California Southern Law School
Private law school in Riverside, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
California Southern Law School (CSLS) was a private part-time evening law school in Riverside, California. It admitted its last entering class in Fall 2016 and closed after the Spring 2020 semester.[1][2] It is registered with the California State Bar Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE), but is not approved by the CBE or accredited by the American Bar Association. As a registered law school, CSLS graduates may take the California Bar Examination and upon passing the Bar, they are authorized to practice law in California.[3]
| California Southern Law School | |
|---|---|
| |
| Motto | A Great Value in Legal Education |
| Established | 1971; Closed May 2020 |
| School type | Private law school |
| Dean | Judge Elwood M. Rich (1920–2015; Dean, 1971–2014) |
| Location | Riverside, California, US 33°57′33″N 117°23′29″W |
| USNWR ranking | No USNWR Ranking |
| Website | Official website |
| ABA profile | Non-ABA School |
History
California Southern Law School was founded in 1971 as Citrus Belt Law School[nb 1] by California Superior Court Judge Elwood M. Rich[4] to serve students in the Inland Empire of Southern California.[5][nb 2] It took its original name from the Citrus Belt League of the Inland Empire, but changed the name in 1990 to California Southern Law School.[6]
California State Bar CBE registration
California Southern Law School is registered with the Committee of Bar Examiners[7] of The State Bar of California (CBE), which authorizes CSLS to operate and to grant the Juris Doctor (J.D.) law degree. CSLS is not accredited by the American Bar Association[8] or approved by the CBE. As a registered "unaccredited" law school, CSLS students must take and pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination (commonly referred to as the "Baby Bar") administered by the CBE.[9] Upon successful passing of the "Baby Bar" those students may continue with their law studies to obtain their J.D. degree.[10]
Facilities
California Southern Law School maintained its facilities in stand-alone buildings in the Magnolia Center Neighborhood[11] of Riverside, California. Facilities include offices, classrooms and a trial practice courtroom. Legal research and Writing classes are held at the Victor Miceli Riverside County Law Library[12] in Downtown[13] Riverside.
Academics
Pre-legal education requirements
CSLS admitted students meeting the pre-legal education requirements set forth by the Committee of Bar Examiners and does not require the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).[14] The CBE requires prospective law students to complete a minimum of two years of approved college work or its equivalent before entering law school.[15] This requirement is generally met by receiving an Associate of Arts (AA) degree, Associate of Science (AS) degree or by having completed at least 60 semester (90 quarter) units of college work applicable to a Bachelor's degree at a regionally accredited or approved school recognized by the CBE, with an average grade at least equal to that required for graduation. As allowed by the CBE, prospective CSLS students could satisfy this requirement by taking certain College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests.[16][nb 3]
Law study
As required by the Committee of Bar Examiners,[17] California Southern Law School offered a four-year law curriculum. The CSLS program covered all bar examination subjects likely to be tested by the CBE.[18][19] All classes were held on weekday evenings which allowed students to pursue a legal education and maintain full-time employment.[20]
Faculty
Judges and commissioners who taught at CSLS included:
- Angel M. Bermudez (J.D., University of San Diego School of Law) – Instructor, Trial Practice (2011–2014) – Superior Court Judge, Riverside County[21]
- Jim Bishop, Interim Dean (2014–present) (J.D., McGeorge School of Law (University of the Pacific) '75) – Instructor, Contracts (1976–2017) – Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Business Law, California Baptist University, Riverside; Commissioner, Riverside County Superior Court (1990–2008)[22]
- Thomas S. Hudspeth (J.D., CSLS '81) – Instructor, Torts (1985–2015) – Commissioner, Riverside County Superior Court (1999–2012)[23]
Notable people
Successful California Southern Law School graduates are found in many areas of the Southern California legal community.[24] They include judges and other distinguished alumni.
Alumni judges
- Barbara J. Beck ('74) – Superior Court Judge (Ret.), Santa Barbara County[25]
- John G. Evans ('79) – Superior Court Judge, Riverside County[26][27]
- Douglas N. Gericke ('76) – Superior Court Judge (Ret.), San Bernardino County[28]
- Arthur A. Harrison ('86) – Superior Court Judge, San Bernardino County[29]
- Christopher J. Warner ('77 honors) – Superior Court Judge (Ret.), San Bernardino County[30]
- Dale R. Wells ('93) – Superior Court Judge, Riverside County[31][32][33]
- Christopher W. Yeager ('77) – Presiding Judge, Superior Court, Imperial County[34]
Other distinguished alumni
- Virginia M. Blumenthal ('75) – Member, Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees;[35] recipient of the Athena Award[36] from Athena International;[37] Los Angeles Daily Journal, "Top Women Litigators of 2007"[38] and "Top Women Litigators 2008"[39]
- Edwin Butler (1949–2010) ('94) – Journalist and Law Librarian, San Bernardino County Law Libraries[40]
- Terry E. Caldwell ('75) – Mayor and City Council Member (1972–2010), Victorville, California[41][42]
- Mary Ellen Daniels ('84) – President (2003–2004), Riverside County Bar Association[43][44]
- L. Alexandra Fong ('00) – Riverside County Counsel's Office[45]
- Katie Greene ('79) – Honored by blackvoicenews.com as a Community Builder for her 14 years service with the Public Service Law Corporation (PSLC)[46] (2010 Hardy L. Brown Gala)[47][48]
- Michael A. Ramos ('88) – District attorney, County of San Bernardino (2002–2019) and Member, California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board[49][50][51]
- Joe S. Rank ('83) – Riverside County Counsel (2005–2009)(Ret.)[52][53][54]
- Michael A. Scafiddi ('95) – President (2008–2009), San Bernardino County Bar Association[55]
See also
Notes
- California Southern Law School is the DBA for Citrus Belt Law School, a corporation registered with the California Secretary of State Archived April 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, number C0629839, filed July 23, 1971. It has filed a FBN with the County of Riverside, County Clerk, file number R-201104190, exp. 4/12/2016[permanent dead link]. It is licensed by the City of Riverside Finance Department, Account No. BL00007353. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has given CSLS an A+ Reliability Rating as an Accredited Business since March 10, 1976.
- Judge Rich opened Citrus Belt Law School shortly after the private vocational Riverside University, which had a law program, was closed by state and federal regulators."Riverside University May Have To Close". The Press-Courier. Oxnard, California. June 10, 1971. p. 4. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- Students meet can CBE Pre-Legal Education requirements by obtaining a score of 50 in the following CLEP tests, offered by the College Board:
- Either the College Composition or the College Composition Modular examination; plus,
- Two/four other examinations (12 credits total) in: Composition and Literature (Humanities examination only); Foreign Languages; History and Social Science; Science and Mathematics; Business