Written by: WSCL Marketing Team
At Western State College of Law, the oldest law school in Orange County and one of the most affordable in California, the commitment to justice and giving back goes far beyond the classroom. Whether through legal clinics, food bank volunteer shifts, crafting bags for the homeless, or even reading to shelter dogs, our students, faculty, and staff actively engage in community service.
In honor of National Volunteer Week, we’re celebrating the many ways Western State gives back and the impact that service has had on both the public and our future legal professionals.
Connecting Students to Community Impact
James Gilliam, the Director of Career Development and Public Interest Programs at Western State, is passionate about helping students find ways to get involved in public service. He organizes campus volunteer events and helps students find summer placements with organizations like the ACLU or Public Law Center. His goal is to connect students with meaningful public service opportunities.
One of his favorite yearly campus traditions is Public Service Week. “Every year, our student groups have a Public Service Week, where they get involved in serving the community,” James shared. “They do things like serve meals, help residents at the Orange County Rescue Mission, or work with organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank.”
A Duty to Serve the Community by Giving Back
James sees volunteering as more than a side activity; it’s about duty and justice. “There’s a significant justice gap in our country,” he said. “The earlier students are introduced to this and see the role they can play in making change, the better. We want to give more people access to the legal system.”
James has seen how impactful volunteering experiences can be. “Students who do volunteer work gain real-world exposure to the suffering that people are going through, and the need for more lawyers,” he explained. “It helps make our society more just by giving people access to the legal system who wouldn’t have had it otherwise.”
Echoing this sentiment, Deirdre Kelly, Assistant Dean of Career Development at Western State, said, “I think we as lawyers have an ethical obligation to help our community through the legal profession. “It’s the right thing to do; it also feels good.” She encourages students to look for local pro bono work. “Working with Legal Aid, the Public Law Center, or the Veterans Legal Institute are fantastic pro-bono opportunities,” she added.
Deirdre emphasized that service isn’t only about giving back. It also gives law students essential experience that helps them discover what they care about most as they develop their legal identity. “We want to find out what students want to do,” she explained. “They get to know what they like by taking classes, working, and volunteering.”
Students Taking the Lead
Western State takes pride in its students’ commitment to giving back to the community. At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, our 1Ls put together over 200 care packages for the homeless and foster children. Last month, for Public Service Week, student organizations stepped up in creative and compassionate ways to help their community. Here are some of the volunteer activities they held:
- LLSA (Latinx Law Students Association) partnered with the Orange County Rescue Mission to support youth outreach.
- WLA (Women’s Law Association) created care packages and wrote letters of encouragement for the Ethiopian Family Fund, extending support across borders.
- SBA (Student Bar Association) and AFVLS (Armed Forces and Veterans Legal Society) joined forces for a hands-on tie-blanket-making initiative to serve individuals and families in need.
- APALSA (Asian Pacific American Law Student Association) launched a Pet Literacy Program with Long Beach Animal Care Services, where students read to dogs and other animals to help them socialize and become adoption-ready.
APALSA Gives Back Through Pet Literacy Program
3L student and APALSA Vice President, Mark Onyx Deroca, emphasized the event’s inclusivity. “It wasn’t just for APALSA, it was open to the whole school,” he explained. “We all have the privilege of studying law. Volunteering is one way we use that privilege to help others, even animals.”
James Gilliam noted that this program has become a favorite. “It’s a way to get the dogs to socialize so that they can be more easily adopted,” he said. “You can go there and read your cases, basically study with the dogs, and also participate in a public interest activity.”
Olivia French, a 3L and President of APALSA, also volunteers on her own. “I enjoy volunteering at my local animal shelter when I can. Sometimes, they have events in the community that I volunteer for.”
Service That Shapes Careers
Volunteering and giving back doesn’t just build character—it can also build careers. By engaging with the community in hands-on, compassionate ways, students develop the empathy, perspective, and professional values that will guide their careers long after law school. “Working with nonprofit organizations helps students develop their professional network and meet colleagues who care about the same issues they care about,” said James. These shared values often lead to lasting connections. Deirdre also notes that events like these can open unexpected doors to professional opportunities. “You get to network and build connections and friendships with other lawyers, and judges, in the community,” she explained.
James also notes that public service can help students discover their passion in the legal field. “My hopes are that when students do public interest work, it will ignite a spirit in them that will inspire them to give back throughout their career,” he shared.
Making a Lasting Impact by Giving Back
As James puts it: “Only 0.6% of the country are lawyers. That means 99.4% aren’t, and many people wouldn’t have access to justice without us.”
Western State celebrates the students, staff, and faculty who use their legal training to help others. Whether it’s reading to a shelter dog or helping someone navigate the legal system, every act of service brings us closer to a more just society, and a more compassionate legal community.
