AALS has launched a series that will highlight a different member school and focus on a recent program or accomplishment in order to showcase the rich variety of approaches to legal education that makes up the American legal academy. A list of past highlights is available below.

Member School Highlight – Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law

Location: Orange, California
Founded: 1995
Joined AALS: 2006
Dean: Paul D. Paton

The Fowler School of Law at Chapman University is a private law school preparing its 141 first-year JD students to meet the challenges of tomorrow while honoring traditions of professionalism, service, and connection to community. The Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law’s academic programs offer the best of both worlds: foundational, accredited legal instruction, coupled with a wide selection of certificate programs and joint degrees. Fowler School of Law’s highly experienced professors provide supportive and personalized education in classes with consistently small faculty/student ratios.

Fowler School of Law classrooms are driven by encouragement, incorporating a blend of academic research and practical and experiential learning within a warm and welcoming community of students, faculty, and staff. A variety of experiential opportunities prepare their students for life as professionals and officers of the court, providing the groundwork for a lifetime of legal service. The law school hosts a number of clinics in which students can develop a variety of legal skills, including the Criminal Prosecution Clinic, Entertainment Contracts Law Clinic, and Tax Law Clinic. Fowler School of Law students can also gain academic credit while participating in a variety of externship opportunities.

Fowler School of Law’s thriving student organizations include a wide variety of clubs and societies. Its advocacy competition teams are nationally recognized and respected, drawing on a vibrant, connected, and entrepreneurial alumni body for their coaching, confidence, and direction. The School has three well-respected and high-performing competition boards: Moot Court, Mock Trial, and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

The Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law offers its students a scenic environment while furthering their education.The Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law has renewed its focus on academic symposia and community connection in the school’s daily life. The Symposia offers exciting guest lectures from visiting academics, diversity- and non-partisan programming on topical legal matters, and our SCOTUS in Focus symposium, which examines the latest Supreme Court trends and decisions. The recent 2025 Chapman Law Review Symposium on “looted art” brought together national and international experts to discuss cultural impacts and the legal challenges of restitution and restoration, building on the success of the 2024 symposium on “Rhythm, Rhyme and the Rule of Law” featuring TedX expert Damien Riehl exploring the impact of technology on the music industry. Our annual 2024 Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium featured an Olympian and former NFL star discussing the impact of technology on training and sports law. Our forthcoming 2025 edition will explore the impact of AI and technological changes on lawyers, producers, creators, and negotiators in the entertainment industry.

“The Fowler School of Law is an intimate, connected, and thriving community of students, alumni, faculty, mentors, thought-leaders, and professionals situated in the heart of Orange County, California, where graduates gain an abiding appreciation of professionalism, serving with honor and distinction–whether handling the smallest matter for a single client for large domestic or international enterprises, or in public service. We benefit from proximity to the heart of the world’s entertainment industry, from connection with the Orange County economic engine, and from an entrepreneurial spirit. As Dean, I’ve focused on ensuring that all viewpoints are respected and that our students build on a foundation of ethics and professionalism that will go with them whatever path they choose.” – Paul D. Paton, Dean of Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law.