By Nick Aliquo, SBA American Bar Association Representative

Hello everyone! My name is Nicholas Aliquo and I am your American Bar Association (ABA) Representative here at California Western. I’m assuming most of you, if not, all of you know that one of the many perks of attending California Western is that we are an ABA-accredited law school. However, not all students actually know what the ABA is and what the ABA can do for you. My job is to help fix that.

The American Bar Association is one of the world’s largest voluntary professional organizations, with over 400,000 members. There are 205 institutions that are ABA approved. The ABA is committed to serving its members, improving the legal profession, eliminating bias and enhancing diversity as well as advancing the rule of law throughout the United States and around the world. Membership is open to law students (hey that’s you!), lawyers (that will soon be you) and those just curious and interested in the legal profession (hopefully you). Now I know you’re wondering: okay, this all sounds great, but why should I care about these three letters or three words? Well, let me tell you! Continue reading “Join the ABA! Message from Cal Western’s ABA representative”

By Matthew Lab, Assistant Director of Career and Professional Development Office

Let’s face it: law job interviews can be stressful, especially for the uninitiated.  Now that the spring recruiting season is upon us, many of you have already or will soon interview for legal internships or post-graduate positions.  So, why do employers interview?  Isn’t your brilliant cover letter and resume enough to convince them that you are the perfect candidate?  Not likely.

Employers interview simply because the information presented in your application materials only presents a “snapshot” of the candidate, which by its nature cannot accurately reflect the entire person. Meeting a candidate allows the interviewer to confirm his or her initial impressions as to your qualifications and to evaluate how you will perform tasks, respond to clients, and how well you will fit in and work with the rest of the team. Keep in mind that an interview is nothing more than a focused “conversation.”  As such, students need to express their value and indicate what sets them apart from other candidates. The following tips should increase your chances of a successful conversation. Continue reading “9 tips on how to rock the interview”

By Shane Dizon, Assistant Dean for Academic Achievement

If you’re reading this, you’re about to look up your grades or already have. If you’re in the former camp, take a deep breath. Remember, you’ve accomplished a lot thus far, and you’re still the same good human being before or after. If you’re in the latter camp . . . well, do exactly what I just said anyways.

It occurred to me that I could just write some improvisation on the good old “7 Stages of Grief” – shock, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression, hope – but that’s probably not why you’re here. So I want to honor your experience and try to modify that message to law school. Continue reading “Academic Achievement: 7 Tips for Planning Forward after Grades Release”

By Valerie Gurrola, Student Bar Association Vice President NOMINATIONS FOR FACULTY/STAFF AWARDS Between now and Jan. 30, email your nominations for Professor of the Year, Adjunct Professor of the Year, and Staff Member of the Year to sbavp@law.cwsl.edu. Students are asked to submit one nomination per category. These awards are determined entirely by student votes, and the winners will be announced at Barrister’s Ball on … Continue reading SBA VP’s announcements

By Shane Dizon, Assistant Dean for Academic Achievement

With November upon us, the specter of final exams looms large. Here are nine tips to ensure that your hard work does not go for naught come December, and that you are building the skills needed for consistent success on both law school exams and on the bar exam.

1 ~ Schedule and adjust

An expert law student wins the scheduling battle at the daily, weekly, and big-picture levels. Consistently create and refine a study schedule at the daily and weekly levels. Always assess the schedule at the end of each day and make the necessary adjustments. Not doing everything you planned is not per se a bad thing, but not adjusting after falling short is. Continue reading “Finals advice from Academic Achievement”

Hello, Cal Westerners! Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year. My name is Jesse Schram, and it is my pleasure to serve as your Student Bar Association President. SBA’s duty is to ensure that every student’s voice will be listened to and subsequently acted upon. We are the link between the student body and our school’s administration, faculty, and alumni. We encourage every student to contribute to … Continue reading Letter from SBA President

By Don Smythe, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs

I’ve been inundated with warm messages since my appointment as our Vice Dean for Academic Affairs. Many colleagues, students, and alumni have congratulated me on my “promotion.” Truthfully, leaving the best job on the planet – law professor – to become an administrator doesn’t feel like a promotion. In fact, the reason I accepted the job was less to advance my career than to help tackle some of the challenges facing the law school.

Law schools are under significant new pressures. Law school applications are down, competition for students is greater, the American Bar Association has established new regulations, and the U.S. Department of Education seems to be lurking in the background waiting to pounce. In the long-run, the new pressures will probably make the legal academy better. They should improve the quality of legal education and make it more affordable for most law students. But in the short-run, they’re causing a shake-down. A few law schools have already closed, and plans to open some other law schools have been postponed. California Western is fortunate to have the resources to weather the storm in good standing, but it can’t afford to become complacent. In the face of all the pressures, we have to make California Western a better law school. We need to improve our students’ learning, bar passage rates, and employment prospects, and we need to provide our education at lower costs. Continue reading “Making the Law School Better”

“A teacher affects eternity, he can never tell where his influence stops” – H.B Adams

By Juan Forero

School is back in session! As tens of thousands of San Diego Unified School District students happily return from their summer adventures, teachers sit in now occupied classrooms, wondering if their homeroom numbers will continue to increase.

The teacher shortage in San Diego, however, is not news to those in the profession and for the past ten years the shortage has only increased. Last year alone, a staggering 11,300 of California’s approximate 296,000 K-12 teachers retired; and in two years, the country can expect to lose over half of the teachers and principals it had in 2009 from Boomer retirees alone.

Gone are the days where the veteran teacher of 30 years can look at her classroom and recognize the children of past students. Teachers are simply not sticking to the profession like they used to, with approximately 15.7% of new teachers leaving every year. But while new teacher retention is low, the shortage can easily be attributed to the 70% decrease in enrollment in teacher education programs, a near historic low. Continue reading “Tax Credit Scholarships: An Ironic Propellant to the California Teacher Shortage”