Thomas Jefferson School of Law is inspired by the mission and ideals of its namesake, a towering figure in American history who gave voice to 
the principles of liberty and equality this nation holds dear.
Thomas Jefferson was founded in 1969 as the San Diego campus of the Western State University College of Law, a privately owned institution in Orange County, California.
What began as a part-time program quickly became popular with working professionals who could only attend evening classes, as well as local students who wanted to attend law school full-time. In 1983 the law school moved from its downtown campus to a new, much larger three-story facility on San Diego Avenue in historic and colorful Old Town San Diego.
Thomas Jefferson School of Law was born in late 1995 when the law school became independent and was granted provisional American Bar Association (ABA) accreditation in August 1996, just seven months after applying. Full ABA accreditation was granted in August 2001.
Thomas Jefferson has evolved into a private, non-profit institution which has distinguished itself as an innovative, cutting-edge law school, devoted to the individual needs and success of the student. We are now a nationally-known law school with students from across the United States and around the world. We still serve the needs of working professionals with a part-time program of evening classes, in addition to our full-time program.
