California Western School of Law

Established in 1924, California Western School of Law is one of the few nonprofit, independent law schools in the country. The School of Law provides a curriculum with an emphasis on developing problem solving, writing, communication, and analytical thinking skills, in addition to the rigorous traditional legal education. It is the mission of California Western to train compassionate, highly competent, and ethical attorneys, representative of the diverse society in which we live.

In order to achieve that mission, California Western developed several programs and opportunities for students to expand upon their classroom instruction. California Western allows students to specialize in specific areas of law, such as Criminal Justice, Health Care and the Law, Intellectual Property and Telecommunications, or International Law. Students may participate in one of the several centers and institutes, including the Center for Creative Problem Solving, the Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy, the Institute of Health Law Studies, and the California Innocence Project. Students enjoy the flexibility of enrolling in a part-time, two-year, 30-month, or three-year program. While attending California Western, students may pursue a dual degree, such as a JD/Master of Business Administration, a JD/Master of Social Work, or a JD/PhD in Political Science or History. Additionally, the School of Law offers an LLM in Trial Advocacy specializing in Federal Criminal Law and an MCL/LLM for Foreign Law Graduates.