Western State College Of Law Has A Potential Buyer

For-profit Westcliff University wants to purchase the embattled law school.

‘Please buy our school!’ (Image via Getty)

Western State College of Law in California may have a long-term future despite the school recently submitting teach-out plans to the American Bar Association.

Westcliff University, which is also located in the Orange County city of Irvine, has signed a letter of intent to purchase the law school, according to Western State alumnus Bill Shapiro.

Shapiro cautioned that the purchase still needs approval from multiple entities, including the ABA and the U.S. Department of Education, but said he was hopeful it would ultimately be finalized.

“I think Westcliff will lift Western State to new levels,” Shapiro said. “I’m very pleased.”

The law school’s future has been uncertain in recent months due to the financial struggles of its for-profit parent university, Argosy University, which is in federal receivership. For a time, it looked as if Western State might close mid-semester.

As for Westcliff University, its website says the for-profit school offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business and education, including online and hybrid distance-education options.

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The school says it received its initial approval from California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education in 1993, and it is also accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

Western State, on the other hand, graduated its 50th class last weekend with a big assist from Shapiro, a 1978 graduate and adjunct faculty member.

But the school also recently submitted two different teach-out plans to the ABA. The law school regulator announced approval of both plans on Thursday.

The ABA said Plan A calls for Western State to operate as an ABA-approved law school in teach-out mode while financed by “an institution of higher education approved by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges,” which refers to Westcliff University.

“That institution plans to file an application for acquiescence to acquire the law school,” the ABA said. “If the acquisition is successful, the law school will continue in existence as an ongoing enterprise; if the acquisition is unsuccessful, the institution would continue to finance the law school operating in teach-out mode with the final closure occurring in December 2022.”

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The ABA said Plan B would take effect if Plan A “cannot be implemented in a timely fashion and the law school is required to cease operations.”

“Teach-Out Plan B relies entirely on facilitating transfers for as many students as possible and facilitating visiting at other law schools for the students who cannot transfer,” the ABA wrote, noting the school’s accreditation would continue through July 1, 2022, under this alternative.

Shapiro said Westcliff officials recently held a town hall-like meeting with Western State students to discuss the potential purchase and the process to finalize it.

The sooner there is clarity about whether the purchase will go through, Shapiro said, the better for students who need to decide whether they are going to complete their degrees at Western State or pursue other options.

“This has been one challenge after another, and one speed bump after another,” Shapiro said. “While the seas are not quite as rough, we have to keep putting fuel in the tanks.”


Lyle Moran is a freelance writer in San Diego who handles both journalism and content writing projects. He previously reported for the Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Diego Daily Transcript, Associated Press, and Lowell Sun. He can be reached at lmoransun@gmail.com and found on Twitter @lylemoran.