The S.J. Quinney College of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Utah. It is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The law school was originally called the University of Utah College of Law, changing to its current name on November 2, 2001, in acknowledgement of a $26 million gift from the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation.
History The school was established in 1913. It is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and is accredited by the American Bar Association. The law school was originally called the University of Utah College of Law, changing to its current name on November 2, 2001, in acknowledgement of a $26 million gift from the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation. S.J. "Joe" Quinney (1893–1983) was a Utah attorney who helped develop the Alta Ski Area.
In 2019, Elizabeth Kronk Warner became the 12th dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law. She is the first woman and Native American named to deanship in the college's history.
Campus The law school building is located in the south-west corner of the University of Utah campus, directly north of the Stadium light rail station and Rice–Eccles Stadium, and approximately 2.5 miles from downtown Salt Lake City.
The James E. Faust Law Library (formerly the S.J. Quinney Law Library) is integrated into the law school building. The first floor, parts of the second floor, and the sixth floor of the building are open to the public; materials located on upper floors can be retrieved for public patrons.
Utah Law's $62.5 million building was opened on September 1, 2015.
Reputation According to the USNWR 2026 Law School Rankings, the S.J. Quinney College of Law was named a "Top Tier" Law School and was ranked #44 out of 196 law schools in the United States. As of 2026, Utah Law was among the 20 law schools in the United States with the highest first-time bar passage rates. has the second lowest student to faculty ratio at 4.2:1, behind only the University of Arizona. Its environmental law program is ranked #8 nationally. Admissions, and bar passage The 2025 incoming class of 107 students had a median LSAT score of 166 and median GPA of 3.87.ABA Disclosures » S.J. Quinney College of Law University of Utah 1L tuition and fees at S.J. Quinney School of Law for the 2025–2026 academic year were $34,721 for residents and $45,382 for non-residents.
As of 2026, Utah Law offers a juris doctor (JD), a master of laws (LLM) in environmental and natural resources law, a master of legal studies (MLS), an undergraduate major and minor in legal studies, and micro-credential courses in mediation.
The overall bar passage rate in 2026 was 98.77%.
Scholarly publications The S.J. Quinney College of Law publishes the legal journal Utah Law Review.Utah Law Review
Organizations Campus organizations in alphabetical order include:
Business Law Society – student organization for anyone interested in the law and business. Events focus on how the law and business intersect. Environmental Law Forum – Open to all Utah Law students with interests in environmental law. Federalist Societyhttps://www.law.utah.edu/current/student-organizations/federalist/ – The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group of conservatives and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order. J. Reuben Clark Law Societyhttp://students.jrcls.org/chapterinfo.php?chapter_name=University%20of%20Utah%20(Quinney) – The JRCLS is an international organization of law school students and graduates with over 65 chapters throughout the world. Although closely associated with the LDS Church, membership in the church is not required to join JRCLS. Minority Law Caucus – a student organization at the University of Utah S.J Quinney College of Law National Lawyers Guild Pride Law Caucus – An association of LGBTQ+ and allied students. Public Interest Law Organization (PILO) – to promote scholarship, activism, and career opportunities for law students interested in working for the public interest. This includes local, state, and federal government, as well as non profits and other organizations. Student Immigration Law Association (SILA) Student Intellectual Property Law Association (SIPLA) – Open to all students interested in intellectual property law. Sports Law Club – Provides a forum for students interested in sports law. Student Bar Association (SBA) – The SBA is the official student government of Utah law. It plans student activities, organizes the mentor program for 1L students and other programs such as social events, philanthropies, and intramural sports. The SBA also serves as the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) and elected student government of the College of Law. As voting members of the College Council, SBA Board members represent the student body to the law school faculty and administration. Women's Law Caucus – Promotes interest in issues of particular concern to women.
Notable alumni State Supreme Court justices Roger I. McDonough (graduated 1925), chief justice, Utah Supreme Court, 1947–1948, 1954–1959 Richard C. Howe (graduated 1948), chief justice, Utah Supreme Court, 1998–2002 Richard J. Maughan (graduated 1951), chief justice, Utah Supreme Court, 1981 Gordon R. Hall (graduated 1951), chief justice, Utah Supreme Court, 1981–1993 Michael David Zimmerman (graduated 1969), chief justice, Utah Supreme Court, 1994–1998 Cynthia Meyer (graduated 1987), Idaho Supreme Court, 2024–present Jill Pohlman (graduated 1996), Utah Supreme Court, 2022–present Diana Hagen (graduated 1998), Utah Supreme Court, 2022–present
Utah Court of Appeals judges Michele Christiansen, judge, 2010–present
State government officials Herbert B. Maw (graduated 1916), governor of Utah, 1941–1949 Myron E. Leavitt (graduated 1956), lieutenant governor of Nevada, 1979–1983 Henry Adams (graduated 1959), assistant attorney general of Utah and first Black graduate of Utah Law Paul Van Dam (graduated 1966), attorney general of Utah, 1989–1993 Larry J. Echo Hawk (graduated 1973), attorney general of Idaho, 1991–1995; US Assistant Secretary for Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2009–2012 Jan Graham (graduated 1980), attorney general of Utah, 1993–2001
Federal judges David Thomas Lewis (graduated 1937), US Court of Appeals for the 10th circuit, 1956–1977 Aldon J. Anderson (graduated 1943), US District Court for Utah, 1971–1984 Marion Callister (graduated 1951), US District Court for Idaho, 1976–1989 Bruce Sterling Jenkins (graduated 1952), US District Court for Utah, 1978–1994 John Thomas Greene Jr. (graduated 1955), US District Court for Utah, 1985–1997 Kent Dawson (graduated 1971), US District Court for Nevada, 2000–present David G. Campbell (graduated 1979), US District Court for Arizona, 2003–present Carolyn B. McHugh (graduated 1982), US Court of Appeals for the 10th circuit, 2014–present
Federal legislators and government officials William A. Dawson (graduated 1926), US House of Representatives from Utah, 1947–1949, 1953–1959 Reva Bosone (graduated 1930), US House of Representatives from Utah, 1949–1953 Allan Turner Howe (graduated 1954), US House of Representatives from Utah, 1975–1977 Wayne Owens (graduated 1964), US House of Representatives from Utah, 1973–1975, 1987–1993 S. Lane Tucker (graduated 1987), US attorney for the District of Alaska, 2022–present Trina Higgins (graduated 1995), US attorney for the District of Utah, 2022–present Melissa Holyoak (graduated 2003), commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, 2024–present
References
External links Official law school website Official University of Utah website