Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law

About the Center

Pepperdine School of Law continues to be excited about the Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law (The Palmer Center), an innovative 16-unit Certificate Program. The Palmer Center, begun in the fall of 2000, provides a complementary addition to the high-caliber programs available at Pepperdine School of Law and is unrivaled among law school programs in its dual focus on entrepreneurship and law.

Guest speaker Scott Francis, President of BMG Songs North America, poses with Palmer Center Founder and Executive Director Janet Kerr and Palmer Center Fellows following a Palmer Center monthly meeting.

Recognizing that many law students seek to pursue alternative career paths, the Palmer Center provides its students (called "Fellows") with the necessary education and training to succeed in the fields of business, finance, real estate, entertainment, intellectual property and technology. The struggle of law practitioners to meet the needs of clients in these areas evidences the need to supplement the traditional law school curriculum even for those students pursuing traditional legal careers. The Palmer Center's unique and proven approach reflects Pepperdine's overall commitment to equip its students with the necessary skills to excel in their chosen careers.

The Palmer Center offers a stimulating, fast-paced atmosphere, both inside and outside the classroom. The curriculum includes challenging courses, which adequately prepare students to fulfill the overlapping roles of lawyer and entrepreneur.

The Palmer Center also hosts co-curricular events that give Fellows an opportunity to interact with leaders in business and law. Through a vast network of mentors and institutional partners who share the Palmer Center's vision of excellence, Fellows experience direct involvement with leading professionals and entrepreneurs worldwide. Events include the Foley Lectureship Series, the annual "Revolution Through Social Enterprise" Conference, and monthly "Lunch and Learn" events that provide Palmer Fellows the opportunity to speak one-on-one with notable leaders and professors.

Through its partner institutions, the Palmer Center is able to place Fellows in internships within their area of interest, providing students with some of the most unique and valuable learning experiences of their law school careers. The Palmer Center's long-standing association with the technological community has allowed Pepperdine School of Law to become the first and only law school member of a technology consortium, dedicated to refining recent technological advancements into commercially viable products in the market.

Pepperdine School of Law students entering their second year of study in the fall of 2009 are eligible to apply to the Palmer Center. Students currently enrolled in the JD/MBA program at Pepperdine University, and who have more than one year of law school curriculum remaining, may also apply. No person on academic probation will be admitted.