Western State Ranked #2 by National Jurist for Improved Employment

Written by: WSCL Marketing Team

Ranked #2 Among ABA Law Schools Across the Nation

National Jurist has ranked Western State College of Law at Westcliff University #2 on its 2026 “Most Improved Law Schools for Employment” list1, coming second only to UC Irvine School of Law. Published on August 12, 2026, the ranking compares three-year averages for the Classes of 2012–2014 and 2023–2025 using employment data reported to the American Bar Association.

This recognition comes alongside a 94.6% employment rate2 for Western State’s Class of 2025 and continues the trend of improved graduate employment outcomes for the institution.

“This is an important moment for Western State and another step forward in a legacy that spans six decades,” said Justice Halim Dhanidina (Ret.), Dean and Professor of Law at Western State. “Our students come here to build meaningful careers in the law, and Western State is prepared to give them the experience, support and opportunities to build those careers.”

Career Development and Employer Relationships

Career Development

At Western State, Career Development plays a central role in helping students turn their legal education into a path toward practice. Led by Assistant Dean for Career Development Deirdre Kelly and Director of Career Development and Public Interest Programs James Gilliam, the Career Development Department helps students clarify their professional goals and think strategically about externships, networking, and work experience.

When asked what makes Western State different, Kelly pointed to the broader community behind the school’s employment gains. “It is the visionary leadership here at Western State and Westcliff, the quality and commitment of our wonderful students, and the growth and support of our local legal community that has combined to ignite the school’s unprecedented employment success.”

“Our students come to us with different goals and different ideas about where they want their careers to go, so career development has to start with understanding the individual student,” said Gilliam. “We work with them early to build experience, make connections and be ready when the right opportunity comes along.”

Employer Relationships

Western State has also built longstanding relationships with employers across Orange County and beyond, firms that have hired Western State students and graduates for years.

One of those employers is Chris Wesierski, co-founder of Wesierski & Zurek LLP. “I have practiced here in Orange County for many years, over 40, and Western State has had a big influence on the bar and the judiciary in this County because of outstanding lawyering and judging,” Wesierski said. “We have hired many students from Western State who do and have done in the past an outstanding job. We are a trial firm, so many of our assignments are done with a time pressure, and we have had many successful Western State students who have met that pressure and thrived.”

Nicole Whyte, Founding Partner and CEO of Bremer, Whyte, Brown, & O’Meara, LLP, is another longtime employer and friend of Western State. “We’ve had the privilege of hiring several recent graduates from Western State Law School,” Whyte said, describing them as “thoughtful, hardworking, and with excellent knowledge of the law and outstanding critical thinking and analytical skills. We will continue to hire from Western State Law School.”

“A big part of our work is the relationships we have built with employers throughout Orange County and beyond,” said Kelly. “Those relationships keep us connected to the needs of the legal community and help us create more opportunities for our students and graduates to build their careers.”

Career Preparation Starts Before Graduation

Western State’s approach to career preparation begins early on in their law school journeys. The law school offers a Summer Honors Program and targeted on-campus interviews with law firms. Students can gain hands-on experience through law clinics and externships, Moot Court and Mock Trial advocacy competitions, faculty mentorship and practical skills training.

That emphasis on experiential learning is a hallmark of Western State’s curriculum. Law clinics, field placements and simulation courses offer ways for students to build the essential skills they’ll need when they step into the legal profession after they graduate. During the 2024–2025 academic year, the institution recorded 58 students enrolled in its law clinics, 80 field-placement positions, and 322 enrollments in simulation courses.3 Western State’s law clinics include Criminal Defense, Probate Law, Mediation, Immigration & Deportation Defense, and Entrepreneurship. Through the clinics, students get to work on real cases under faculty supervision and develop practical legal skills before entering the profession.

The Academic Success Program (ASP), which includes bar preparation, supports students through another part of that transition. Western State has recognized Professor Tania Shah, Director of the ASP, along with professors Stacey Kim-Jackson, Jennifer Dean and Kirsten Pescetti for their work supporting students throughout law school and bar preparation.

Together, Career Development, experiential learning, and ASP give students multiple ways to prepare for their future careers after graduation.

Building on Recent Momentum

The new #2 ranking joins several recent recognitions from National Jurist and preLaw Magazine for Western State.

In January 2025, preLaw Magazine ranked Western State #4 in the nation for improved graduate employment rates. The publication also recognized Western State as one of the nation’s most diverse law schools for 2025. Later that year, they also named Western State one of the nation’s top law schools for both Business Law and Criminal Law.

Together, Western State’s 2025 #4 employment-improvement recognition and the new #2 ranking reveal a continued pattern of improving graduate employment outcomes.

Recent bar results add another piece to that momentum. Western State reported an 85.2% overall bar pass rate for 2025 graduates, with 81 of 95 graduates passing. Among Western State first-time takers on the February 2026 bar exam, 69.6% passed, or 16 of 23. On the February 2026 California Bar Exam specifically, 68.2% of Western State first-time takers passed, or 15 of 22, compared with a preliminary 62.3% first-time pass rate for ABA-accredited California law schools. Statewide, the preliminary first-time pass rate was 43.9%, while the overall pass rate was 30.8%.

A Closer Look at the Class of 2025

Western State reported a 94.6% employment rate for the Class of 2025, based on employment data reported to the ABA in March 2026. The institution’s Class of 2025 Employment Outcomes also show what sector employed graduates worked in: 79.54% worked in law firms, 9.09% in business, 5.68% in government and 3.41% in public interest.4

Continuing the upward trend, Western State’s employment rate has climbed steadily over the past 3 graduating classes, from 87% for the Class of 2023 to 93.4% for the Class of 2024 and 94.6% for the Class of 2025.

Having served on the bench himself, Dean Dhanidina brings a unique perspective to career preparation. “We want our students to leave Western State prepared for their first job and for the careers they will build from there,” Dhanidina said. “Our graduates have gone on to serve clients, lead in the legal community and sit on the bench. We want this generation of students to see those same possibilities ahead of them.”

Western State will continue building on its employment momentum by preparing students to enter the legal profession, grow within it and help shape its future.

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