Written by: WSCL Marketing Team
When Heidi Michelle Plummer graduated from Western State College of Law in 2014, she left with a career foundation, a lifelong professional network, and a deep commitment to service that continues to shape the Orange County legal community today.
Heidi is now a co-founder and co-owner of a litigation firm, Bock & Plummer, Attorneys at Law, which specializes in trust and will litigation. She balances her demanding legal practice with leadership across multiple bar associations and nonprofit organizations. Heidi currently holds the position of President of the Orange County Women Lawyers Association (OCWLA) after having served as Vice President. She also serves on the boards of several other legal organizations dedicated to equity, access, and justice.
We asked Heidi how she was able to juggle all these roles. She immediately responds, “Western State. It set me up for success.”
A Law School That Felt Like Home
For Heidi, Western State was a practical and personal decision. Like many Western State students, she needed a law school that could meet her where she was academically, as well as personally. “There were a few law schools in my area,” she explains. “But when I toured Western State, it just felt like home.”
Western State was also one of the only law schools offering a part-time evening program, which allowed Heidi to continue working while earning her degree. “That flexibility mattered to me,” she says. Western State’s supportive, tight-knit community immediately made a huge impact on her. “What really stood out was the support and genuine care from the professors, the staff, and my fellow students,” she says. “Having that kind of support allowed me to focus on learning and studying for the bar exam, not just surviving.” In addition to having a part-time program, Western State also stands as one of the most affordable law schools in California.
That culture of support, Heidi says, made a big difference to her, especially when she faced the most challenging moments of her law school journey.
Support That Extended Beyond the Classroom
Western State’s true strength revealed itself during Heidi’s most challenging times, providing a lifeline when she needed it most. As a part-time evening student working full-time, she faced the constant challenge of balancing work, school, and life. But on top of all that, she experienced serious medical issues that at one point made her unsure whether she would even be able to continue law school.
It was how the Western State community responded that made her able to pursue her career dreams. “Being open with my professors proved to be invaluable,” she says. “They made accommodations. They ensured that my journey continued, even if it had to move at a slower pace.”
When asked about professors who shaped her experience, Heidi lights up and shares a long list. She credits Professor Susan Keller, who teaches Torts, for making complex legal concepts more approachable by using everyday examples. She also recalls Professor Charles Sheppard going out of his way to make sure she stayed on track. “I’ll never forget Professor Sheppard,” Heidi says. “Because I was a nighttime student and dealing with medical issues, he rearranged his schedule and met with me on weekends so that I could succeed.”
She speaks just as fondly of professors whose influence extended long after graduation. “Professor Wersching, who is now a judge, still remembers me a decade later,” Heidi says. “That shows the level of investment they have in their students. Even now, I can go to him with a hypothetical, and he’ll talk it through with me.”
Another standout for Heidi was the late Professor Douglas W. Schroeder (Class of 1988 | Hall of Fame), who taught Evidence and hosted networking receptions specifically made to help students get to know the legal community. “He used to host receptions at his office and invite his students in to introduce them to the community,” Heidi says. “It helped us start building our network, which is vital in law.”
Real-World Experience That Built Confidence
Heidi says Western State’s Externship Program was a real turning point for her law school journey. The practical training, she says, made all the difference. “That real-world experience was invaluable,” she explains. “Western State is very intentional about placements and making sure students actually learn how to practice law.”
The externship taught her how courtrooms actually function, how to interact with clerks, and how to work directly with clients. That kind of exposure gave her the confidence she needed. And the support didn’t stop there. “Even after,” she adds, “you could still reach out to professors with questions. Even though we graduated, our support system was still in place.”
For Heidi, that continued support is part of what sets Western State apart. “It’s not just an education,” she says. “It’s a lifetime of support.”
A Career Built on Leadership and Service
Today, Heidi still carries with her the values she built at Western State: excellence, service, and community engagement. In addition to running her own litigation firm, she is also heavily involved with bar organizations across Orange County and beyond. As President of OCWLA, she oversees programming, events, and strategic initiatives for one of the region’s largest bar affiliates.
One of her proudest accomplishments is launching OCWLA’s Judicial Endorsement Committee, a program that did not exist in the organization’s 50-year history until her tenure. “I realized something was missing: a judicial endorsement application process,” Heidi explains. “So we rolled out our judicial endorsement committee last year when I was Vice President, where we vet and endorse women seeking appointment by the governor.”
The committee evaluates candidates on a variety of attributes, including their legal qualifications and commitment to advancing women and serving the community. “Rolling this out was huge for me,” she says. “I wasn’t sure we’d get it done during my tenure, but we did.”
Creating Pathways to the Bench
Heidi’s work on access and representation extends further than OCWLA. She is also involved with the Orange County Unity Bar, a newer organization focused on ensuring that the judiciary reflects the community it serves. “Unity Bar ensures that Orange County’s bench is diverse and representative of the community so that people see someone on the bench who’s familiar to them,” she says.
Unity Bar also works directly with underserved middle schools, coaching mock trial teams, organizing courthouse visits, and providing hands-on exposure to the legal system. This is all funded by volunteers. “These are opportunities those students wouldn’t otherwise have,” Heidi explains. “And they matter.”
She also serves on the boards of the Lavender Bar Association, Veterans Legal Institute, Elder Law and Disability Rights Center, and multiple philanthropic foundations. “I go where I feel I can be best utilized,” she says.
Advice for Students: Build Your Network Your Way
For current law students and recent graduates hoping to get involved, Heidi’s advice is refreshingly honest and reassuring. “I’m not a natural extrovert,” she admits. “So I started with smaller events where people actually come up and introduce themselves.”
Her message to students is to know yourself, start where you’re comfortable, and grow from there. She especially encourages getting involved with some of the many affiliate bar associations of the Orange County Bar Association. “Every affiliate offers different types of events,” she says. “Volunteer. Bring a friend. Try a smaller setting first. And don’t be intimidated.”
She also adds that funding should never be a barrier to these opportunities for law students. “Most affiliates offer free memberships to law students,” she says. “And if a student wants to attend something they can’t afford, we find a way. We understand how important it is to build a support system.”
Thriving, Not Just Surviving
Perhaps the most impactful part of Western State for Heidi is its culture, one she believes sets it apart from other schools. “Western State has a unique culture that allows its students to thrive, not just survive,” she says. “And that’s really important.”
She sees the difference firsthand when she speaks with students from other schools. Instead of thriving and growing, they seem to be hanging by a thread just getting by. “It’s like they’re just surviving, not thriving,” she says. “Western State offers something different. It offered me thriving, and I know it continues to do that today.”
Life Beyond the Law
Outside of her legal and community work, Heidi loves to read. And she reads a lot, finishing roughly 150 books a year. She is also a fitness enthusiast, an experienced traveler who has visited every single continent, and, as of this year, all 50 states.
She’s also a proud cat mom to four beloved cats, loves to bake, and firmly believes in self-care, something she learned the hard way in law school. “I schedule ‘Heidi time’ every single day now,” she says. “If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else.”
A Lifelong Connection to Western State
Heidi continues to give back to Western State whenever she can through guest lecturing, mentoring students, sponsoring event attendance, and working to bring externship opportunities back in a post-COVID world. “We’re everywhere,” she says of Western State alumni, laughing. And she’s absolutely right: it’s a community of 12,000 strong.
And that, perhaps, is the defining point about Western State: it’s a law school that doesn’t just educate, but stays with you long after graduation.
For Heidi Plummer, Western State wasn’t just the place she earned her Juris Doctor. It was the place that helped her build a life she genuinely loves.
