested in sports law, offered starting 2024.
• Privacy Law Certificate Certificate program focused on privacy law, recognized by PreLaw Magazine as one of the 10 most innovative programs in the nation.
• International Law Programs Programs including an ABA-accredited International Study Abroad Program, ranked A+ by National Jurist as the #1 ABA-accredited International Study Abroad Program.
• Section 101 Patent Eligibility Law Course First U.S. law school class on litigating Section 101 patent eligibility, conceived and taught at Santa Clara Law.
• Mabie Law Library Law library housing the legal reference and research collection, located in Charney Hall since 2018, providing access to legal research databases (Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, CEB Onlaw), research assistance, and study spaces.
• Bates Mediation Clinic Experiential learning program where students develop mediation skills by mediating real small claims cases at Santa Clara Superior Court under supervision, including classroom instruction and fieldwork components.
• Datta Center for High Tech Law Nationally recognized center educating and training lawyers in intellectual property and technology law, with focus on innovative legal solutions to high tech issues.
• Center for Global Law & Policy Center focused on international law education, study abroad programs, and global legal policy.
• Center for Social Justice and Public Service Center promoting social justice through law, offering events, learning opportunities, and summer grants for students working in government and nonprofit organizations.
• Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center (KGACLC) Pro bono legal clinic providing services in consumer law, immigration, workers' rights, and unhoused advocacy with student participation in real client cases.
• International Human Rights Clinic Clinic focused on international human rights law with work recognized by congressional commendation.
• Northern California Innocence Project Innocence project dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals, involving students in real cases.
• Entrepreneurs' Law Clinic Clinic providing legal services to startup entrepreneurs and small business owners.
• Environmental Justice Law & Advocacy Center focused on environmental justice legal issues and advocacy.
• Moot Court Program Program offering moot court competitions and experiential learning in appellate advocacy.
• Immigration Initiative Program focused on immigration law education and advocacy.
• PLEDGE Scholarship $16,000 scholarship for full-time students and $12,500 for FlexJD students, bringing direct costs of law school tuition within new yearly federal loan limits.
• Manaster-Stevens Public Interest Fellowship $10,000 annual fellowship supporting one Santa Clara Law student for summer public interest work in environmental, gun control, and voting rights law.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% first-time California bar passage rate, 19% increase in two years
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLPminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 March 2026Alumni networking event hosted at Pillsbury's San Francisco office connecting local alumni and 3L students with firm partners Colin Kemp (J.D. '01), Justin Hovey (J.D. '97), and David Tsai (J.D. '06).
• Themis Bar ReviewcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership providing comprehensive wrap-around academic success and bar preparation resources to all students. Includes academic success and bar preparation support.
• Santa Clara Superior CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Bates Mediation Clinic enabling students to mediate real small claims cases at Santa Clara Superior Court under supervision.
• Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center (KGACLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity law clinic providing consumer law, immigration, workers' rights, and unhoused advocacy services with student participation in real client cases.
• JAMS (Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJudge Risë Jones Pichon serves as mediator and arbitrator with JAMS following her retirement from the bench.
• Universidad Iberoamericana (Alaide Foppa Refugee Law Clinic)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister Jesuit university partnership for spring break service trips working on refugee law and asylum cases in Mexico City.
• Northern California Innocence ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter focused on exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals and promoting criminal justice reform, involving students in real cases.
• Law.com and The RecorderminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward recognition for IP partner Christine Morgan as California Leader in Tech Law.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stanford Law School: Elite ABA-accredited law school located in Silicon Valley, directly competing with SCU for tech-law and IP students and faculty. Overlapping JD, LLM, and specialized certificate offerings with materially larger endowment.
• Southwestern Law School: California-based ABA-accredited private law school competing for similar JD applicant pool, with comparable part-time/evening program offerings and bar-preparation focus.
• Loyola University Chicago School of Law: Jesuit ABA-accredited law school from which Dean Kaufman was recruited; comparable mission-driven, mid-tier private law school model with overlapping curriculum and JD structure.
• UC Berkeley School of Law: Public ABA-accredited law school in the San Francisco Bay Area competing with SCU for California JD applicants, IP and public-interest students, and tech-law employer placement.
• University of San Francisco School of Law: Jesuit ABA-accredited law school in San Francisco offering JD and LLM programs with similar mission-driven framing and overlapping applicant pool in the Bay Area.
• Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law: Private California ABA-accredited law school offering JD and certificate programs with comparable focus on entertainment/sports and intellectual property law niches.

Broad incumbents

• Georgetown University Law Center: Large established ABA-accredited law school with strong international law programs and IP offerings; relevant incumbent comparator for SCU's high tech and international law positioning.
• Northwestern Pritzker School of Law: Higher-ranked ABA-accredited private law school that originated the Stevens Public Interest Fellowship program now active at SCU; comparable in scale and JD/LLM offerings.

Others

• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP: Major AmLaw 100 law firm and SCU alumni-engagement partner; relevant ecosystem participant that recruits SCU graduates and hosts networking events, signaling employer-recognition signal.
• Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business: Sibling professional school within Santa Clara University offering MBA and undergraduate business programs; relevant as an internal cross-sell ecosystem for joint JD/MBA candidates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/santaclaralaw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SantaClaraLaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/santaclaralaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/santa-clara-university-school-of-law
• Instagraminstagram.com/santaclaralaw

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Santa Clara University School of Law