California Western School of Law

Don’t waste your time or money. Cal Western charges you far too much like all 4^th tier dumps with limited to no career prospects. If you want to be in San Diego, go to USD if you can. It is sad that this school has such a low reputation. I graduated high in my class and passed the CA Bar Exam on my first attempt. It made no difference to employers. I bet most of the good Unilocal reviews are from alumni who received free rides. If I had received the free ride I would be singing the school’s praises as well.

Why are people so emotional here? Expressing emotions is different than giving a review…
ALL schools in SoCal are expensive, no surprise here…
This school is not a very theoretical/​scholarly law school, but it really focuses on producing practice ready lawyers. I know it is a buzz-​word, but CWSL has OWNED the term ‘practice ready’ for 30+ years.
I only hear good feedback from the San Diego legal community about CWSL students.

I have been on my own since I was 17 years old; It was difficult to obtain good grades in undergrad while working full time. This was my reality. Cal Western gave me a wonderful opportunity to enter the legal profession.
Fast forward 26 years. The first few years of practice were difficult, but I never had any difficulty finding employment. I started with a State Agency and moved up from there. I spent 20 years building a successful partnership, recently leaving to begin another firm.
Success in practice depends on passion, work ethic, talent and understanding that Law is a profession and a business. I have never paid attention to nattering nabobs of negativity, statistics, articles, or U.S. News School rankings. It doesn’t seem to have hampered my career in the least.
If you have a passion for the law and curiosity about the world, then go for it. Cal Western will give you the tools to succeed in a wonderful environment.

I withhold opinions about some of these reviews, I think my first review covered it all. Despite fluff from economists that America is exiting the «recession,» we just experienced the second Great Depression and I am not convinced it is over. So yeah, it’s survival of the fittest, in every profession. At the end of my first year of practice I made well over the numbers stated in these responses.
Student loans are a bitch. Period. So lets all take a moment of silence to thank Obama for doubling Stafford Loans and pushing through IBR and debt forgiveness. A note to anyone paying attention to some of these rants, student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy, so don’t let the idea guide you in deciding to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on your education.
I am happy that I chose to attend law school. I do not think I would be any better off choosing one school over another, although I used to think this. Performance is everything. I also believe one would be remiss in not considering jobs outside of the standard legal sphere. Law school is supposed to teach you to think differently, outside the box, analytical, etc., so use that intellect.
All in all, I am grateful and surprisingly successful. For all of you in law school now, I know it is hell and it is all enveloping, it just takes over your life. That will end, but it also has to end in your head… you are what you say you are!

This would be a 5-​star review but for one little thing. More on that later. Viewed solely as an academic institution, without reference to factors like tuition cost or job prospects, this school has a lot going for it. Attending this school was a positive experience, at the time. The location is great, the faculty range from average to above-​par, and the quality of education is generally very good. Particular kudos go to the school for their innovative bar preparation program, which consistently allows graduates to perform well above expectations based solely on metrics like LSAT/​undergrad GPA. The school is also experimenting with a new «incubator» law office program for recent grads, which is a very positive development as well.
Most attendees will not experience the downside until they hit the job market after graduation. It can pretty much be summed up by this one legal job position advertisement:
Legal Specialist (San Diego)
Date: 2012-​04-​04, 7:17PM PDT
Reply to:
[Errors when replying to ads?]
Credit and finance company seeking Legal Specialist to assist in-​house legal staff and operations team in support of legal collections activities. Associate will be responsible for managing the evaluation of documents, proof reading, ensuring accuracy and completeness of documentation, as well as escalation and resolution of non-​conforming documents to quickly resolve discrepancies with both internal and external legal partners.
Required Skills, Education & Experience:
* An AA degree or higher — Paralegal or Legal Assistant work experience is desirable
* 1 – 2 years of administrative experience, preferably in a legal setting
* 2 years experience in a financial services related field
* Proficiency in MS Office to include advanced skills in Word and Excel
* Superior verbal and written communication skills and very detail oriented
Location: San Diego
Compensation: $ 14-​$ 16/​hr DOE
Whoever lands this position, which requires only an AA degree, will be in a better employment position than the majority of CWSL’s graduating class, which has incurred ~$ 150,000 in tuition to get their degree. As a 3-​year veteran of the San Diego legal employment market, I can state authoritatively that law graduates from this school are currently lining up for Attorney positions that pay as little as $ 10/​hr. Many others are being forced to settle for «non-​legal» positions doing low-​level retail or service-​sector work. That is how poor employment prospects are right now for attorneys in general and for graduates from this school in particular. Maybe it was always that way.
Were it not for this unfortunate situation, this would be a four or five-​star review. However, you cannot entirely separate the severe financial distress brought on by the service from the service itself, hence, 2 stars for CWSL.

Interesting that a law school is getting a write up on Unilocal.Afterall, law students don’t give a damn what people think because they often believe they are correct on all matters anyway. So despite the helpful reviews here, these smart law students will still pay Harvard prices for a 4^th tier law school, and file bankruptcy in 3 – 4 years out of the gate. Get over yourself and consider the opinions of others, this school is not worth the money. Plus the few lawyers in my firm that went here, are not my firm’s best. A new lawyer from this school can only realistically expect $ 45−50K per year.

Ok, I absolutely agree that CWSL needs to get with it and figure out a way to provide more parking for its students. They can definitely make a killing if they were to purchase the parking lot next to the library and built up. But then it would block our awesome view so … who knows.
Anyway, I don’t get why that person was complaining about not being able to find a job since I’ve met many graduates who have found jobs and haven’t had to wait too long before doing so. In fact, our school has an amazing reputation in San Diego, along with other places with high concentrations of alumni. Everytime I tell someone I’m at Cal Western, they always talk about how great the school is and how they or someone they know went there. It’s a good place to go if you’re going to practice in San Diego.
I would seriously recommend using Career Services to its full potential too.

i love the law and CWSL has definitely fostered this passion in me. ive read some of the reviews here and the haters mostly complain that CWSL is a fourth tier school, no jobs, etc.
well, just like everything in life, you get out what you put in. i go to class enthusiastically, i engage with my peers, and i take advantage of all the extra help cwsl is willing to provide… and believe me, they provide a lot.
they want their students to pass. its as simple as that. if you cannot pass it is because you did not try hard enough. this isnt an ivy league. that is, you are not going to fail because you are not smart enough. you will fail if you dont try.
the 1L teachers are amazing. many of the 2L or 3L teachers are also pretty good. of course there are some mediocre teachers but i think you would find that anywhere.
things i like:
— free tutoring for all 1Ls!!!
— free/​cheap pre-​bar and bar course
— occasional free breakfast and dinners
— many scholarship opportunities
— over-​enthusiastic career services office
few things i would change:
— all mandatory bar classes should be closed book/​notes and exam structure like the bar.
— MORE BUSINESS CLASSES!!!
— parking!!! seriously, whats the deal? spend some of that cash pile and purchase one of those adjacent lots!

All of the disgruntled comments below are the one’s that work for USA legal services and are unhappy about their inability to manage their lives in the real world. Stop waving your (pretend) law degree on Craigslist, soliciting clients that have rental disputes! lmao! I will be attending Cal Western and like most that have ill comments towards any school, they were most likely the students that couldn’t get from behind World of Warcraft!!! Losers!

A private campus with barely any parking? That’s downtown for you I guess. There is a lot you can pay the flat rate of $ 11 to use… youch!

California Western School of Law is a fantastic school. The earlier poster who said that the teachers come from poorly ranked schools is just plain wrong. Many of my professors were Stanford, Harvard educated. Further, some of the professors who didn’t go to these high tier schools were some of the best professors I had during my law school experience. After all, going to a top tier school does not make you a great educator nor does it make you a great attorney. The poster who stated he is 20 years out of practice and can’t get a legal job sounds like he might not have been a good fit as a lawyer. Seriously, 20 years out of law school and you can’t find a good job. 20 years out of law school no one should really much care where you went to law school as you should have made a name for yourself and in the community.
A law school will be what you make of it. Personally, I enjoyed the practical approach to law I received at my Alma Mater and went on to open my own, successful firm pretty much straight out of law school. I have met many professional colleagues who have the utmost respect for the high performing attorneys CWSL produces.
After talking to various friends who went to law schools all over California, I was extremely impressed with the education I received over my peers. Sure there are some firms who will not even entertain you if you didn’t graduate from Harvard, but that’s just a reality of life. If you want those jobs, then you should have been smart enough to have gone to Harvard. The majority of my peers from my graduating class are employed in the legal field even in this rough economy.

I LOVE my school! I don’t know what those crazy people below are talking about, but the school is small enough to make a student feel supported every step of the way, and big enough to provide a big network and an atmosphere to create life-​long friendships. You certainly receive a traditional law school experience with enormous lectures, during which the socratic method used by professors makes you want to shrink away into nothing. The school also offers a lot of great practical courses such as mediation, negotiation, advocacy, etc. to get away from the casebooks and practice other skills. There are criminal concentrations, health concentrations, tax, business concentrations, IP, etc. to help you move toward an area if you know you want to commit to one area.
There are so many different personalities at the school (both students and professors) so you are likely to find people who compliment your learning style and personality. Attending law school has been both an incredible challenge and a rewarding experience. I haven’t attended another law school, so I can’t speak from another person’s perspective, but I really do think that this school is under-​appreciated by the rankings, but appreciated by its faculty and students. I am so glad I came here.
I feel as though I have always had the passion to help other people, the confidence to challenge authority, and the school has helped educate me and has given me the tools to do just what I thought I could do. Do I sometimes wish I went to a «fancy-​pants» school that everyone recognized when I said the name? Sure, at my weaker moments when vanity and insecurity creep in… but ultimately, I wouldn’t trade the experience I have had for any other.
And who knows, if we merge with UCSD, we may become fancy pants after all– BAM!
I had to take away one star because it is law school after all ;)

One of the most egotistical school found north of Tijuana. Students always carried the motto that «Oh, I could have gone to UCLA, Stanford or USC but I really (repeat 30 times) think Cal Western is the best place for me. Oh really (no repeat)?? Just because you have a nicer campus, it doesn’t mean you are above everyone practically.

What are you, a shill for Cal Western? I graduated from the joint almost 20 years ago, and despite law review membership, various awards, graduating in two years and passing the California Bar on my first attempt (as well as a master’s degree in another discipline) I’ve never been able to make a living as an attorney.
Why?
Well, unfortunately, prospective employers — even those in San Diego — view CWSL as a «fourth tier» school, and would rather «import» graduates from other cities (even other states) whose law schools they view as «elite.» Unless you’re a sexy broad or a guy with connections, getting a decent job as an associate post-​CWSL is almost impossible.
Don’t believe the «90% placement rate garbage» –IT’S PURE BULLSHIT, PROPAGANDA. Few graduates get jobs, and those who do typically make insultingly low salaries in disgusting locales. (E.G., the poor sap who is «happy» to take a $ 45 K job in the distict attorney’s office in some flyblown hellhole in the Coachella Valley or 30 miles outside of Fresno.)
Cal Western DOES have some excellent instructors, as good as those at over-​hyped places like Harvard, UCLA and so on. Certainly, Professor Lynch, Professor Belknap and others are first-​rate; indeed, I learned much from them and enjoyed their classes. However, these fine men can’t, unfortunately, alter the fact that CWSL is an expensive institution whose graduates (unless well-​financed sole practitioners) are unlikely to prosper.

Update: Five years after graduating from Cal Western, I am still proud to call myself a CWSL alum. I was employed as an associate attorney from the moment I passed the bar (at a firm in Los Angeles), and have now become a non-​equity partner at a different firm. For the reviewers that are disgruntled about not being able to find work, my advice is to look outside San Diego county. There are jobs and you can make a good living with a JD from CWSL. As a side note, I am completing an LLM at a different law school (closer to where I work), and I am much less impressed with the faculty and administration, despite the fact that this school is ranked substantially higher than CWSL. Rankings certainly aren’t everything.
Original: I am a recent Cal Western grad and I am truly pleased that I made the decision to attend this school. When I told my family that I had chosen to attend a small and mostly unknown law school with a low ranking over several much higher ranked schools, they thought I was crazy. But from the three years I spent at Cal Western, I saw how much the faculty and staff care for the students and how they tried to do all that they could to help their students succeed. They offer many scholarship opportunities to help with the ever growing cost of a law school education. They even provide free pre-​bar classes and reduced Bar-​Bri classes for their graduates (a program that is typically around $ 4K) for $ 350. I am happy to say that after I took the CA bar for the first time this February, I was offered a post-​bar clerkship at a firm in Los Angeles and was hired by that firm as an Associate the day after results came out. California Western truly provided an amazing overall law school experience. I honestly believe that it does not deserve to be ranked as abysmally as it is in the US News rankings.

This law school truly is «what law school ought to be.» It may not be Stanford or UCLA, but this school boasts one of the most comprehensive curriculum of any in CA. The whole school is centered around the student’s experience and success, not like some of those other fraternities they call schools. Law school is hard no matter where you are, but the last thing any law student needs is sticky red-​tape. At California Western you won’t suffer from the administrative nightmares and seemingly endless amounts of paperwork that it takes to finally get to your seat in class. Here, all of that is taken care of for you, so you can get down to studying and lining up a high-​paying job. It’s easy with a post-​graduation employment rate of 90%. Granted, I haven’t attended other law schools, but as I corresponded with them from application to acceptance, California Western School of Law was supreme and they continue to be.