California Western School of Law Law School

California Western School of Law, California Western School of Law Law School History

California Western School of Law was established in 1924 and is a private institution. The 200,000-acre campus is in an urban area in San Diego. The primary mission of the law school is to educate lawyers who will be creative problem solvers who will contribute to improving the lives of their clients and the quality of justice in society. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the San Diego area. The San Diego Law Library is within walking distance. Facilities of special interest to law students are within walking distance and include courts, law firms, city, state, and federal agencies, and county law library. Housing for students is off campus. The school has a housing coordinator to assist students. Most students live within 5 to 10 minutes of school. About 95% of the law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

California Western School of Law, California Western School of Law Law School Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. and M.C.L. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 12 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work), and J.D./Ph.D. (Juris Doctor/Ph.D. in political science or history).

The California Western School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, media law, telecommunication law, and biotechnology law. In addition, there is a wide variety of specialized seminar courses open to upper-level students. The school has an internship program open to upper-level students; students may take up to 10 credit hours and will receive 1 credit hour for a weekly seminar. Students may assist faculty as research assistants. Special lecture series include the Faculty Speakers Series, the Scholar in Residence Series and S. Houston Lay International Law and Relations Series. Students may participate in a study-abroad program and transfer up to 8 credit hours of work from consortium schools. California Western sponsors study-abroad programs in New Zealand, Malta, England (London), and Ireland (Galway). Tutorial programs include Introduction to Legal Skills, the Enrichment Program, and the Bar Prep Program. The Office of Diversity Services coordinates a mentor program for students with local minority lawyers, and sponsors tutorials. The school sponsors more than 30 student organizations that cover a wide range of interests and topics. The most widely taken electives are International Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Trial Practice.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 89 total credits, of which 43 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 74.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure I and II, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Legal Skills I and II, Property I and II, and Torts I. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law I, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Legal Skills III, Professional Responsibility, and Torts II. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 1-day general orientation.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 74, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and a practicum course.

California Western School of Law, California Western School of Law Law School Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 334,867 hard-copy volumes, and subscribes to 3897 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Dow-Jones, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, Lexis Nexis Congressional, and JSTOR are available to law students for research. Special library collections include collections on problem solving, constitutional and human rights law, military law, and international law. California Western is a partial California Depository Library. Recently, the library built a new building. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 8812 to 1 and to students is 395 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 2.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students through a combined effort with the Office of Admissions, and the Office of Diversity Services, which coordinates the ethnic diversity recruitment program and maintains working relationships with law firms, alumni, professional and community organizations, and college administrators who provide valuable resources for minority students. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have a minimum GPA of 70, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and submit an official transcript and 2 letters of recommendation, preferably from a law school dean or professors. Preadmissions courses consist of the 6-week Summer Enrichment Program, a 3-credit course which is an introduction to law school and the American legal system, and an Introduction to Legal Skills (Legal Writing and Legal Analysis) course.

California Western School of Law, California Western School of Law Law School Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 2669 applied, 1429 were accepted, and 391 enrolled. Six transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 50; the median GPA was 3.26 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 25; the highest was 75.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include LSAT results, GPA, writing ability, personal statement, optional diversity statement, and work experience. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is April 2. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $45, 2 letters of recommendation, and resume. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

California Western School of Law, California Western School of Law Law School Financial Aid

About 89% of current law students receive some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $43,526; maximum, $54,382. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statements are the FAFSA and California Western School of Law financial aid application. The aid application deadline for fall entry is April 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include scholarships. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

California Western School of Law, California Western School of Law Law School Students

About 52% of the student body are women; 29%, minorities; 2%, African American; 13%, Asian American; 11%, Hispanic; 1%, Native American; and 13%, Unknown. The majority of students come from California (58%). The average age of entering students is 27; age range is 20 to 59. About 4% of students have a graduate degree. About 18% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 72% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the California Western Law Review, the California Western International Law Journal, and the student newspaper the Commentary. Moot court competitions include the National Appellate Advocacy, Roger J. Traynor Moot Court, and Phillip C. Jessup International Law. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus organizations include Entertainment Sports Law, International Law Society, Family Law Society, Public Interest Law Foundation, Phi Alpha Delta, Student Bar Association, La Raza Law Students Association, Women’s Law Caucus, and Black Law Students Association.

The law school operates on a trimester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 5 years. For part-time students, courses are offered days only and must be completed within 6 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall and spring. There is a 15-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.