Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

What Pepperdine Caruso School of Law does

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law is a private, ABA-accredited law school operated as part of Pepperdine University on its 830-acre Malibu, California campus, with a law school founding traceable to 1969 and institutional reorganization under the Pepperdine University umbrella by 1976. The school delivers a portfolio of degree programs — Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM) with concentrations in Dispute Resolution, Entertainment/Media/Sports, International Commercial Arbitration, and U.S. Law, a Master of Dispute Resolution (MDR), and an online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) — supplemented by certificate programs, joint degrees (JD/MBA, JD/MDR, JD/MPP, JD/MDiv, MDR/MBA, MDR/MPP), and seven specialized institutes including the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Sudreau Global Justice Institute, and Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law.

The school's commercial architecture rests primarily on tuition revenue (LLM priced at $64,320/year; JD full tuition at comparable private-school levels), supported by continuing legal education (MCLE) programs delivered across multiple U.S. locations, study-abroad tuition (Augsburg, London), and certificate/module fees. Distribution runs through LSAC application processing as the mandatory admissions channel, supplemented by campus visits, organic search, social media, the Wavelength newsletter, and dedicated recruiting events. Customer segments span prospective JD/LLM/MDR/MLS applicants, international students requiring F-1 visa support, and mid-career legal professionals seeking MCLE credits.

Operationally, the school runs a sales-led GTM organized around admissions cycles, scholarship awarding (Dean's Merit Scholarships for 3.3+ GPA and 89th-percentile LSAT applicants), and a Career Development Office whose graduate-employment team contributed to a 100% ten-month placement rate for the Class of 2025 — tied for #1 nationally. Recent product activity centers on the 2026 P(AI)R for Lawyering initiative, a school-wide AI readiness curriculum pairing practical AI fluency with a values-based framework, which earned the 2026 Excellence in Innovation: Law Schools Award from Insight Into Academia.

Name

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

Legal name

Pepperdine University

Website

https://law.pepperdine.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law is a private, ABA-accredited law school on Pepperdine University's Malibu campus offering JD, LLM, MDR, and online MLS degree programs, certificates, joint degrees, and MCLE across U.S. and global locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

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 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH), Online / Hybrid Law Schools & Programs (EDAHAIAE), Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)

Keywords

• Legal education
• Law degree programs
• Dispute resolution training
• Continuing legal education
• Joint degree programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Malibu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Primary revenue stream from tuition for JD, LLM, MDR, and MLS programs. JD program charges full tuition; LLM charges per year rate of $64,320.
2. Professional Programs (MCLE): Continuing Legal Education programs including Mediating the Litigated Case and Professional Skills Programs offered in multiple locations for MCLE credit.
3. Study Abroad Programs: Revenue from international programs including Augsburg Summer Program and London Program where students pay Pepperdine tuition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law is an ABA-accredited private law school in Malibu, California, offering a JD (Juris Doctor) degree alongside graduate programs including LLM (Master of Laws), MDR (Master of Dispute Resolution), and MLS (Master of Legal Studies) degrees. The school also delivers certificates, joint degrees, and continuing legal education, supported by specialized institutes such as the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, the Sudreau Global Justice Institute, and the Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Product overview

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law offers a comprehensive portfolio of legal education products and services built around its core degree programs (JD, LLM, MDR, MLS) supplemented by specialized institutes (Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Sudreau Global Justice Institute, Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law) and certificate programs (Dispute Resolution, Entertainment/Media/Sports, Criminal Legal Practice, Law and Entrepreneurship, International and Comparative Law). The school provides joint degree offerings (JD/MDR, MDR/MBA, MDR/MPP, JD/MBA, JD/MPP, JD/MDiv) in partnership with other Pepperdine graduate schools. Global programs include the Augsburg Exchange and London programs. Experiential learning is delivered through clinical education, externships, and MCLE continuing education programs. The institution also offers P(AI)R for Lawyering, a recent AI readiness initiative. The product architecture is a platform-plus-modules model where the core degree programs serve as the foundation, supplemented by specialized institutes providing focused expertise and certificates/joint degrees offering targeted skill development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Juris Doctor (JD) Program
• Master of Laws (LLM) Programs Specialized graduate law degrees for U.S. and international lawyers, with international and focused LLM tracks offered through the Straus Institute.
• Master of Dispute Resolution (MDR) A graduate degree program focused on mediation, arbitration, and negotiation, delivered through the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution.
• Master of Legal Studies (MLS) Online An online graduate degree providing foundational legal training for non-lawyer professionals across industries.
• Certificate Programs Focused certificate programs allowing professionals and students to gain credentials in specialized areas of law without committing to a full degree.
• Joint Degree Programs Combined degree programs pairing the JD or other law degrees with graduate degrees from other Pepperdine schools (e.g., MBA, public policy).
• Continuing Legal Education / MCLE Continuing legal education courses providing MCLE credit and professional development for practicing attorneys and other legal professionals.
• Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution A specialized institute offering the MDR degree, dispute resolution certificates, and training in mediation, arbitration, and negotiation.
• Sudreau Global Justice Institute An institute dedicated to global justice education and programming, including the annual Global Justice Program.
• Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Law A center offering specialized coursework and programming in entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology law.
• International Programs (London and Augsburg) Study abroad programs offering JD students international legal perspectives through courses and externships in London, United Kingdom, and Augsburg, Germany.
• P(AI)R for Lawyering AI Initiative A school-wide initiative integrating artificial intelligence tools and training into the law school curriculum to prepare students for AI-enabled legal practice.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% job placement rate for Class of 2025 at ten-month mark following graduation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of AugsburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Exchange program agreement established in 2003 between Pepperdine Caruso School of Law and University of Augsburg School of Law. Up to four students from each institution can study at the partner school annually. Pepperdine students attend Augsburg's Summer Program on European and International Economic Law, while Augsburg students typically study at Pepperdine during the fall semester. Both institutions recommend minimum four credits per program.
• UCLA American Language CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnglish language partnership allowing international students to qualify for graduate programs at Straus Institute without TOEFL or IELTS score. Students complete the highest level of English instruction at UCLA before starting their LLM/MDR coursework.
• UC Irvine Extension CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnglish language partnership allowing international students to qualify for graduate programs at Straus Institute without TOEFL or IELTS score. Students complete designated English instruction level at UC Irvine before starting their LLM/MDR coursework.
• ABA-Accredited Law Schools (JD Transfer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents at ABA-accredited law schools across the nation can pursue a Masters in Dispute Resolution through Pepperdine. Students transfer up to 10 units of dispute resolution coursework into the MDR program and typically complete the MDR over two summer sessions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Southwestern Law School: Southwestern is a private ABA-accredited law school in Los Angeles offering JD and LLM programs with strong entertainment and media law focus. It directly competes with Pepperdine in the LA legal education market, particularly for entertainment law candidates.
• SMU Dedman School of Law: SMU Dedman is a private ABA-accredited law school offering JD and LLM programs, and tied with Pepperdine for the #1 national ranking for job placement. It is a direct peer in scale, mission, and outcomes positioning.
• Texas A&M University School of Law: Texas A&M Law is a public ABA-accredited law school offering JD and LLM programs that also tied for #1 national ranking for job placement. As a co-leader on placement outcomes, Texas A&M serves as a benchmark peer on employment performance.
• USC Gould School of Law: USC Gould is a private ABA-accredited law school in Los Angeles offering JD, LLM, and certificate programs. As a fellow private LA-area law school with overlapping applicant pool, similar tuition positioning, and shared #1 LA rankings alongside Pepperdine, USC is the most direct competitive peer.
• Loyola Marymount University Law School (Loyola Law): Loyola Law is another private Catholic-affiliated ABA-accredited law school in Los Angeles offering JD and LLM programs. Loyola competes head-to-head with Pepperdine for the same LA-area applicant pool, faith-based applicants, and similar tuition positioning, making it a close peer in mission and market.
• UCLA School of Law: UCLA Law is a top-ranked public ABA-accredited law school in Los Angeles offering JD, LLM, and MSL programs. UCLA competes directly with Pepperdine for LA-area applicants and faculty, while also being a partner through the UCLA American Language Center pathway for international students.

Broad incumbents

• Harvard Law School: Harvard Law is the highest-ranked ABA-accredited law school in the U.S. As the dominant brand in legal education globally, it competes with Pepperdine for the same international LLM/MDR applicants and represents the prestige ceiling against which all other law schools measure themselves.
• Stanford Law School: Stanford Law is a top-tier ABA-accredited law school on the West Coast. While far higher-ranked, it competes for the same elite West Coast applicant pool and represents the upper bound on prestige, tuition, and placement outcomes that Pepperdine's JD program benchmarks against.
• Cornell Law School: Cornell Law is a top-tier ABA-accredited law school that tied with Pepperdine for the #1 national ranking for job placement. While much higher-ranked and more established, Cornell is a benchmark peer for outcomes, employer recognition, and the upper bound of what private law schools can achieve on placement.

Regional players

• University of Augsburg School of Law: University of Augsburg is Pepperdine's exchange program partner since 2003, with mutual student exchange and shared curriculum in European and international economic law. Augsburg is a regional peer as a European law school collaborating with Pepperdine on cross-continental legal education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pepplaw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/pepperdinelaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/pepperdinelaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pepperdine-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/pepperdinelaw

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 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 Pepperdine Caruso School of Law