College of Law

Western State College of Law is a private law school located in Irvine, CA close to Orange County’s legal, technology, finance, and business centers. Western State law students and graduates have access to opportunities at nearby courts, private firms, public agencies, and businesses throughout the Southland.

WSCL prides itself on a faculty of excellent professors whose first priorities are teaching and student success. Most faculty members have extensive professional legal experience as well as impressive academic credentials; they bring real-world knowledge and skills to the classroom. The full-time faculty is supplemented by an outstanding adjunct faculty of practicing attorneys and judges.

In WSCL’s externship program, students receive placement in courts or in the offices of district attorneys, public defenders, practicing attorneys, corporate legal departments, or public interest organizations where they gain hands-on experience and earn academic credit. Externships can assist students in finding employment after graduation.

With a five-decade history in Southern California, WSCL maintains a strong job placement track record and the connections to assist students in their job searches. Western State focuses on helping students develop skills and practical experience to build their legal résumés throughout law school, making them attractive candidates as they enter the workforce.

Certificate programs in Business Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, Immigration Law, and Real Estate Law give students the opportunity to focus their electives in a special study emphasis including a practical experience component.

Students can start law school full-time or part-time in the fall or spring. In addition, Western State offers generous merit-based and diversity-based scholarships to incoming students.

Explore Programs

About College of Law

Founded in 1966, Western State College of Law is the oldest law school in Orange County, Southern California, and is a fully ABA-approved private law school. Noted for small classes and personal attention from an accessible faculty focused on student success, Western State maintains bar pass rates consistently in the top half of California’s ABA law schools.

Western State’s 11,000+ alumni are well represented across public and private sector legal practice areas, including 150 California judges and about 15% of Orange County’s Deputy Public Defenders and District Attorneys. Exposure to real world legal settings, practical experience, and invaluable contacts with alumni practitioners—all will assist you in the transition to the job market and throughout your professional career.

Mission Statement

The mission of Western State College of Law at Westcliff University is to provide the highest quality legal education, based on an innovative program of studies designed to develop the tools of careful legal analysis and to foster a broad understanding of law, law practice, and legal theory. The College of Law emphasizes the study and practice of lawyering skills required for the ethical, skillful, and professional practice of law and is particularly committed to meeting the educational needs of those who seek to practice in small to medium law offices, corporate law departments and governmental and other public service settings. To further its mission, the College of Law will pursue student and faculty diversity, both to enhance the educational program of the school and to address important needs of the legal profession and of society as a whole.

Message from the Dean

Today’s law students and graduates need to emerge from law school with the requisite knowledge, skills, and contacts to face new challenges and enter a changing legal environment. I am proud to be Dean of a law school where the focus of our faculty and staff is helping our students do just that.

My faculty colleagues are highly accessible and dedicated to teaching excellence. Many of our professors enhance the classroom experience by bringing examples from their prior practical legal experience, bridging the gap from theory to the realities of practicing law.

I also take pride in the accomplishments of our more than 11,000 graduates, from their success on the bar exam to public service contributions, citation as Super Lawyers, judicial appointments, and leadership roles in the corporate, government, and private sectors. Our strong alumni network provides connections and mentors in the legal community for our students as they prepare for their own future in the law.

Western State’s connections and reputation provide students with a wealth of opportunities to gain hands-on experience during law school; participation in a broad range of Externships and Moot Court enables students to find their niche, build their practical skills, and enhance their legal resume.

There has never been a better time to attend Western State. I invite you to get acquainted with our faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Make an appointment to visit, sit in on a class, or schedule a discussion about requirements with our admissions team.

Very Truly Yours,

Allen Easley, Dean

College of Law Programs

Click on one of the programs below and we will direct you to our Western State College of Law website to learn more.

Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.)

Certificate Programs