Lincoln Law School of San Jose


Lincoln Law School of San Jose is a private, non-profit law school in San Jose, California. It is an independent institution, formerly a part of Lincoln University.

History

The school traces its roots to 1919 when Dr. Benjamin Lickey and his wife Susan Lickey founded a law study program in San Francisco as a way to provide veterans and working-class students a part-time night school for law studies. 1932 graduate Kenneth Fung was the first Chinese American to be admitted to the practice of law in the state.
The school was incorporated in 1926 as a part of Lincoln University and located in San Francisco, becoming a non-profit institution in 1949. In 1961, a second law school campus was opened in San Jose, graduating its first class in 1965. By 1987, Lincoln University's entire law school program was concentrated in San Jose. In 1993, the San Jose campus formally separated from Lincoln University becoming an independent, public benefit, non-profit corporation, changing its name to Lincoln Law School of San Jose. The school moved to downtown San Jose in 1999. In 2000, the 25-year-old Peninsula University School of Law merged into Lincoln Law School.

Academics

Lincoln is exclusively an evening-study program that lasts 4 or 4.5 years, depending upon the starting date of the student. 84 units of study are required for graduation with each unit equal to 15 hours of in-class instruction. Students usually attend classes 3 or 4 nights a week, with a few options for elective or seminar classes scheduled during the daytime on Saturdays.

Accreditation

The school has been accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California since 1993, but the school is not approved by the American Bar Association. As a result, graduates are generally only eligible to take the California bar exam and practice in California.

Law Review

Lincoln has published a student-produced law review since 1965.

Notable alumni and faculty