Western State College of Law explained

Western State College of Law at Westcliff University
Type:Private for-profit law school[1]
Parent:Westcliff University
Head:Marisa Cianciarulo[2]
City:Irvine
State:California
Country:United States
Students:213 (full-time) 77 (part-time)
Faculty:19 (full-time) 34 (part-time)
Bar Pass Rate:60% (July 2023 California Bar first-time takers)[3]
Ranking:180th-196th out of 196 (bottom 8%)
Aba Profile:Western State College of Law profile

Western State College of Law at Westcliff University is a private, for-profit law school in Irvine, California. It offers full and part-time programs and is approved by the American Bar Association.[4] Western State pays a fee to receive services from the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).[5]

History

Western State College of Law was founded in 1966 in Orange County, California.[4] [6] In 1987, the school applied for accreditation with the American Bar Association (ABA). Although the school was unsuccessful in this attempt, it was at the time accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges[7] and by the California State Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE). The accreditation by the CBE made graduates eligible to sit for the California Bar Examination.[8]

By 1990, Western State had expanded to three campuses in California including locations in Fullerton, Irvine and San Diego. At that time, the school was the largest law school in California.[7] [9] In 1995, Western State again began pursuing accreditation with the ABA for all three of its campuses.[10] In the latter half of the 1990s, the school underwent several changes as part of the accreditation process. In 1995, the school's San Diego campus became the independently owned Thomas Jefferson School of Law[11] [12] and the following year, the school closed its Irvine location and consolidated students to its Fullerton campus.[13] In 1998, the school received provisional accreditation from the ABA[4] and opened a new law library.[14]

In 2000, the college's owners sold Western State to Argosy Education Group, which owned the school for a year before it was purchased by Education Management Corporation.[4] [15] Western State was granted full accreditation with the ABA in 2005, and became the third for-profit law school to receive ABA approval.[4] In April 2012, the school was incorporated as one of the colleges of Argosy University and officially changed its name to Western State College of Law at Argosy University.[16] The same year, the school sold its property to California State University, Fullerton for roughly $18 million.[17] In January 2016, the campus moved to Irvine, California.

In October 2017, it was announced that the college of law was sold, along with the rest of Argosy University, to the Dream Center Foundation, a subsidiary of the Dream Center, a nonprofit Pentecostal network of community centers. The transaction was funded in part by the Najafi Companies, a private equity firm.[18] In 2019, a federal court approved Westcliff University's plan to purchase the school and revert it to for-profit status.[19] The ABA allowed continued accreditation under the ownership of Westcliff University in December 2019.[20]

Academics

Admissions

For the class entering in 2023, the school accepted 45.1% of applicants, with 33.1% of those accepted enrolling. The average enrollee had a 152 LSAT score and 3.16 undergraduate GPA.[21]

Programs

Western State offers both full-time and part-time programs.[4] [22] The school offers two areas of focus through their Business Law Center and their Criminal Law Practice Center, which are aimed at preparing graduates for a career in business or criminal law through additional training, internships and networking with lawyers.[23] The law school also offers certificates in Immigration Law, Family Law, and Real Estate.

, the school had 213 full-time students, 77 part-time students, and 19 full-time and 34 part-time members of the faculty.[24] [21]

Bar passage

The pass rate for Western State alumni taking the California bar exam for the first time in July 2023 was 60%, the lowest of 18 California ABA law schools.[25] The Ultimate Bar Pass Rate, which the ABA defines as the pass rate for graduates who sat for a bar exam within two years of graduating, was 77% for the Class of 2020,[3] but just 68.42% for 2021 graduates, which is below the ABA’s Standard 316 for approved law schools of 75%.[26]

Rankings

U.S. News & World Report ranks the school in the last group of 180-196 out of 196 schools, the bottom 8% at most. In 2020, among all law schools, Western State had the third-highest Diversity Index, as reported by U.S. News & World Report.[27] In addition, in 2020, it received an A+ for Diversity in National Jurist's Best Law Schools.[28]

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at the Western State College of Law for the 2018-19 academic year was $63,692 for a student living at home and $77,126 for a full-time student that is self-supporting.[29]

Post-graduation employment

According to Western State's ABA-required disclosures, 88.3% of the Class of 2022 obtained some form of employment ten months after graduation. 25 members, being 58% of the class, obtained JD-required employment, and 7 members, being 16% of the class, obtained JD-advantage employment. Excluding solo practitioners, 55.3% of the class obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment with most employed in law firms of 1-10 lawyers.[30]

Notable alumni

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jeong Park. Western State College of Law in Irvine has a new buyer; classes will soon start for current students. The Orange County Register. 15 August 2019.
  2. Web site: Marisa Cianciarulo . wsulaw.edu . Western State College of Law . 22 January 2024.
  3. Web site: General Statistics Report July 2023 California Bar Examination . State Bar of California . 22 January 2024.
  4. News: O.C. Law School Gets Accreditation . Jeff Gottlieb . . 16 February 2005 . 29 August 2013.
  5. Web site: Non-Member Fee-Paid Schools. aals.org. Association of American Law Schools. 29 August 2013. 17 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120717014748/http://www.aals.org/about_memberschools.php#nonmember. dead.
  6. News: Western State College of Law Is Judged Fit for ABA Accreditation . Elaine Gale . . 5 August 1998 . 29 August 2013.
  7. News: Law School's Minorities Get Cultural Help . Matt Lait . . 20 July 1992 . 29 August 2013.
  8. News: Jury's out on law school's future; Western State University, O.C.'s oldest law college, is in danger of losing its ABA accreditation . Marla Jo Fisher . . 20 December 2003 . 23 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203002723/http://www.calstate.edu/pa/clips2003/december/22dec/jury.shtml . 3 December 2013 . calstate.edu.
  9. News: Irvine: Western State Law Campus Will Open . Eric Lichtblau . . 12 July 1990 . 29 August 2013.
  10. News: Countywide: Law School to Seek Bar Accreditation . Anna Cekola . . 7 July 1995 . 29 August 2013.
  11. News: Thomas Jefferson dean aims to improve law education quality . Emily Cadman . . 2 May 2006 . 29 August 2013 . 4 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131204161738/http://www.sddt.com/News/article.cfm?SourceCode=20060502cri#.Uh_RgmSgm5M . dead .
  12. Web site: History . tjsl.edu . . 29 August 2013.
  13. News: Western to Merge Sites in Bid for Bar OK . Martin Miller . . 19 March 1996 . 29 August 2013.
  14. News: Law School Adds Library in ABA Bid . Mimi Ko Cruz . . 6 January 1998 . 29 August 2013.
  15. News: Fullerton Community News . Deniene Husted . . 17 November 2000 . 29 August 2013.
  16. Web site: History . edmc.edu . . 29 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160503195751/http://www.edmc.edu/about/History.aspx . 3 May 2016 . dead .
  17. News: CSUF to acquire new property . Raymond Mendoza . . 26 September 2012 . 29 August 2013.
  18. Web site: Ashley A. Smith . Large for-profit chain EDMC to be bought by the Dream Center, a missionary group . Inside Higher Ed . 5 March 2017.
  19. News: Western State College of Law in Irvine has a new buyer. Park. Jeong. 15 August 2019. 21 August 2019. Orange County Register.
  20. Web site: American Bar Association Approves Western State College of Law Accreditation. 2019-12-19. www.businesswire.com. en. 2020-03-23.
  21. Web site: 2023 Standard 509 Information Report - Western State College of Law. abarequireddisclosures.org . . January 21, 2024.
  22. Web site: Western State College of Law. usnews.com. U.S. News & World Report. January 21, 2024. May 15, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120515221942/http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/western-state-university-03183. dead.
  23. Web site: Areas of Concentration . wsulaw.edu . Western State College of Law at Argosy University . 19 September 2013 . 15 September 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130915053011/http://www.wsulaw.edu/prospective-students/special-programs.aspx . dead .
  24. Web site: Western State College of Law . usnews.com . . 22 January 2024.
  25. Web site: General Statistics Report - July, 2023 California Bar Examination . 2024-01-22.
  26. Web site: New bar passage stats show several law schools below ABA cutoff. Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal, March 11, 2024. March 15, 2024.
  27. Web site: Law School Diversity Index. usnews.com. U.S. News & World Report. March 23, 2020.
  28. Web site: Western State College of Law. the National Jurist. nationaljurist.com. 2020-03-23.
  29. Web site: Standard 509 Disclosure. www.abarequireddisclosures.org. 2019-11-22.
  30. Web site: Standard 509 Disclosure. abarequireddisclosures.org. 2024-01-21.
  31. News: Adams snags $111,845 state job . . 8 December 2010 . 22 May 2023.
  32. Web site: Leslie Lee Alexander. members.calbar.ca.gov. The State Bar of California. 27 October 2015.
  33. The Bare Facts Are He's A Star. Douglas S. Looney. 12 July 1982. Sports Illustrated. 29 August 2013.
  34. Web site: Mark Stephen Chasan # 117813 - Attorney Licensee Search . 2023-04-14 . California Bar Association.
  35. Web site: Bonnie Michelle Dumanis. members.calbar.ca.gov. The State Bar of California. 29 August 2013.
  36. Web site: Duyen Ky Cao Nguyen . 29 August 2013 . members.calbar.ca.gov . The State Bar of California.
  37. Web site: The Voter's Self Defense System . Vote Smart . 8 June 2021.
  38. Web site: Alumni Hall of Fame. wsulaw.edu. Western State College of Law at Argosy University. 19 September 2013. 15 September 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130915052637/http://www.wsulaw.edu/alumni-and-friends/hall-of-fame.aspx. dead.
  39. News: As George Gascón takes office, campaign promises will be put to the test. James Queally. 7 December 2020. Los Angeles Times. 9 December 2020.
  40. News: San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon named district attorney. Carla Rivera. 10 January 2011. Los Angeles Times. 29 August 2013.
  41. Web site: Duncan Lee Hunter . members.calbar.ca.gov . The State Bar of California . 29 August 2013.
  42. Web site: Hunter, Duncan Lee . bioguide.congress.gov . Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . 29 August 2013.
  43. Web site: Q&A With HC Mangala Moonesinghe . 2000 . lacnet.org . The Lanka Academic . 29 August 2013.
  44. Web site: Ruth Monicka Parasol. members.calbar.ca.gov. The State Bar of California. 29 August 2013.
  45. Web site: Profile: Dick Walsh, Executive Director of the Ontario Convention Center; Former California Angels Executive VP and GM . Tribune Business News . Park . Carol . December 13, 2004 . July 7, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010230/http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2004_4th/Dec04_DWalsh.html . March 5, 2016 . dead .
  46. Web site: George Oliver Wood. members.calbar.ca.gov. The State Bar of California. 29 August 2013.

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