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.
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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. 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.
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 Society – 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 Society – 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.
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