December 2023 Bar Swearing-in Ceremony
A cool fall evening provided the perfect backdrop to the Fowler School of Law State and Federal Bar Swearing-in Ceremony held in a packed Memorial Hall on Friday evening. In attendance were the one-hundred-plus bar exam passers, faculty, family and friends, along with Judge Nathan Vu, the Honorable Mark Wallace (Retired), Dean Paton, Professor Nate
Fowler Law Students Set the Bar High in 2023
This July, one hundred and sixteen Fowler School of Law graduates passed the California Bar Exam, posting a remarkable 81% successful pass rate for first-time bar-takers from the school. Placed in context, this achievement is nothing short of exceptional: Of the 7,500-plus bar-takers this July, 49% failed the exam; new graduates from Californian ABA-accredited schools saw
Alumni on the Move: Amanda Simmons
What draws one to work as a lawyer and an advocate in the difficult area of child abuse, sexual abuse, and their legislation? Amanda Simmons’ (JD ’21) answer is direct and about as unequivocal as it gets: “If not me, then who?” She offers, “I waited twenty-five years for someone else to clean up this
Chapman Law Hosts National Moot Court Competition:
Regionals for the National Moot Court Competition were held at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law this weekend. The Kennedy Hall courtrooms were the battleground for what can only be described as a fiercely competitive field of fourteen teams from California and Arizona as law students fought it out for a coveted place in the
Alumni on the Move: Captain Mandi Ford
“Oh, there was never a Plan B,” alumni Mandi Ford (JD ’18) chuckles on a Zoom call from her Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) office at Fort Riley, Kansas, “even before my bar results came in, I was packing for the Army.” In part, it was the intrigue and promise of adventure, as this native
Dean's Welcome Brings Unprecedented Gift to Law School
At an August 24 Welcome Reception for new law school Dean Paul Paton, Chapman President Daniele C. Struppa announced an unprecedented $15 million gift to the Fowler School of Law from Chapman Board of Trustees Chair Parker S. Kennedy–one of the largest gifts in Chapman history. The bulk of this transformative gift will be dedicated
2022 Golden Gavel Winners Summer Externship
By Jodee Storm Sullivan, Kaelyn Timmins-Reed and Deane Sutic. Law school externships are an opportunity to forge links between the theory and practical application of the law, a chance for students to hone their legal acumen while embedding themselves in supervised praxis, usually within an established practice or agency. From time to time, a student
Alumni on the Move: Daniel Kim
How does a personal injury lawyer with a strong focus on motor vehicle accident cases survive two years of shelter-in-place state mandates during COVID-19, when suddenly no cars were on the road? Alumnus Daniel Kim (JD ’12) knows that the answer to this riddle lies somewhere between having an entrepreneurial mindset and possessing an uncanny
Chapman Alumni Win Landmark $161 Million Verdict
Chapman Law School alumni T. Gabe Houston (JD ’08) and Robbie Godinez Munoz (JD’20) have recently been awarded a $161 million verdict in a civil case against a major motorcycle manufacturer. The verdict, eight years in the making, has $11 million compensatory, and $150 million punitive damages attached to it, represents the culmination of a
Fowler Continues its Upward Trajectory in 2023
The U.S. News & World Report has published its rankings of the best law schools in the country, with Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law continuing its upward trajectory and leaping 9 places to clinch 109th place. The U.S. News & World Report rankings are based on a variety of performance factors for each of