Post job

California Western School of Law company history timeline

1924

California Western School of Law, founded in 1924, is a private, non-profit law school located in San Diego, California.

California Western was originally chartered in 1924 by Leland Ghent Stanford as a private graduate institution called Balboa Law College, the first law school in San Diego.

Established in 1924; oldest law school in San Diego

1949

James B. Gibson (born 1949), former mayor of Henderson, Nevada

1952

Scott C. Black (born 1952), former Judge Advocate General of the United States Army

In 1952, Balboa University became affiliated with the Southern California Methodist Conference and changed its name to California Western University, and the law school was relocated to downtown, San Diego.

1955

Bruce E. MacDonald (born 1955), former United States Navy vice admiral and Judge Advocate General of the Navy

1960

In 1960 Dean Robert K. Castetter took office.

1964

Shana Dale (born 1964), former Deputy Administrator of NASA

1967

AALS accreditation in 1967

1968

In 1968, California Western University, which included undergraduate studies, changed its name to the United States International University (USIU). The law school retained the name California Western School of Law.

1973

In 1973, the law school relocated within downtown San Diego to its current downtown campus at 350 Cedar Street.

1975

In 1975, California Western ended its affiliation with USIU and became an independent secular law school.

1980

In 1980, the new trimester system was announced, allowing two entering classes per academic year, reducing individual class size and allowing students the opportunity to graduate in two years rather than the standard three.

1986

In 1986, President and Dean Michael H. Dessent took office, Dean Dessent was experienced in business and established a strong financial foundation for the law school that exists still today.

1996

In 1996, President and Dean Steven R. Smith took office.

2000

In January 2000, California Western opened a new law library building at 290 Cedar Street, dedicated by United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

In 2000, the law school created Proyecto ACCESO, a nonprofit legal think tank that trains lawyers and educates the public in Latin America about legal reform and the rule of law.

2001

In 2001, USIU merged with California School of Professional Psychology to become Alliant International University.

2010

In 2010, the State Bar of California presented California Western with the President’s Pro Bono Service Award, the first pro bono award presented to a law school by the State Bar.

2012

The current Dean, Niels B. Schaumann, joined the law school in 2012.

California Western made it into the list's 2012 coveted top 20. (Rank: 20)

2020

In 2020, President and Dean Sean M. Scott took office, becoming only the second woman of color to be named President and Dean of an American law school.

WASC candidacy approved in 2020

Work at California Western School of Law?
Share your experience
Founded
1924
Company founded
Headquarters
San Diego, CA
Company headquarter
Get updates for jobs and news

Rate California Western School of Law's efforts to communicate its history to employees.

Zippia waving zebra

California Western School of Law jobs

Do you work at California Western School of Law?

Does California Western School of Law communicate its history to new hires?

California Western School of Law competitors

California Western School of Law history FAQs

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of California Western School of Law, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about California Western School of Law. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at California Western School of Law. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by California Western School of Law. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of California Western School of Law and its employees or that of Zippia.

California Western School of Law may also be known as or be related to CALIFORNIA WESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW, California Western School Of Law and California Western School of Law.